Liberty of Bonds OK'd for midtown tower

New York City’s Industrial Development Agency today gave preliminary approval for $650 million in tax-exempt Liberty Bonds to be used for Bank of America’s proposed headquarters building in midtown.

Bank of America plans to develop a 2 million-square-foot, $915 million, 57-story skyscraper at 42nd Street and Sixth Ave., and occupy half the floors.

The use of Liberty Bonds—authorized by Congress to help revitalize lower Manhattan—to subsidize the midtown project has met with criticism from rebuilding agency Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and good-government groups like Good Jobs New York. John Whitehead, chairman of the LMDC, acknowledged Monday in a public hearing that $2 billion of the bonds had been earmarked for potential use outside of lower Manhattan if all of the money could not be used downtown. But he argued that it is “fully feasible” that the entire $8 billion worth of bonds may be needed in lower Manhattan.


Copyright 2003, Crain Communications, Inc.
-------------------------------------------------------

The site is already being cleared. It is directly east of the Conde Nast building on Times Sq.

Very encouraging news.

Now all we have to see is which architect will be picked and the new design.

BoA seems to like Pelli. I'm hoping. :)

Yay!
Most Bank of America buildings in US have good designs. Hope this will continue that trend!:guns1:

Originally posted by JMGarcia

BoA seems to like Pelli. I'm hoping. :)

I hope so too! :cool:

We already know it won't be an "ordinary box" so it'd be interesting to see what Pelli would do, we know how well he can use a spire. ;)

This might be one of the most exciting projects happening in the city.

lol - Let's hear it for ornamental tops. :cheers1:

;)

Originally posted by JMGarcia

lol - Let's hear it for ornamental tops. :cheers1:

;)

As long as they aren't called "skyline elements." ;)

"skyline elements" = PC phrase for spire.

As in "Who you calling a spire? I'm a skyline element." ;)

JM. The architect will be Fox + Cook.

-Stern

Originally posted by Stern

JM. The architect will be Fox + Cook.

-Stern

I knew they were the ones that Durst had hired. Is it sure that BofA is going to use them also?

Sounds interesting, hope they make it taller with a spire... But then again, my only experience with BoA Buildings is with the ones in San Fransisco and Seattle, so I've got this vision of a perfectly good box with a stick tacked on top.:nuts:

This is their hq in Charlotte designed by Pelli.

http://home.t-online.de/home/highrises/chlboamc.jpg

Check this out, it was posted by someone at Wired NY:

I saw a rendering last night!

Durst presented the project to the real estate program at NYU.

The building is about 900 ft tall, 52 stories, with an antennae going up to 1,200 ft!

The rendering was very cool. A tall thin faceted building which seems to be designed for the view from Bryant Park with special attention to the top. The top is dramatically cut (reminiscent of Citicorp) but with a very tall (looked to be maybe 8 floors high) transparent screenwall. The tower portion is split into two masses and each mass rises from a square base then cut back at some aggressive angles to form a crystalline shape. There seems to be some sort of giant atrium at the southeast corner.

I wish I could have gotten a picture of it... but I heard that there should be a public hearing next month.

It looks like this is serious and going ahead real soon.

Oh, huh, sounds kind of like the roofline on my CAD house project! No, seriously. You guys need to see it to know what I'm talking about, guess I'll need to plot and scan or something. Anyway, this sounds decent. I like angles and spires. Fun stuff!

Hearing Splits on Public Help for a Proposed Office Tower

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

The prospect of another skyscraper sets off a hue and cry in many Manhattan neighborhoods, but rarely in the glass-and-steel canyons along the Avenue of the Americas or 42nd Street.

But a local landlord, a local civic group and some politicians railed at a public hearing yesterday about a proposed 51-story, $1 billion skyscraper that would serve as a headquarters for Bank of America on the block between Broadway and the Avenue of the Americas, from 42nd to 43rd Streets. Critics opposed not so much the tower but public subsidies for the 2.1-million-square-foot project and the state's use of condemnation to gain control of the land.

Bank of America and its partner, the developer Douglas Durst, marshaled supporters, including the Real Estate Board, city and state officials, theater groups, the construction industry and an environmental group. The hearing was sponsored by the Empire State Development Corporation.

Mr. Durst, whose family owns all but three parcels on the block, has asked the state to condemn the site so that the project can go forward quickly, a move opposed by one landowner on the block.

"They're using the power of eminent domain to benefit private corporations, not for a public purpose," said the landowner, Joseph Bernstein, who is part of a group that owns two parcels on the block. Mr. Bernstein said the project would destroy new retail shops and override landmark laws while using $650 million in tax-free Liberty Bonds intended to revive Lower Manhattan.

Mr. Durst said yesterday that the building was an important project for the city and would generate $30 million a year in tax revenue.

In a letter submitted for the hearing, Andrew Alper, president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, said the project underlined New York's position as a financial capital. In defending the subsidies — $650 million in bonds and $56.4 million in tax breaks — Mr. Alper has said Bank of America is moving two of its four major divisions to New York.

But Tara Burke, a spokeswoman for Bank of America, said the bank's global corporate investment banking division and its asset management group were already in New York.

Wall Street analysts said Bank of America, based in North Carolina, wanted to move to a signature building in a prominent location to show it was a contender in investment banking. If the bank wanted a less expensive deal, real estate brokers said, it could move downtown, where rents are 30 percent lower than uptown.

Bettina Damiani, director of Good Jobs New York, and other critics of subsidy deals pointed out that there was no guarantee a corporation would make good on its promise to "grow jobs in New York." Bank of America, for instance, got more than $15 million in tax breaks and cash grants in 1993 to move to the World Trade Center instead of the suburbs. But the city terminated the benefit package in 1998 after the bank's payroll fell to 800, well below the 1,700 envisioned in the deal.

i wnt a picture!:bleep:

Is it going to take up the whole block? The only good pizza place in Midtown is on that block. Ahh, well... you can't put a price on more height. :D

Ya'll sure are lucky. Larger tower than we have! :cool:

I want to see what this thing will look like. I want it to be done right now! :bleep:

:D

NY Times

Durst Gets Land to Build Tower Near Times Square

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

Published: December 19, 2003

Completing an effort begun 36 years ago by his father, the developer Douglas Durst yesterday bought the last of 32 parcels on an entire city block near Times Square, where he intends to build a 50-story skyscraper.

The final two parcels, on a block steeped in New York history, scandal and real-estate wars, came with one of the highest-ever price tags in New York: about $384 for each square foot of land. However expensive, the deal clears the way for Mr. Durst to build a $1 billion, 2.1-million-square-foot office tower that would serve as the New York headquarters for the Bank of America, on most of the block bounded by 42nd and 43rd Streets, between Broadway and the Avenue of the Americas.

The new tower would stand just east of 48-story Condé Nast tower that Mr. Durst built in the late 1990's.

The deal also eliminates the possibility that the owners of the last parcels — "holdouts" in the parlance of real estate developers — will wage a legal battle against the Bank of America project.

"Even by the normally tortuous standards for getting deals done in Manhattan, this was still a bit drawn out," said Peter Hauspurg, chairman of Eastern Consolidated Properties, a real estate broker who has been involved in the on-again, off-again negotiations for 18 years. "All the bloodletting, chest-beating and yelling are finally over."

The eastern end of the block consists mostly of one- and two-story buildings, fast food and T-shirt shops, all of which will be demolished.

Mr. Durst and the Bank of America paid roughly $46 million for two small parcels owned by a group that includes Joseph Bernstein, Rafi Morris Nasser and Rafi Albert Nasser. The price comes to about $384 a square foot, or more than double the sum paid for the most expensive parcel at 300 Madison, the skyscraper under construction a block away on 42nd Street. Real estate lawyers said they could not recall a more costly piece of land for a development in New York.

The two sides had regarded each other warily, and the deal almost fell apart at the last minute. Mr. Bernstein threatened to bring a lawsuit challenging condemnation. At a recent bargaining session, Mr. Durst offered $36 million, while the Nassers asked for $52 million, said two people involved in the talks. Both sides agreed to write down a compromise number on a piece of paper. The meeting broke up amid recriminations when Mr. Durst raised his bid to $37 million and the Nassers countered with $62 million, the two people said. But yesterday both sides wished each other luck.

Mr. Durst also has a contract to buy a third parcel, at the southwest corner of 43rd Street and the Avenue of the Americas. The tiny building there is owned by Susan Rosenberg, whose father, Harry Goldberg, bought the building in 1948 and opened a pawnshop.

Mrs. Rosenberg said her parents met when her mother, who ran a nursing registry, rented space on the third floor of the building. She said that after 55 years of having the building in her family, she was ready to let go of it.

"It's a great thing for New York," she said. "Let it build up. I think Seymour would've been happy," she added, referring to Seymour Durst, who began efforts to buy property in the area.

Mr. Durst said the building project was on course. "We don't expect any issues to come up in the condemnation," he said. "I'm sure my father's very pleased with the turn of events."

In 1967, Seymour Durst bought the family's first property on the block, White's Seafood Restaurant, which offered a complete dinner for $6 and what it called the best clam chowder in Times Square. Two years later, he bought the Hotel Diplomat, which in the 1970's was the site of Le Jardin discothèque and the cocaine arrest that began Abbie Hoffman's six years of hiding from the law.

The Bernsteins and the Dursts met in 1986, when Seymour Durst sold the Bernsteins some property at 46th Street and the Avenue of the Americas that became the site of Americas Tower. Mr. Bernstein offered to sell Mr. Durst two parcels he had just acquired on the 42nd Street block for $11 million.

The developer turned him down, instead offering to lease him all the parcels he owned on 42nd Street. But Seymour Durst scuttled the deal when Mr. Bernstein became embroiled in a scandal over his role in buying real estate for the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos with money looted from that country's treasury.

Douglas Durst and Mr. Bernstein have been vying for control of the block ever since.

"I wish them all luck," Mr. Bernstein said yesterday. "They deserve it, and the block deserves a great building."

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2003/12/18/nyregion/durst.184.jpg

I hope that it will be something good-looking of it! :)

hope it gets approved

RENDERING:

http://prn.newscom.com/cgi-bin/members/thumb/wmark?doc=PRN/prnphotos/docs/036/291&size=512&logo=logo

Wow, it is good-looking!! :D

well maybe under another angle it would be better.
BTW, isn't it where that Debt clock is found? i remember the place, you got some restaurants or a Sprint store there

Newsday

Bank, Durst Seal Manhattan Skyscraper Deal

December 22, 2003

Bank of America and The Durst Organization announced Monday that they had formally concluded an agreement to develop a 2.1 million-square-foot office tower in midtown Manhattan.

Under the terms of the deal, Bank of America, a financial services firm, and Durst, a privately held real estate developer, will be equal partners in the development of the $1 billion Bank of America Tower.

Bank of America will be the primary tenant in the 51-story tower, which will replace a string of small storefronts along West 42nd Street at Sixth Avenue.

"This new building symbolizes our commitment to having a significant, long-term presence in a key business market and the financial capital of the world," Carter McClelland, New York market president for Bank of America, said in a statement.

Demolition of the current site is expected to begin in the spring of 2004, and occupancy is anticipated early in 2008, when Bank of America will move its employees into the new tower under terms of a 20-year lease.

Bank of America employees are currently scattered at five locations around New York City.

The deal is in escrow pending final government approval of funding and other proceedings.

Here's a newspaper scan I found:

http://www.pbase.com/image/24382832/original.jpg

That's great! What a beautiful building to spend summer weeknights watching movies at Bryant Park under!

is it sure to be built?

Not like my opinion is worth anything but I HIGHLY doubt any city officials will get in the way of this project if they know whats good for Gotham.....I love that name....Gotham.

Another rendering:

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/01/11/realestate/cov.184.1.jpg

Build, build, build!!! :eat:

Keeping my fingers crossed !!! Next time I am in NY, I wll check out the site.

WOW..it looks stunning! It looks good with or without the spire.

A NEW rendering scan courtesy of NYguy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/25154045/original.jpg

I'm starting to get excited about this one the more and more I see it!

Drawings/Views by Rich:

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa1.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa2.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa3.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa4.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa5.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/bofa6.jpg

Impressive! :guns1:



That looks awsome. Will create a huge impact on the skyline! :D

BTW, the heights are 1200 feet/366 meters to spire or antenna and 960 feet/293 meters to roof.

One gripe; this building only has 51 floors. Why not raise it to say, 58 floors with the same height? That would help immensely in alleviating people's fears ot very high floors.

OMG that looks awesome! and its very close to conde nast!

i hope they build this one :eek:

Nice wireframe renderings! But I think the building itself needs the facade shown to look good. It takes a lot to make an impact on the Manhattan skyline and this one does!

That is awesome :happy:

BofA Development To Get City Benefits

By Barbra Jarvie
Feb 13, 2004

NEW YORK CITY-Final inducement approval for $650 million in Liberty Bond financing for the Bank of America development has been doled out. And the city will provide Bank of America with up to $38.5 million in sale and real estate tax benefits and another $3.5 million in energy benefits over 25 years.

Bank of America and the Durst Organization are collaborating on a 2.1 million sf tower on West 42nd Street in Midtown. The project, which is estimated to cost upwards of $1 billion, received preliminary approval for Liberty Bond financing in September 2003.

Bank of America plans to consolidate the majority of its 2,995 employees from five locations in Manhattan in the new building in 2008, and projects the creation of more than 2,800 jobs over the term of the deal. Bank of America will become the primary tenant on a 20-year lease occupying more than a million sf.

“This project will provide a tremendous return to the City, in terms of both jobs and revenue, which far outweighs the costs of the benefits, ” IDA Chairman Andrew M. Alper says.

The building will rise adjacent Durst's flagship Condé Nast Building at Four Times Square. The 51-story skyscraper will also include a variety of conservation and environmental advances, from water conservation using rain runoff and gray water recycling, to wind turbines and co-generation of power and cooling.

From the Fox + Cook website:

One Bryant Park

New York City
2000000 sqft.

Early in 2007, an extraordinary crystalline skyscraper of steel, aluminum and glass will rise from the northwest corner of Bryant Park to illuminate Midtown Manhattan. Developed by the Durst Organization to house the New York headquarters of the Bank of America, it promises to reshape the urban skyline of the future as surely as did the famed Crystal Palace, the first glass and steel building in America, when it rose from Bryant Park in 1853.

The design for One Bryant Park is inspired by the building's unique site within its local urban location and its broader urban context. Located at the juncture of Sixth Avenue - a highly trafficked and commercially important artery - and 42nd Street, near Times Square, with its worldwide reputation as a critical center for arts and entertainment, the design strives to respond to these dense urban conditions. Starting from the building's base, which is designed to accomodate the surrounding complex pedestrian and transit circulation, to the overall massing, continuing up to the tip of the antennae, the design responds to the built environment around One Bryant Park, an impressive lineage of iconic skyscrapers, from the Chrysler Building to the east to the old McGraw Hill Building to the west.

One Bryant Park will be noted for its pioneering integration of inspired design with innovative, high-performance environmental technologies. In a city of "firsts," it will be the first high-rise to reach for the U.S. Green Building Council's coveted Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design "Platinum" designation. To help promote the health and productivity of its tenants, reduce waste, and assure environmental sustainability, One Bryant Park will use translucent high-performance glass in floor-to-ceiling windows to permit maximum sunlight in interior spaces, in addition to featuring "floating" floors to facilitate more even, healthful, and efficient heating and cooling. It will also capture and re-use all rainwater and wastewater, saving millions of gallons of precious water each year. A very high percentage of the building's materials will come from recycled and renewable sources within 500 miles of New York City.

The exterior wall of One Bryant Park will be a clear glass curtainwall to complement the building's faceted-crystal design. The form is sculpted to provide a south-facing facet to address its prominent relationship ot Bryant Park. This portion of the building is constructed of a deep double wall, permitting views into and out of the structure while becoming an icon for its environmentally responsible features. The base of the building locks into the urban fabric with elements that befit the human scale of its context. The exterior of the base has subtle markers which address key neighboring buildings, including a horizontally emphasized elevation on 42nd Street which speaks to this major transportation thoroughfare. The crystal rises from its base with sculptural facets that infer movement and varied views amond the neighboring towers.

Not just another tower, One Bryant Park will shine as a beacon of environmental intelligence and sustainability, healthy for people and good for the environment.


http://www.cookplusfox.com/images/cook_1216.jpg

http://www.cookplusfox.com/images/cook_1217.jpg

http://www.cookplusfox.com/images/cook_1218.jpg

http://www.cookplusfox.com/images/cook_1219.jpg

http://www.cookplusfox.com/images/cook_1220.jpg

One of the best, and tallest, skyscrapers going up in NYC for many years!! Love it!

that will really improve the skyline... even tough the skyline don't need inprovement

WOW that one looks awesome! thats what NYC needs!

Oh my! :cool: Looks very nice! And this is gonne be 292m to the roof?Great! :guns1: NY is kicking ass agiain!

The heights are:

960 feet/292 meters to roof
1200 feet/365 meters to spire

God, I love this city.

:dance:

Nice! Wish they would add feet for 1,000 ft. roof. The view of ESB looks great.

I love the design of the building. It fits so well with the NYC skyilne from all angles. Just an overall great building. :okay:


Now...that spire. It can go. I don't want a trend among all the new buildings in NYC where they add on a poll (new WTC too) to make the building taller. That would make the skyline have buildings and then a poll skyline above it which will look....ugly.

I think the spire adds a great effect in this tower's case.

The series of slants lead you to look up at the spire that soars gently from the top slant.

If there wasn't a spire, the slanted roof would look too much like Citigroup.

I like antennas! On almost every building...and it sure looks great on this one. :yes:

292m? :colgate:

I wish it faded into a spire. The spire just looks like an antennea.

It would look good with or without the spire:)

So what is going on at the site now? Breaking earth yet?

err...the glass is alrite i guess, but i think the facade shape looks a little messy and confusing. they should try to give it a more orderly look, rather than something that looks like chipped glass.

man, this building' gonna make conde nast look so short...

I just saw an ad in today's NYTimes about the tower

I just saw an ad in today's NYTimes about the tower

Did it have a different rendering or view of it that we haven't seen yet?

if you can find a NYT, it's in the metro section, page C5.
It's an ad for some "The Durst Organization Inc.", here's the site: http://www.durst.org/, it says Since 1915, Owner/Builder/Manager.
On the ad it says they're gonna lease 1,100,000 square feet.
The problem is that I have no scanner, I'd need to make a photo of the page.
And as for the pic, it's the same design, and is very similar to this pic:
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/532/4901bp2_bmp.jpg .
From the looks of it, the crown is gonna look good

Cool, just asking, maybe I should go across to the deli and pick one up so I can get a scan? :D

If it's the same picture, then fuhgetaboutit!

Nevermind, I checked out SSP and here's the scan of it by NYguy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/28414925/original.jpg

Wow, what an impressive looking structure. 960 feet is a great height as well, that picture of it with the rest of the skyline just shows how much of an addition it's going to make. I think it would be nice if it illuminates the area and creates a soothing lighting effect down below, that would be amazing to look up at.

So, any word on when they're going to get down to buisness on this bad boy, or is it still in the funding and approval stages? 2007 is not very far away. :happy:

Wow, what an impressive looking structure. 960 feet is a great height as well, that picture of it with the rest of the skyline just shows how much of an addition it's going to make. I think it would be nice if it illuminates the area and creates a soothing lighting effect down below, that would be amazing to look up at.

So, any word on when they're going to get down to buisness on this bad boy, or is it still in the funding and approval stages? 2007 is not very far away. :happy:

The tower's approved, currently on the site, businesses have been vacated and demolition is expected to begin soon.

Here's the current state of the BOA Tower site as of yesterday, 4/30. All the businesses seem evacuated, and the scaffolding is up, demolition seems like it'll start soon.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/24042004_0430Image0038.JPG

Very nice design. The building has a nice organic look to it that will blend in well with the greenery of Bryant Park and the NY Public library. No ordinary design would do for this choice site in Manhattan. Pelli filled the bill nicely

looks like a smaller version of Freedom tower, (which is a good thing)! love it!

Architectural Record

Cook + Fox Unveils Bank of America Tower

June 30, 2004

Cook + Fox Architects Tuesday unveiled designs for the Bank of America Tower, which will be the second tallest building in New York City, and, the firm hopes, one of the most environmentally friendly tall structures in the U.S.

The 2.1 million square-foot, 945-foot skyscraper, located on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street, will be made largely of glass, steel, and aluminum. Its form will be marked with large folds and vertical lines, helping change viewers’ perception as they walk around the building. The form, firm members point out, is also meant to reduce wind drag against building, particularly its upper portions.

The building’s green features build on principal Robert Fox’s (formerly of Fox & Fowle) experience with 4 Times Square, aka the Conde Nast Building, next door, which was at the time one of the “greenest” skyscrapers ever built. For instance daylight at Bank of America is increased with taller ceilings (up to a foot taller than most office buildings, which explains why the mammoth tower will only be 54 stories) and floor-to-ceiling windows, while an onsite co-generation plant will provide much of the building’s energy. Other green elements include LED lights, recyclable building materials, waterless urinals, a gray-water system to capture wastewater and rainwater, and under-floor displacement air ventilation that allows for air filtering and individual heat and air control.

An urban garden room will greet visitors on the lower levels, while the building will also incorporate a restored and reconstructed theater, the 1,000-seat Henry Miller Theater.

The building will house Bank of America’s offices on its lower half, and a number of future tenants on its upper floors. It is scheduled to break ground in August and open in 2008.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/images/040630cook.jpg

54 floors instead of 57? There's something wrong here if a 945-foot building has only 54 floors. That's crappy.

Oh well, at least it's bringing back the Henry Miller Theater.

54 floors instead of 57? There's something wrong here if a 945-foot building has only 54 floors. That's crappy.

Oh well, at least it's bringing back the Henry Miller Theater.

The article explained why it has so few floors but is that tall:

For instance daylight at Bank of America is increased with taller ceilings (up to a foot taller than most office buildings, which explains why the mammoth tower will only be 54 stories)

The article explained why it has so few floors but is that tall:

Never underestimate the psychological effect of higher ceilings in an office building. It has an incredible effect on those working there, much like that of working near windows.

54 floors instead of 57? There's something wrong here if a 945-foot building has only 54 floors. That's crappy.

Oh well, at least it's bringing back the Henry Miller Theater.



Why do you care about floor count?...the building will still be really tall.

Groundbreaking was today...

NY1

Bank Of America Breaks Ground On Midtown Skyscraper

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/66/130557.JPG

AUGUST 02ND, 2004

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki were on hand as Band of America broke ground on a new 52-story skyscraper in Midtown Monday.

The bank says the construction will help them keep more than 3,000 jobs in the city and will create an additional 1,500 over the next 15 years.

With financial institutions in the city under heightened alert after warnings about possible terrorist attacks, the mayor said the groundbreaking sends a powerful message.

“When we put those shovels in the ground, it says that the terrorists are not going to win – we are going to be here, and we are going to have a better life,” Bloomberg said.

The $1 billion project is expected to be complete in 2008.

http://www.globest.com/newspics/nyc_bofagroundbreaking_big.jpg

Woohoo...Yaay...hopefully it's completed around the same time Freedom Tower is

Great news! As it rises I hope to see updates from you New Yorkers:)

Great! Another 1000 footer for New York! :)

Nice to see the skyline is growing with all these new high towers!

Funny how this one is going up before the NY Times Tower. It's definitely going to be interesting to see this one rise up with it's unique massing and all.

Thanks to JMGarcia for posting these in the world forums...

Link to a good animation (Quick Time required):

http://www.durst.org/i_prop.asp?propertyid=12

A couple of large new renderings:

http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/print/1.jpg

http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/print/5.jpg

http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/hires/3.jpg

http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/hires/2.jpg

http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/hires/4.jpg

Can't wait!

man, this building's already growing on me. once they finish this there'll be a long, continuous skyscraper wall on the west side of 6th ave from the union dime building on 40th st to burlington house on 55th st. what a sight would that be!

but i wonder what the building will really look like at night. the current nightime rendering is so off...

its great to see some renderings of the base.... havent seen them posted before.

yeah cool renders! Nice to see this one get off the ground too.

Saw this posted in the world forums by JMGarcia:

Here's some fantastic architectural elevations courtesy of Just Rich from WiredNY....

http://homepage.mac.com/rigrij/.Pictures/New%20York%20Stuff/onebryantpark_elevs.jpg

^ LOL, I was just getting ready to post that here, HA, thanks ;-)

In these renderings it looking strikingly similar to Freedom Tower, with the turbine and spire...

I am a little upset with all the 42nd street development, only for one reason. I love Bush Tower, it is my favourite NYC skyscraper, and it is gradually being hidden more and more with all this development, but oh well

its great to see some renderings of the base.... havent seen them posted before.
Yeah, I was wondering what the base will look like.

I like the design, but it is a bit chunky. It still pisses me off that they aren't going at least 1,000 for the roof.

wow very good looking tower, and the location in the skyline looks also very nice.

This thing replaced one the city's greatest non-profit art spaces.

I think it blows.

NY POST

DURST LOOKS TO BREAK $100 PER SQUARE FOOT

By STEVE CUOZZO

August 24, 2004 -- DOUGLAS Durst hopes to score the highest rents ever for a jumbo-size block of Manhattan office space: $100 per square foot for 1 million square feet at One Bryant Park, the 51-story skyscraper he is developing at Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street.

"Our rents will have a 1 in front of them," Durst says yesterday of the environmentally-friendly tower.

Durst, who's partnering with Bank of America, shared the C-note shocker when I asked him if he expected his asking rents to be competitive with those in Bruce Ratner's New York Times headquarters tower on Eighth Avenue, which is likely to be finished around the same time in 2006-7.

Ratner will probably be seeking in the $70s per foot, according to his leasing agent, CB Richard Ellis regional CEO Mary Ann Tighe.

Durst also said he did not regard any of the other new towers to be competitive with One Bryant Park.

"We will have the most environmentally responsible and intelligent building ever built. And the most desirable location in the city," he says.

Tighe sounds impressed but not altogether surprised by Durst's $100-a-foot ambition. "Douglas always knows where the market is headed," she says. "I have not known him to be wrong in 20 years."

Midtown rents in Class-A buildings typically run in the $40s-$60s. A handful of addresses with exceptional floor plates and views, such as 9 West 57th Street and the GM Building, have higher "asks," and smaller spaces on top floors at GM have gone for up to $130 a foot.

But no one has ever asked $100 or more a foot for a block anything like the size of the one at Durst's tower, where Bank of America will be the anchor tenant with 1.1 million feet on the lower floors.

One Bryant Park is one of five new buildings under construction in Manhattan with a total of 4.3 million square feet of office space up for grabs.

The biggest chunk is 1.6 million square feet at Larry Silverstein's fast-rising new 7 World Trade Center. The Times tower has 700,000 square feet available (on top of the Times Co., which will occupy the bottom half) and Dr. Axel Stawski's "boutique" building at 505 Fifth Ave. at 42nd Street has about 300,000 more.

In addition, Harry and Billy Macklowe's reclad and redesigned 340 Madison Ave., with 700,000 square feet, had emptied itself of old tenants and was thus "completely speculative," says Mitchell Konsker of the project's Cushman & Wakefield marketing team. Some 600,000 feet remain to be spoken for, although Konsker says leases are out for about 200,000.

Brokers are quick to say that 4.3 million feet are a tiny fraction of Manhattan's inventory of over 400 million. Far from thinking the new space is a threat, Tighe says it isn't enough. "I don't think we have remotely enough space coming to market in Midtown to serve demand" in an environment that has seen 9.6 million feet leased to date this year — a pace that would, if it continues, top 2000's Midtown record of 19 million feet by the end of the year.

Joe Harbert, newly arrived at Cushman & Wakefield as metro region COO, said, "I'm very optimistic for all of them." "The Times tower, for example, will be a gorgeous building. By the time they're finished the Times and One Bryant Park might be the only game [for new space] in Midtown."

Jones Lang LaSalle president Peter Riguardi, who represented B of A in its negotiations with Durst, notes, "There are different delivery dates for these buildings. The Times and B of A are a few years down the road." *

Illustrating the dynamism in the diverse Midtown market, B&H Photo Electronics is expanding its office and telemarketing space by a whopping 93,000 square feet at S.L. Green's 440 Ninth Ave., between 34th-35th streets.

B&H has long had a highly successful store across the street at 420 Ninth Ave. with offices above it. Now the store will grow into the second floor, forcing the company to move its corporate operation into 440 Ninth, taking all of floors 2-5.

Asking rents in the building are $28 per square foot, according to Cushman & Wakefield's Alexander Chudnoff, who repped the landlord along with Green leasing director Steve Durels.

Leslie Himmel, a principal of Himmel Meringoff Properties, is B&H's consultant for long-range strategic and financial planning. She said the retailer had considered other expansion options including a move of its offices to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it has some space.

But, she said, "the owners of B&H are people who do business by walking around" — so she persuaded them that "it's very important for them to stay in Manhattan."

EXCLUSIVE rendering courtesy of the forumer JimW who's firm is working on the project and is bidding to supply the steel and concrete for the construction...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/wallacej/Jimbo/OBP-2.jpg

The site of the Bank of America Tower on 8/26/04:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3184/24042004_0826Image0034.JPG

Looking in:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3184/24042004_0826Image0036.JPG

so they've already started construction, that's great, everything goes so fast here in NYC if it's a building, otherwise for bills and budgets, nobody cares! :D
That's a great rendering from JimW, but was he allowed to leak information? :lol:
Let's hope his firm gets the contract!

I hope he gives us some more renderings! :D

The site of the tower is pretty big, it's gonna be massive.

Compare these pictures and look at the difference about 4 months later:

4/30:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/24042004_0430Image0038.JPG

8/26:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3184/24042004_0826Image0034.JPG

Now that it's basically empty, you really get a good perspective on the size of the tower.

yep, the site's lookin big...

still, 2 spires make this building look rather weird. it'll be better if they can just incorporate the turbine into the architectural spire.

yeah, it's looking so much like the buildings in libeskind's new wtc complex. such buildings look good when they're alone, like in this case, but they look plain lame if a bunch of them are put together.

It's looking so much like the buildings in libeskind's new wtc complex. such buildings look good when they're alone, like in this case, but they look plain lame if a bunch of them are put together.

I have to agree with you there. If they build ground zero like the current models, it might ruin that whole part of the skyline. Think of that ugly complex in Detroit, only the shapes have slight differences and yet the same facade detailing. It's one thing to build twin towers, it's quite another to build 4 or 5 buildings together that are almost the same shape and have the same cladding.

I hope 7WTC will be unique in it's style and cladding. The absolute worst case scenario is they use 7wtc's cladding style on the whole WTC complex.

AMAZING looking tower!

I hope 7WTC will be unique in it's style and cladding. The absolute worst case scenario is they use 7wtc's cladding style on the whole WTC complex.

i totally agree with you. old 7 wtc had always been the most special building in the wtc complex. in fact, if the building doesn't have the metal "7"s on it or the 2 pedestrian bridges that connect it to the rest of the wtc complex, no one would have any clue that it's even part of the wtc complex. it looks more like another perepheral building. i really like its individuality as compared to the rest of the buildings in the complex.

and i hope the same can be said for the new 7 wtc, and hopefully it'll indeed be the best building in the new wtc complex as long as the freedom tower's gonna get built. the old 7 wtc, imo, was the most creative-looking building in the former wtc complex, and hopefully the new 7 wtc will carry on old 7's legacy as the best-looking building in the new complex (unless the twins get rebuilt of course).

NYguy posted this at SSP, amazing, big thanks to him.

They have been running skyscraper programs on the History Channel for the past couple of days, sort of a skyscraper marathon. Anyway, at the end of one of the programs (the CalTran project) the architects of the BOA talked about their project. I captured these rough shots:


The tower as viewed from different angles

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33557956/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558045/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558049/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558088/large.jpg


The architects and their building

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558201/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558203/medium.jpg


There will be two masts at the top of the building. The shorter mast will serve as a vertical wind turbine...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558208/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558326/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33557956/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/33558088/medium.jpg

^this is great.
But I didn't get the wind turbine, how much electricity would they really get from it?

wow, conde nast is starting to look small!

this tower's turning out to be more interesting than i thought...

This is by far the most exciting project going up in the city I think. Conde Nast will be dwarfed, it's going to leave a forever impact on the skyline and the area, I can't wait.

Here's the link to an article by the Charlotte Observer compaing their BOA with this one:

Clearer night rendering found at the site:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/style/9621724.htm?1c

http://www.charlotte.com/images/charlotte/charlotte/9622/92584162726.jpg

Also found this clearer shot which is from a previous rendering shown but it displays how it'll be in the skyline better:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/2404boatowerskylinecloser.jpg

I think this is the better looking building, but I don't think it looks too good behind Conde Nast.

I think the only problem with the new building is the location, its to compacted into a dense area. Its going to be a great though!

what a great tower! really stunning!! :) great design from bottom to top!

just wondering about the price! $915 million! i think 75% of the price is plot price!

in dubai it would cost max $150 million!!!!

Wow Nice Big Fat Tower

Pictures of the site can be found over here:

http://pictures.unwiredny.com/Pictures/Constr_1BP/

2 pics of the site made during the first week of october:

http://www.skyscrapers.nl/nyc/1bryantpark_001.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.nl/nyc/1bryantpark_002.jpg

what a great tower! really stunning!! :) great design from bottom to top!

just wondering about the price! $915 million! i think 75% of the price is plot price!

in dubai it would cost max $150 million!!!!

Insane isn't it? 100$/month/square foot. Wow. :runaway:

But I think the price has got more to do with the "green" aspect of the building, like air quality controls, wind power turbines etc. etc. etc. :)

Luckily the Bank of America Tower doesn't have the ludicrous wind turbines on top they want to put on top of the 'Freedom' Tower. Other than the antenna, this building is a solid 960-footer and is better off for it.

Great aerial view Patrick! Looks like alot of digging going on now at the moment, it's gonna be amazing to stand in the street and see the Conde Nast building and BOA Tower standing side by side so close.

whats going on at the site now?

whats going on at the site now?

Digging and basic foundation work it seems like.

i'm currently working in the Conde Nast building overlooking the construction site. i set up a webcam back in may, before any of the construction had really begun.
since then i've been recording a timelapse movie of the site, 1 frame every minute at 30 fps in quicktime. the movie files are pretty huge, but you can check out a live broadcast here:
http://www.virtupic.com/condewebcam/webcam.html
clearly i'm not much of a web designer :) but you get the idea. i'll try to post some more images showing the progression if anyone is interested.
-skwerl

nice webcam! :okay:

Is it going to take up the whole block? The only good pizza place in Midtown is on that block. Ahh, well... you can't put a price on more height. :D

man did we mourn the passing of pronto pizza, the ideal spot to grab a $4 pitcher of beer and a slice before heading out after work...
i hear that they opened a new location down broadway between 35th and 36th i think.
-skwerl
:cheers:

OMG :eek:

Welcome and thanks so much for the webcam SkwerlNYC, very nice! Looking forward to seeing it as there is progress, you must be real lucky, you have a bird's eye view right there.

You work in the Conde Nast building? That's cool!

Excellent webcam! :)

There's La Famiglia Pizza a couple of blocks north of you on Broadway and around 47th I believe. Good stuff.

Well this is going to be one spactacular office tower,( gosh i wish it had just 10 more floors,) but i'm completely sold on this one! i'll bet it will be awsume when viewed from, lets say, the roof of the american radiator building!!!!!.

Site of the Bank America Tower site on November 13.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image0007.JPG

The tower can do it all...

http://archrecord.construction.com/innovation/2_Features/images/0411green2b.jpg

ewww. the rainwater is gonna get mixed with bird crap and all

The tower can do it all...

http://archrecord.construction.com/innovation/2_Features/images/0411green2b.jpg

Not that that is a bad idea, but Ellatur has a point. If they are going to use this rainwater does it get steam distilled or sterilized somehow?

yeah, what is the deal with collecting rainwater? what exactly will it be used for? i can't imagine it would be for drinking since NY already has such good water. perhaps for the toilets?
anyway i posted a couple of small timelapse clips of the construction on my website:
http://www.timelapser.com/video/
i apologize for the slow server, try the smallest file first and see how long it takes. i hope you enjoy!

ewww. the rainwater is gonna get mixed with bird crap and all
well i expect filters and stuff

Model:

http://www.edcmag.com/EDC/FILES/IMAGES/117314.jpg

The rain water is for the supply of those water things on the building incase of another black out because the supply of water there only lasts so long I think 7 days...?

come on guys, its "grey water;" do you really need fresh water to flush your shit?

i don't mind the water as long as we are not drinking it

come on guys, its "grey water;" do you really need fresh water to flush your shit?

Most people don't, but my stools deserve only the best.

Most people don't, but my stools deserve only the best.



let's add a little shopping center, cafe' and luxury hotel were your shit can stop under the pipes while were at it. :cheers: :)

The building's still fat.

Fo' Sho.

Instead of "fat" I use the term "massive." It still looks good though, a skinny version with this massing wouldn't look good at all.

not sure if you guys have seen the animation from the durst site yet, pretty cool...
click on 'renderings/animations' for a fly-around quicktime.
http://www.durst.org/i_prop.asp?propertyid=12
this is the clearest shot i have seen yet of how the space will look between the tower and the surrounding buildings.
i haven't had much experience watching a serious skyscraper in 'pre-preoduction', but it is astonishing how deep they are now, it really looks to be about 4 stories straight down:
http://www.timelapser.com/webcam/
the 7 train and shuttle between times square and grand central run right under 42nd street (right side of screen) and they have closed down the entrance on that corner, it looks like it will be rebuilt right into the base of the building! (pretty cool)
http://www.durst.org/prop/images/1bp/hires/3.jpg

this building is on the latest Popular Science.
And Lo! the mystery has been solved! the rainwater is gonna be used for toilets and cooling systems

Does anyone know when steelwork will begin on this tower?

Forgive me.. I'm new to this part of the forum... does this development mean that Bank of America is relocating its main HQ from Charlotte to NYC? What is the division of labor between the cities? Anyone know?

Realtor Magazine

New Office Buildings Showcase Green Ideas

(March 7, 2005) -- Two high-profile green-building projects currently in the works-- the 54-story Bank of America Tower in Manhattan and the 18-story San Francisco Federal Building-- highlight the many benefits of environmentally friendly design.

The Bank of America building, which was designed by Cook + Fox Architects, will derive 70 percent of its energy from an on-site, natural-gas-powered cogeneration plant that reuses heat that would otherwise escape from the building. The building will also reuse natural heat captured from the double-glass wall on its southeast corner and recycle wastewater and rainwater for toilet water and other functions.

The innovations not only save important resources like water and electricity, they also save money and improve the efficiency of the building and the work environment of its inhabitants. The San Francisco Federal Building, designed by Morphosis, employs similar green building techniques, such as a design that maximizes the use of natural lighting and computer-controlled windows and vents that will cool the building by allowing hot air to escape at night. In addition, builders are using concrete mixed with granulated blast furnace slag that will save energy, reduce pollution, and improve the building's performance in an earthquake.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteresting

will the buildings OFFICIAL height be 1200 feet?

No....they are not relocating.....there are 6 BofA towers in Charlotte occupying 2.5 times what they will have in Manhattan when this is complete.......I don't know about NYC employment, but they have 13k-14k employees in Charlotte including their top producing division........plus, they have announced plans to build another 40 story tower in Charlotte as well......

that wasnt an answer to my question was it?

Jo48.....sorry, that was for Chicagolover....I don't know what the height will be.....I can only hope the new tower in Charlotte will be a similar green design.

that's ok, didnt think so.

No....they are not relocating.....there are 6 BofA towers in Charlotte occupying 2.5 times what they will have in Manhattan when this is complete.......I don't know about NYC employment, but they have 13k-14k employees in Charlotte including their top producing division........plus, they have announced plans to build another 40 story tower in Charlotte as well......
If BofA wants to be a bulge bracket Investment Bank, they have no choice but to move the HQ to NY. They will also be required to staff a European HQ out of London. Every major investment bank on earth (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, etc.) has this arrangement.

You can't run an investment bank out of Charlotte, and you can't recruit the necesary talent in Charlotte. The HQ will probably be moved to NY once the NY tower opens, or they'll just "unofffically" move the HQ by relocating the top staff to NY.

If BofA wants to be a bulge bracket Investment Bank, they have no choice but to move the HQ to NY. They will also be required to staff a European HQ out of London. Every major investment bank on earth (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, etc.) has this arrangement.

Charlotte will keep the low margin retail banking and the back office workers. Everything else will be run out of NY and London.

I previously worked in investment banking, and the above scenario is the prevailing industry sentiment. Until very recently, BofA was not taken seriously by the other banks. If they want to take the next step, they will need to relocate and reorganize.

that wasnt an answer to my question was it?

960 ft to roof and 1200 ft to spire is still the heights as far as I know.

Its now 945 ft to the roof, they lowered it 15'

The spire is still 1200 but will it count in official height like that of FT or NYTT?

Its now 945 ft to the roof, they lowered it 15'

The spire is still 1200 but will it count in official height like that of FT or NYTT?

It's always been 945 feet to the roof.
960 is the height to the wind turbine spire if I'm not mistaken (there are 2 spires)
I dunno if it is "official" height or not, but the developers have kept saying it's an "architectural" spire.

Anybody have any recent pictures of the site??

Anybody have any recent pictures of the site??

SkwerlNYC kindly set up a webcam from his offices at the Conde Nast Building, you could check it out live here:

http://www.virtupic.com/condewebcam/webcam.html

Vlad, I think you're right. Looking at this model picture, there seems to be two roof heights:

http://www.edcmag.com/EDC/FILES/IMAGES/117314.jpg

^^cool. Thanks.

You know when the steel work is suppose to start?

That webcam aint working its stuck on 2/1/2005.

^^I've noticed that too.

Can any New Yorker post some new construction pics or even just new pics of the site?

SkwerlNYC dude should get that webcam back up and running.

From world forums...

construction pics!!! :)

April 28 2005 :hug:



wow, this hole looks very deep...80 feet deep???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC00046.jpg



notice the "wall" of the former Henry Miller’s Theater, that will be fully restored!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC00047.jpg


like I said before its gonna be a HOT summer!! :)

whoa they're going very deep i see

Awesome pic, looking forward to watching it rise!

WOW...this is quite the contrast to the hole for the N.Y.Times tower. I like the way you can "see" the ground strata, and rock levels. This one is a deep one, this is going to be a very impressive office tower,The only thing for this project that would have been great, is that it should have been a 67 story building, bringing the total height to above the 1000' mark. This tower as designed is still an awsume building,(with a giant ass basement) the steel rising at this site will be interesting to witness, Does anyone know the total rentable sq. footage of this one????.. (I had heard something like 2 million).

there would gonna be a huge parking area under the tower, i think

80 foot deep excavation hole:

http://www.svmetro.com/photos/nyc-2005-05-23-small/nyc-2005-05-23-small-Images/9.jpg

Photo by: Lucius Kwok

From world forums...

welll.....da da da da da da this is the latest look june 13 2005....

as you can see, no steel columns yet :(

just a deep 80 foot hole...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/8e31ab6f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/8cfdff6a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/9b16472f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/5eb03577.jpg

From the NY Times...

Helping New Jersey Grow

Q. As I watch the digging for the Bank of America Building being built on the Avenue of the Americas from 42nd to 43rd Streets, I wonder what the workers do with all the dirt.

A. Most of it will be transported to the site of a golf course in New Jersey, said Douglas Durst, president of the Durst Organization, which is building the 51-story tower, but he said he did not know its location. Mr. Durst said the dirt has some low-level oil contamination; the soil is decontaminated before it is applied to the site.

About 170,000 cubic yards of earth and rock is being dug from the site, said David A. Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the Tishman Construction Corporation, the contractor. That translates into about 5,700 dump truck loads, of which perhaps 40,000 cubic yards is earth and decomposed rock not in need of crushing.

Did anything interesting turn up in the digging? "Nope," Mr. Durst replied. "Just a lot of dirt." And, of course, Manhattan schist, which is fortunate, he said, because if the island were solid granite, you could not dig foundations of a building this big.

Thanks to TowersNYC:

LATEST LOOK JULY 27 2005

NO ERECTIONS YET, JUST A BIG HOLE!! :)

DAMN Rock

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/66aed04e.jpg

why is this not demolished? http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7294/66aed04e4hp.jpg

As far as I'm aware its the facade of an old theatre and has to be retained and built into the new tower. i think that's what I read elsewhere.

As far as I'm aware its the facade of an old theatre and has to be retained and built into the new tower. i think that's what I read elsewhere.

Yup, that's correct. Here's more on the reconstruction of the Henry Miller Theater...

Reconstructed Henry Miller's Theater

At the direction of Bank of America and The Durst Organization, Cook+Fox Architects will restore and reconstruct the historic Henry Miller's Theater, with the goal of creating a state-of-the-art Broadway playhouse that captures the intimacy and proportions of the original 1918 Allen, Ingalls & Hoffman Theater. The Georgian-style land marked façade will be preserved and restored, the oval reception room, doors and decorative plasterwork, including the iconic urns marking the 43rd Street entrance, will be salvaged and incorporated into the new design.

The seating will be increased to 1,000, the majority of which will have a prime location at orchestra level. A sophisticated acoustics system will be integrated, as well as a larger orchestra pit and a fully functional fly-tower and scenic loading facilities. Other new amenities will include improved public circulation, box office and concessions areas, with a spacious lobby bar at the orchestra level, a bar and café at the ground level, a restaurant on the upper mezzanine and a significant increase in women's restrooms.

The new theater also will be fully handicapped accessible with 20 wheelchair-viewing positions. In addition, the theater will have an auxiliary exhibition space - an adjacent through-block pedestrian passageway that provides views into the theater and includes a special documentary style multimedia presentation exploring the life and times of the historical Henry Miller playhouse.

ahh ok. thnx guys :)

Finally some progress, steel and a construction crane are now at the site. Update...

FINALLY THE STEEL HAS ARRIVED !!!!!!!! :)

still very hot in Gotham today!!, but the steel has finally begun to arrive Friday August 12th , 2005

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/31e4bb2a.jpg

:yes:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/5dcb91f3.jpg

the crane towers over the site.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/618646cf.jpg

I will update you guys next week......until then, stay tuned :hug:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/1820eebc.jpg :cheers:

The cranes are finally up.

Originally posted on Wired NY by NYguy
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/48327631/large.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/48327649/large.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/48327655/large.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/48327693/large.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/48327699/large.jpg

Talb, Savethewtc just posted the exact post you did right above you.

Jo48, those pics I posted are from 2 days ago.

AND YOU DIDNT TAKE THEM. stop taking everything from wiredny you troll.

AND YOU DIDNT TAKE THEM. stop taking everything from wiredny you troll.

I say the same thing (Im Law & Order by the way). At least you give some credit unlike swivel. But just stop doing it.

Then just have someone from there bring the updates, b/c if they won't, then I will for them. BTW, I don't here anyone else except you complaining on this, and NYguy took pics from others from Wired NY that weren't his and post them on SSP, so you should complain about that also. Other than that, nobody cares where they are from, just as long as their is an update.

^^I personally apprecitate you posting these, since they allow all of us to see the buliding progress. At least you give credit to where it came from.

Its no different then posting an article from a newspaper or something.

yeah but NYguy posts on wiredny. you don't. you browse, see something you like, put it here. even though you give credit it's not fair. you don't ask permission which you REALLY should.

---------------------------------------------------
fighting ends here http://skyscrapercity.com/images/smilies/previous.gif

Very nice developments.

yeah but NYguy posts on wiredny. you don't. you browse, see something you like, put it here. even though you give credit it's not fair. you don't ask permission which you REALLY should.
Chill yo beans bitch. If we want to see pics of it from another site we'll we get pics from another site and post them here. Nowt you can do.

To end this argument, hardly anyone here actually cares except you sfen1117. BTW, even those at Wired NY didn't give much on it either, so there was no retaliation there. To put it simply, your statement as just as true Saddam Hussien's response on the invasion by the Israel Airforce in 1981 on a nuclear plant in Iraq. End of disscusion on that. Let's get back to talking about 1 Bryant Pk otherwise the BOFA Tower, which is now about to rise.

The first pics that will make it rise.

Originally posted by TowersNYC in the Construction Updates Fourms
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00643.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00644.jpg

Another recent shot with the recladded Hipperdrome in back of it.

Originally posted by TowersNYC in Construction Updates
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00713.jpg

Pretty cool. I'm looking forward to seeing some more shots when they actually get the cranes up there, that's my favorite views of U/C buildings.

One of the steel beems you will be able to see from the street.

Originally posted by TowersNYC in Construction Updates
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00735.jpg

that crane looks real massive

Wow that Hippodrome looks 200% better than it used to.

Is there a construction web cam for Bryant Park or the Times Tower?

There was a webcam but that went offline along time ago.

That sucks. :wtf: The construction is just getting good. :cry:

Sweet, it's getting there.. :)

Here is the first shot with the steel comming out from the ground.

Originally posted on Wired NY by NYguy
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/50226999/original.jpg

Orion visible in the background !!! Yeah...

The project continues to rise.

Originally posted by Stern from Wired NY
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5751/bofa1br.jpg
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5303/bofa23yb.jpg

very modern and sleek.

Some more updates.

Originally posted by NYCTowers in Construction Updates
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00794.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00795.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/uno/DSC00798.jpg

Pretty HOT Tower :okay:
I wish here in Rotterdam they would develope such A impressive Skyscraper.

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/11/417786.jpg

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/11/417795.jpg

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/11/417797.jpg

Yessir , she's taking off!

I like the NYTHQ just a little better, but this project is also very impressive and will do many good things for the NYC skyline.

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/1562/pict0025bofaucdec05tothenorthe.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0025bofaucdec05tothenorthe.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/3316/pict0028bofaucdec05tothenorthe.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0028bofaucdec05tothenorthe.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/955/pict0030bofaucdec05tothenorthw.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0030bofaucdec05tothenorthw.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/1739/pict0034bofaucdec05condenastto.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0034bofaucdec05condenastto.jpg)
http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/444/pict0037bofaucdec05tothenorthw.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0037bofaucdec05tothenorthw.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/4460/pict0041bofaucdec05tothesouthw.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0041bofaucdec05tothesouthw.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/371/pict0046bofaucdec05tothewestsm.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0046bofaucdec05tothewestsm.jpg) http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/7606/pict0048bofaucdec05tothewestcr.th.jpg (http://img470.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0048bofaucdec05tothewestcr.jpg)
http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/1562/pict0025bofaucdec05tothenorthe.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/3316/pict0028bofaucdec05tothenorthe.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/955/pict0030bofaucdec05tothenorthw.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/1739/pict0034bofaucdec05condenastto.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/444/pict0037bofaucdec05tothenorthw.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/4460/pict0041bofaucdec05tothesouthw.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/371/pict0046bofaucdec05tothewestsm.jpg

http://img470.imageshack.us/img470/7606/pict0048bofaucdec05tothewestcr.jpg

Building Design and Construction

New York skyscraper will function as a 55-story air filter

Dave Barista, assistant managing editor -- 11/18/2005 12:49:00 PM

It’s safe to say that when the 4,300 employees of Bank of America’s New York operations move into their new home at One Bryant Park in 2008, they will be breathing some of the cleanest air in any office environment.


Developed jointly by BOA and The Durst Organization, the 55-story Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park will be fitted with high-efficiency air-filtration systems commonly found in clean-room environments that will extract 95% of particulate matter, as well as ozone and volatile organic compounds, from the outside air. In comparison, typical building mechanical systems filter about 35-50% of particulates and extract very few VOCs or ozone matter.

The robust air-delivery system will not only maintain a “near clean-room” environment inside the 2.2 million-sf structure, but it will also help clean the atmosphere immediately around the skyscraper, according to Robert Fox, Jr., partner with local design architect Cook + Fox Architects.

“The air that is eventually exhausted from the building will be much cleaner than the air that came in,” says Fox. As a result, the building will effectively function as a “giant air filter” for the city. It’s a novel concept that, if applied to a great number of buildings within a city or region, could make a noticeable difference in the fight against pollution.

Outdoor air will enter the building at two locations—at the upper level of the podium (about 150 feet above grade) and at roof level (about 850 feet)—and will be filtered through MERV 15-rated air filters to remove particulate matter as small as 2.5 microns in diameter. (MERV, or minimum efficiency reporting value, measures the efficiency of air filters on a scale of 1 to 16, with 16 being the most efficient.) A second filter, called an “activated carbon” filter, will remove VOCs, ozone, and other pollutants, according to Scott Frank, partner with Jaros Baum & Bolles, New York, mechanical engineer on the project.

“This is not done in a typical class A office building,” says Frank. MERV 10 filters are the industry standard for buildings like Bank of America Tower, and air intakes are commonly placed near grade level. “With the air intakes located high up in the building, they’ll be removed from major sources of air pollution, like vehicle exhaust.”

“My hope is that building systems like this will become the norm,” says Fox. “And that it will become common for potential tenants and brokers to ask building owners about the type of filters they have on their air-delivery systems.”

Can the design of buildings actually improve the atmosphere?
“Certainly,” says Fox. “But there’s other factors at work here, namely vehicles and power plants.” Once those are under control, then buildings like Bank of America Tower can truly make an impact.

Hey guys any new updates on this one?

last time I checked, it had around 1 or 2 floors up.
I think there's a webcam of the site, I have to find it in the thread
EDIT: actually no, I found out it's stuck on february 05, apparently the guy who put it took it off
http://www.virtupic.com/condewebcam/webcam.html

hey, sadly my dept was moved out of the 4 times square location, so the webcam of the 1 bryant park site was no longer possible...
there are a couple of timelapse clips here on my site but nothing too recent.
it looks very promising from the street right now, lets just hope the final product lives up to it's potential!
http://www.timelapser.com/video/

Couldn't you have asked someone in that area to let you leave the webcam there? I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/nyregion/20conde.html?pagewanted=all
The View From There: Beautiful and Doomed

By JOSEPH BERGER
Published: March 20, 2006

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/03/20/nyregion/20conde.large1.jpg
Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Workers in the offices of The New Yorker in the Condé Nast Building have enjoyed their view east, but won't for much longer; a 54-story tower is rising next door.

Day by dispiriting day, senior writers and editors at The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and other Condé Nast magazines and top lawyers at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom are watching one of the perks of their Manhattan careers getting slowly gobbled up — the view.

Like most New Yorkers, they live with the knowledge that a view in Manhattan is a perishable commodity, but for them the time left is achingly short.

A 54-story tower for the Bank of America is rising floor by inexorable floor next to their daytime home — the 48-story Condé Nast Building, at 42nd Street and Broadway. Right now the bank structure is just a monkey-bars of steel beams, a half-dozen floors at best. But over the next year or two, employees on the eastern side of Condé Nast will find themselves staring right into the face of a glass and aluminum office building and its honeycomb of worker bees.

"I'm on the 21st floor, and I have a beautiful view of Bryant Park and the library and a little corner of the Chrysler Building and the Pan Am Building, now the MetLife, and I get tons of sun," said Jeffrey Toobin, a staff writer for The New Yorker. "Soon it's going to be a view of some law firm associate doing his work. My view will be entirely swallowed."

Bruce Handy, a senior articles editor at Vanity Fair, who grew up among the sweeping vistas of California, had been delighted with the cinemascopic views out of his 22nd-floor office. "There'll be a little less uplift for the soul," he lamented.

The loss of views is an archetypal New York story. Except for residents lucky enough to be on Central Park or the Hudson or East Rivers, every Manhattanite understands that sunlight and views are fleeting on a restless island whose anatomy is forever shifting.

As it was going up in the late 1990's, the Condé Nast building also broke its share of hearts. With a real estate market that barely seems to pause for breath, a taller building — usually residential these days — is always threatening to rise somewhere and eclipse someone's views.

But the fact that it is an old story is no consolation to those who suffer another narrowing in an already constricted island. Mark Singer, a colleague of Mr. Toobin's at The New Yorker, knows this in spades. New construction is rising not only at his workplace, but also near his home on the Upper East Side.

"We all live in various states of denials, so until the view is gone, you don't quite appreciate what's going to be missing," he said.

That perspective was echoed by David Friend, the editor of creative development at Vanity Fair, whose office is on the 22nd floor. "We're so busy that we take the view for granted sometimes, and it's like the old Joni Mitchell song, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone,' " he said.

The developer Douglas Durst, who completed Condé Nast seven years ago and expects to complete the Bank of America building in 2008, told the tenants that above the seventh floor the bank tower would be set back 200 feet, greater than the distance across Avenue of the Americas or 42nd Street. Moreover, he said, the tower curves as it rises, allowing more sunlight to penetrate.

"We angled the building so that light will get through," he said. "And they're not going to have views directly east, but they'll still have views from the building."

Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, pointed out that Manhattan is an island of skyscrapers partly because people want phenomenal views. But he said the loss of views caused by a single building was balanced by the thousands of jobs created for office occupants and by the taxes those employees would pay.

"Someone will have lost something, but on the other hand the city has gained," he said.

Right now, top lawyers at Skadden, Arps on the upper floors have views that embrace everything from the Triborough Bridge to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and that bespeak the power of a firm with 1,750 lawyers. While the views of Condé Nast employees may not be as breathtaking, they have the urban charm of elegant buildings framing a small park mixed in with a touch of street razzle-dazzle, charm any writer can appreciate.

The loss of views is not without its entertainments. East-facing tenants have been watching a mesmerizing, sometimes heart-stopping show: three construction cranes performing a ballet of swiveling, swaying, soaring grappling hooks.

"The hook of the crane comes so close to my window that I'm convinced it's going to break through and drag me to my death," said Mr. Toobin, who is best known for his calm and measured analyses of the nation's biggest legal contests. "It's so close you could read an index card placed on the hooks."

Perri Dorset, director of public relations for The New Yorker, said she has had a front-row seat on a New York extravaganza usually shielded from passers-by by high fences.

"I'm living in this concrete jungle and you see buildings being built all the time, but it was pretty amazing to see how a foundation is put together," she said.

She and Mr. Toobin also know that this is a temporary treat that will disappear with the poignant eclipse of their precious views. Yet they greet the problem with a New Yorker's fatalism.

"It's going to be unbelievably depressing to lose our views and light, but in New York it comes with the territory," Ms. Dorset said. "I've been lucky to have the view I've had."

Mr. Toobin said, "It's unseemly to complain about this kind of thing because it's how Manhattan life works.

"I don't have a conventionally beautiful view," he went on. "I don't overlook water or famous buildings. But it's a perfect New York cityscape of buildings of different sizes with plenty of sky, and I'll be sorry to see it go."

Tomorrow I will have some pictures of the construction site, I go to school on 46th and 6th ave....I go by this site everyday, tomorrow I will take my digital cam and get some pictures and post them here, they gotten pretty far, a lot of steel is up and construction is going smoothly.

^ And tomorrow never came...:laugh:

Instead here are updates by me, today 5.13.06

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/2378/15fq.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/4394/25fl.jpg

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8404/36on1.jpg

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/9192/45op.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9706/59eq.jpg

Thanks for the updates!

its been a long time since i checked on this one....the base looks massive!

huuuuge base

June 1rst right before it started to downpour
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/Scruffy88/boa2.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/Scruffy88/boa4.jpg

This tower is gonna be a MONSTER, I can't wait.

19th of July:

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1928/image38ck2.jpg

Cool!!! it's rising fast now.

Great shot btw negasado.

9/4
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01848.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01838.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01834.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01835.jpg

stacked or layered glass. Only in the base though as far as I know
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01845.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01841.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01849.jpg

This is interesting. This crane is cantilevered over the street. well not all the way to the street but the crane isn't secured directly to the ground which ive never seen done before.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01856.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01858.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01854.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01861.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01863.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Scruffy69/DSC01875.jpg

Cool construction shots, go Manhattan!

^ And tomorrow never came...:laugh:


tomorrow did come and many more updates from me as well but I posted them on the construction update part of the forum...go there I post updates of this building atleast every 8 days or so...

nice shots, but this tower is not really fast i think

nice to see it getting off the ground :)

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02062007/business/view_from_the_tower_business_steve_cuozzo.htm
VIEW FROM THE TOWER

BOFA'S SKYSCRAPER IS SYMBOL OF PROSPERITY

February 6, 2007 -- TOURING the skeletal innards of Bank of America Tower at 1 Bryant Park, the fast-rising 54-story skyscraper at Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street, is to witness Manhattan's post-9/11 renaissance in bloom.

The primary evidence is the skyscraper itself, a joint venture of the Durst Organization and BofA and owned by both: a striking, multi-faceted, environmentally-advanced edifice brimming with public amenities.

A mere 100,000 square feet of office space remain unclaimed of a total 2.1 million square feet.

Yesterday, Douglas Durst inked a deal with Marathon Asset Management for 66,000 square feet.

It follows recent signings with law firm Akin Gump and fashion company Elie Tahari; both are paying well over $100 a square foot.

Ever-growing BofA will occupy 80 percent of the office floors, including 300,000 square feet of trading floors.

The view from the 29th floor - now a jungle-gym of exposed steel, piping and concrete-pouring forms - takes in a neighboring symbol of prosperity: the former Verizon building across the street, now being completely redesigned and reclad.

The Durst/BofA project will open in April 2008.

Designed by Cook + Fox Architects, it will be one of the city's tallest towers, rising 965 feet to the roof. An ornamental vertical spire will soar to 1,200 feet, taller than the Chrysler Building's 1,048 feet.

"The spire is being built as we speak," Durst said.

In addition to a $1.3 billion development cost shared by Durst and BofA, the bank will spend an undisclosed amount on infrastructure build-out for what bank Senior VP John G. Saclarides calls "a building within the building."

The project is larger and much more complex than 4 Times Square next door, the pioneering 42nd Street tower Durst built in the 1990s.

Besides state-of-the-art electronics and security systems and "green features" that have earned rare LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) "platinum" certification, it also boasts numerous humanizing features.

A wide, indoor pedestrian walkway between 42nd and 43rd Street is to be named "Anita's Way" after Durst's performance-artist daughter, Anita.

Durst is creating a new Sixth Avenue subway entrance outside the building and an underground pedestrian passageway to link the Sixth/42nd Station with the Times Square station one block west.

An "urban garden" inside the lobby will have ivy planting and seating.

BofA will have a large retail branch on the avenue and there will be 14,000 square feet of stores to browse.

On the tower's 43rd Street side, Durst has sunk the 1,050 seats of the Henry Miller Theater below ground. The restored venue will be leased to a theatrical operator. A 10,000 square-foot restaurant will stand on two levels behind the theater's landmarked façade.

Update...

March 20, 2007


looking very beautiful.....and impressive.....




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2007/CIMG1541.jpg





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2007/CIMG1542.jpg





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2007/CIMG1544.jpg

what a cool building. i really like this one.

9th april
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/456689446_57eb08cfc5_b.jpg

will the park in front of the Verizon Building maybe also cultivated with skyscrapers. a big hole in the skyline i think.

the park is a good location for 1 or 2 more new skyscrapers =)

will the park in front of the Verizon Building maybe also cultivated with skyscrapers. a big hole in the skyline i think.

That park has been there since the late 1800's. Not only does it have nice views, but it holds events that are very popular within the area (concerts, skating rink in the winter, and a fashion show). That park will not be developed anywhere in the near millenia.

New York needs public spaces as well, not only skyscrapers.

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/267/f/b/Slide_by_macaque.jpg

^^^ There's Washington Square, Union Square, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, The Bowery, Madison Square, Jackson Square, Tompkins Square to name a few. Then you've got Marcus Garvey Park, Pelham Park, Riverside Park, Prospect Park, Flushing, cratona, st. annes. We do alright here in New York.

I know you do... I've been there (and took that picture myself). I'm just saying that these (already existing) public spaces shouldn't be turned into plots for skyscrapers as M.Schwerdtner suggested. I didn't say you need more public spaces or that there's a lack of them.

My bad dude, didn't notice that.

New York needs public spaces as well, not only skyscrapers.

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/267/f/b/Slide_by_macaque.jpg

Ah, thats a great scene, I looved skating at night with all those nights and being surrounded by tall buildings. Really cool feel :). Kinda makes me wish it was still January again.

Dated July 1st:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1361/681992195_fee9a9ae70_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1399/681992167_24972365bb_b.jpg

source: julio miyares flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliomiyares/)

great pics, thx :)

July 10, 2007 view from Top of The Rock:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1095/771717429_ccfb9b67e8_o.jpg

source: tom086 flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom086/)

what a great addition to midtown, wish verizon kept the old facade though...

July 11, 2007:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/777683785_570d5fc621_o.jpg

source: minwoo flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlee/)

is that green glass on the verizon building?

^
OMG YES!!!!!!!!!!!

July 13 from 1515 Broadway:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/boajuly13two.png

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/boajuly13.png

source: malarchie flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/malarchie/)

This is a BEAUTIFUL Building that will add another building with a 1000+ ft. structure. =)

July 18...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/846025280_521e500af1_o.jpg

source: Foto Ed flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10731059@N00/)

Work starting on top:

courtesy of Derek2k3 NYW

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2007/boa.jpg

I took this about a week ago with my phone cam while I was on lunch break....

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/4281/dsc00065kf4.jpg

^Thanks for the update, looking good.

Posted in the world forums:

This shot posted by NYguy at ssp (originally posted at wirednewyork.com) is amazing

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/848352003_fc813528f6_b.jpg

Spire is going up.

July 24....sorry for some smog!

30 blocks away:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/IMG_0953.jpg

From West 16th:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/IMG_0954.jpg

Antenna vs. Spire:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/IMG_0955.jpg

Smoggy:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/IMG_0958.jpg

BONUS SHOT:

ESB from 5th Ave:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/jackssc/IMG_0957.jpg