NEW YORK | 432 Park Ave | 426m | 1398ft | 89 fl | U/C

[erbse]

Originally Posted by josemanuelchi

I don´t find drake hotel in map: http://www.satelliteview.org/satelli...(New_York_City) had already been demolished?

This was the Drake Hotel. And yeah, as you can see here at Google Streetview, it's gone for quite some time already.

Btw, what a waste! Shame on you greedy investors...

The hotel was acquired in the early 1980s by the Swissotel company of Zurich, which undertook a $52 million room-by-room renovation of the building. Renovations were completed in 1991. In 2006 the hotel was sold for $440 million to developer Harry Macklowe. It was demolished in 2007.

The Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_H...w_York_City%29


This historical beauty (including some well-kept smaller townhouses) had to make way for the sore thumb of 432 Park Avenue:




Posted at this thread by Phobos here

[Kanto]

I agree with you that it looked good. It was a beautiful building. If only there was a way to both save this hotel and build 432 Park. If only they demolished that hideous, Mecca Abby looking Metlife Tower instead of the Drake Hotel

[Kiboko]

Very elegant tower. It is plain and simple, but that is the way i like it. What do New Yorkers think about this new skyscraper?

[Alexenergy]

Ugliest tower in the world!

[HK999]

Originally Posted by Alexenergy

Ugliest tower in the world!

You've never seen the Dubai Marina, haven't you?

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by Kiboko

Very elegant tower. It is plain and simple, but that is the way i like it. What do New Yorkers think about this new skyscraper?

Most NYers don't follow developments like this first off. So while this is U/C most people will probably just think of it as another tall building, until it breaks the monotony of 600 footers in Midtown, and eventually tops out and people realize just how tall it actually is. Then I honestly think given it's insane dimensions it'll become a really popular building in the city. Even if you don't like the shape, it will be something you have to see to believe.

I'm warming to the building. It comes down to materials, but I think the high end brushed nickel exoskeletal facade, could look absolutely incredible. I mean, we're still in a fragile economic recovery, and 1 WTC just passed the ESB as the tallest in the city, and this will surpass 1 WTC as the tallest roof height in the city in a few years if construction continues. It ain't all bad...

Originally Posted by HK999

You've never seen the Dubai Marina, haven't you?

This made me lol.

[iloveclassicrock7]

Originally Posted by HK999

You've never seen the Dubai Marina, haven't you?

ok, your right. Second ugliest tower in the world!

[Yuri S Andrade]

Wow, couldn't they find another site? It was a beautiful building this hotel!

Anyway: tall slim boxy buildings = elegant; twisted vegetables = tacky. But the best thing is, it's to push the boundaries for new heights. I wanna see this building lost in the middle of a new generation of supertalls! New century, new heights!

[earthbuilder]

If they would just make the tower abit like Tower verre and one57. With the setbacks and so. It would be a beauty and a landmark in New York. With the current design it will be an hated building.. That may ruin the skyline...

[iloveclassicrock7]

Originally Posted by earthbuilder

If they would just make the tower abit like Tower verre and one57. With the setbacks and so. It would be a beauty and a landmark in New York. With the current design it will be an hated building.. That may ruin the skyline...

Hopefully they will realize how out of place it looks, and either not build it, or make a better design. If this is built with the current design, it will absolutely ruin the skyline

[earthbuilder]

Really hope so. The current design is just an utter disgrace to all of NYC..

[Kanto]

How can it ruin the skyline if the Twins didn't ruin it (in fact, they made it far more interesting). Boxy shapes are not alien in Manhattan. The city lost 2 boxes, why should it be denied one as a replacement. Many people like boxy and simplistic design and I think that even to those who don't like it, it will be bearable, especially if the cladding is good and according to the renders it'll be very good

[earthbuilder]

well you are right, Its more the fact, that it will be the tallest by roof, and that it is soooo thin!

[SelectDirect]

It looks like they are moving along quickly here. Does anyone know the construction company that is building this?

[erbse]

It completely abandons all rules of human proportions and aesthetics, unlike the old WTC, which was well proportioned.

It's a building that ruins the skyline. Period.

[gugi182]

Originally Posted by iloveclassicrock7

Thank you, this is exactly how I feel. Its way too thin for its height.

Look at this pic

It is an eyesore...

The Twin towers were boxes, and they looked great, but that's because they were big and imposing.

This future building is way to thin there isn't any space left in Manhattan to construct wider buildings it's over saturated. Lower Manhattan has no space neither Mid Town and Upper Manhattan is cluttered with mid size housing. Aren't buildings coming up on the Hudson Rail Yards.

[gugi182]

This will ruined the NYC Skyline it will look like a glass pencil shoved down in the ground. No Like

[Yuri S Andrade]

Originally Posted by erbse

It completely abandons all rules of human proportions and aesthetics, unlike the old WTC, which was well proportioned.

It's a building that ruins the skyline. Period.

"Human proportions"? What's that? 100m, 200m, 300m? And about proportionality and skyline composition, let's build taller and problem solved! 432 Park will be lost in the middle of them.

There are plenty of skinny buildings Downtown beautifully forming a skyline.

[erbse]

^ It's more about height-to-width-ratio and shape. It's starting to look ridiculous in such measures.

Never heard of proportion models, the Golden Ratio?

This is a good starter as well, further literature recommended: Proportion (architecture)

[iloveclassicrock7]

Originally Posted by erbse

It completely abandons all rules of human proportions and aesthetics, unlike the old WTC, which was well proportioned.

It's a building that ruins the skyline. Period.

So true. Why do people compare this and the WTC ? The WTC was huge, and tall. This is extremely thin, and way too tall.This will destroy midtown's skyline, sadly people won't realize this until it's too late.