http://www.thai3dviz.com/mpn/gallery/gallery/Architecture/Pnight.jpg

I hope its behind the ugly skyscraper on the right.

The area between the ESB and the rest of midtown needs built up and this could help out.

Yeah I agree, there needs to be some more taller buildings surrounding ESB.

Haven't heard about this project.

The reason there isn't many tall towers built surrounding the ESB is because there's no bedrock to support them.

^Then did they drill insanely deep for the ESB? Intresting fact though!

yes this i like very much, but just think, a block closer to ESB and 10 floors higher. as it is tho i accept

Sort of a boring design though, from the side it will look chunky. "thick" if you will...

Yeah I agree, there needs to be some more taller buildings surrounding ESB.
Boy do I disagree! The ESB rises uncluttered by any other tall buildings.
I hope they never build anything really tall near it. Look at the Chrysler.
It barely stands out, surrounded by other scrapers in the area.
I like it best the way it is. There is enough clutter (density) in Manhattan.

i totally agree with tazmaniadevil on that...

the best quality about esb is its dominant feel, which would be non-existant if it's not all by itself. without other 100m+ skyscrapers cluttering around it and blocking out its lower half, it's able to retain dominance over its surrounding. unlike chrysler, which seems almost swallowed up by its neighbors even though it's only about 60m shorter than the esb's zeppelin mast.

really, they should build this project somewhere else and leave esb to dominate midtown south forever.

i reckon that they should build a couple of medium size scrapers near madison sq park, east of the met life clock tower.

Even though I like it when supertalls are surrounded by other tall towers (like in Chicago or the former WTC), I think that the ESB looks cool standing alone by itself, surrounded by puny 12-20 floor "skyscrapers", towering over all that crap, and so it is visible like that from many locations. I actually don't want to see anything built next to it unless the building is taller than the ESB. Then we're just talkin bout getting visions into reality, like those renderings of the city with supertall towers and the "good ole EDB somewhere down there". Random tall towers sticking out of random surrounding blocks that are still way shorter than the ESB would only underline its height though. Which is good.

this is an interesting question, i agree with the statement that the ESB should remain the dominant tower at 33rd and 5th ave area, but i can't help but think that a few (2) randomly placed (tho carefully planned) 800' to 1000' towers within say 4 or 5 blocks (depending on direction) would add a nice contrast to the ESB. if i were commissioned to do such a project i'd stick to postmodern,deco. it could work!

I like how the ESB dominates the surrounding area too, a couple of 30-40 story towers are fine, but nothing tall should be built in the immediate area. I don't know if there's any demand (office wise) for any tall towers there anyway?

Another rendering

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/1779/4005th1cc.jpg

ESB needs company.

edited since the episcopal church article moved :)

Savethewtc, the article is about another project located at 29th Street. 400 Fifth is at 38th Street.

Savethewtc, the article is about another project located at 29th Street. 400 Fifth is at 38th Street.

Thanks for the correction Stern, I removed the article to avoid confusion. All these 50 story ones are getting confusing. :nuts:

Credit to you for these renderings:

http://www.aiany.org/designawards/2004/projects/jpegs/226b.jpg

http://www.aiany.org/designawards/2004/projects/jpegs/226c.jpg

I also think the ESB could use some company as long as they are the height of this proposal or shorter.

i totally agree with tazmaniadevil on that...

the best quality about esb is its dominant feel, which would be non-existant if it's not all by itself. without other 100m+ skyscrapers cluttering around it and blocking out its lower half, it's able to retain dominance over its surrounding. unlike chrysler, which seems almost swallowed up by its neighbors even though it's only about 60m shorter than the esb's zeppelin mast.

really, they should build this project somewhere else and leave esb to dominate midtown south forever.
I agree as well. ESB should stand tall and alone forever!

Another rendering:

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43141034.jpg

Thanks to Derek2k3.

The area is now being demolished for 400 5th Ave.

Originally posted on Wired NY by pianonman11686
http://images.snapfish.com/3447%3A66723232%7Ffp3%3Enu%3D3259%3E846%3E28%3A%3EWSNRCG%3D3232%3B4%3A736335nu0mrj
http://images.snapfish.com/3447%3A66723232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E234%3A%3D937%3D37%3B%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A59827%3B37ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/3447%3A66723232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E234%3A%3D937%3D37%3B%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A59827245ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/3447%3A66723232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E234%3A%3D937%3D37%3B%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A59827%3B3%3Bot1lsi

that residential building's really starting to look like a building that libeskind designed. it looks about as chaotic as his sacremento residential towers and the ascent in covington, kentucky.

and that's not what nyc needs, especially after libeskind screwed the wtc site over with his stupid beyer blinder belle site plan.

http://www.nypost.com/realestate/comm/64831.htm
THEY TAKE THE FIFTH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 8, 2006 -- BETWEEN THE BRICKS

A pre-assembled vacant site in the fashion swath of Fifth Avenue is hitting the market through Darcy Stacom and her CB Richard Ellis team.

The 400 Fifth Ave. site on the northwest corner of 36th Street is being sold by the joint venture of Lehman Bros. and Yitzak Tessler.

It's also ready to plunge skyward to 550,000 gross feet and down two levels for a garage.

"You have a clean slate and it's ready to roll," said Stacom.

It can support 190,000 feet of hotel uses, along with residential or even offices.

Because the venture already includes air rights from 404 Fifth Ave., the landmarked Tiffany Building across the street, and the sloping land, its view corridor stretches to the Atlantic Ocean, Stacom told us.

Pricing may approach $400 a foot - which is what Stacom obtained from Madison Equities for the Hearst hotel site at 55th and Eighth Avenue - another busy developer believes it will go for more and could hit $500 a foot.

"There's not a lot out there for land," he advised.

Stacom and Bill Shanahan have also added Jeff Dauray from the D.C. hospitality company Molinaro Koger as a full partner to their team.

it would mess up the Empire State's surrounding, and reduce the building's imponence

I love the ESB and all, and i think its the greatest skyscraper in history but seriously its time to move on, america is getting passed by while we try to preserve history. I think america should have the tallest building on the planet but i guess that will never happen again. Its time for a new supertall to take the focus and let that high price manhattan real estate to fill up. I think the esb will still dominate even if its surrounded by 50 and 60 story buildings.


id like to add that i think the idea of making any proposal "shorter" is ridiculous.

Its nice how the ESB is by pretty isolated and dominates the surrounding area but I definitely think a few 40-50 story skyscrapers giving it company wouldnt hurt.

Is it true that the soil around the ESB is weak? Funny that the tallest building in the city should be built on weak soil then when theres is plenty of solid bed rock on the island.

http://www.nypost.com/realestate/63254.htm

This just in...

A new luxury hotel condominium and retail complex will soon be rising on Fifth Avenue.

We've learned that a major international developer based in Italy has just bought the property at 400 Fifth Ave. from Lehman Brothers to construct a 56-story building at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 36th Street.

The buyers, Bi & Di Real Estate SpA, outbid many of the city's top developers, with an offer of approximately $200 million.

Lehman had already commissioned plans created for the project by Gwathmey Siegel, before they opted to put it on the market.

Current plans for the complex, which will comprise 520,858 square feet, calls for over 145,000 square feet of hotel space and 323,000 square feet of residential property that will occupy floors 18 to 56. The group has already developed many resorts, offices and other such projects around the world. And this will be its first venture in the U.S.

"We're now in the process of selecting a luxury hotel group that will complement the upscale residences," says real-estate mogul Howard Lorber. The chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman and super-broker Dolly Lenz represented the buyers in the acquisition and will be exclusively marketing the property.

I like this project. The ESB could use some company. Not so much that it would eclipse it, but a few 500-600 foot buildings shouldn't do much harm.

Walked by the construction site today. The windows look really nice.
http://hyper-ballad.com/400fifth-1.jpg
And, of course, iPhone has no flash!
http://hyper-ballad.com/400fifth-2.jpg
This one with a glimpse of ESB.

Perhaps the pictures do it no justice and I'll wait until I'm in that area again to make a final judgment, but so far this is turning out to be one ugly tower.