NEW YORK | 425 Park Ave | 209m | 687ft | 41 fl | Pro

RobertWalpole · April 23rd, 2012, 04:42 AM

http://designyoutrust.com/2012/10/42...ster-partners/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...FTForthStories

Planning New York's Next Iconic Building .

By ELIOT BROWN

Nearly a half century after much of Park Avenue's high-end corridor of office buildings were built, developer L&L Holding Co. is advancing plans for a new tower.

Aiming to create an iconic, eye-catching building in the place of a 1950s-built boxy tower at 425 Park Ave., L&L last week reached out to 11 top architectural firms to join a competition to design a new tower. The list included Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Jean Nouvel, each of whom have won architecture's top Pritzker Prize.

L&L Holding Co. has asked 11 top architects to submit designs for a new tower at 425 Park Ave. "We want to work with the best architectural minds out there, because we have some very important things to achieve and to deal with," says David Levinson, L&L's chief executive.

Mr. Levinson says he hopes to begin demolition work in 2015 and to finish the new building two years later. The price tag on the project is expected to be about $750 million, he says.

The bold plan to knock down the bulk of the existing building and to put a new one in its place reflects Mr. Levinson's faith in the value of the site. Currently the building is mostly leased with tenants including the white-shoe law firm Kaye Scholer.

But Mr. Levinson is planning to vacate the building on the bet that he'll be able to substantially boost rents once he replaces it with a modern, attractive design. While older, unremarkable buildings similar to the current 425 Park Ave. tend to fetch annual rents in the $50-to-$70 per square foot range, top architectural icons the Seagram Building at 375 Park Ave. easily win tenants paying over $100 a foot.

The plan still faces high hurdles. For starters, Mr. Levinson needs to attract financing for the project at a time that the Manhattan office market shows some signs of weakness due to the downturn and the contraction of the financial services industry.

Mr. Levinson believes great architecture will enable him to attract tenants and financing. He hopes the building's design will be achieve the same distinction as the Seagram Building or the Lever House at 390 Park Ave., both of which are considered modernist icons.

Vishaan Chakrabarti, a former city planning official and director of Columbia University's Center for Urban Real Estate, is directing the competition for L&L. "We think it could be a jewel, and given where it sits, a crown jewel," Mr. Chakrabarti says.

Park Avenue has been largely static for at least four decades. The bulk of the office towers were erected in the 1950s and 1960s on platforms over rail tracks leading into Grand Central Terminal.

Most of the towers were built with a boxy design that creates a relatively uniform feel for the wide boulevard. The most recent large office building to be constructed was 499 Park, at 59th St., built in 1980, although it doesn't take up the full block.

Complicating the redevelopment for 425 Park and other buildings on Park Avenue is a quirk of the city's zoning code that would force Mr. Levinson to build a smaller tower if he demolished the existing building in its entirety. To avoid this, Mr. Levinson plans to leave in place the steel skeleton for the bottom 25% of the building, the minimum required.

The Bloomberg administration has told landlords it is considering boosting the development rights for office building owners in parts of eastern Midtown. But that plan would likely take at least another year and a half before it would be finalized, and Mr. Levinson has said he needs to begin planning now under the current rules.

L&L partnered with Lehman Brothers in 2006 to buy the long term lease on 425 Park. Lehman still has a stake in the building, although it is looking to exit all its real estate investments over the next few years.

Write to Eliot Brown at eliot.brown@wsj.com

***desertpunk*** · April 23rd, 2012, 04:45 AM

All part of Bloomberg's upzoning in East Midtown that should yield some very interesting towers in the future!

rencharles · April 23rd, 2012, 05:59 AM

Wow They will demolish a large building ... I hope they can make a very modern building and super high. Still going very close to the 432 Park Place. It seems that Bloomberg's dream will come true. Just a pity that this will be demolished in 2015 and be built later (if the world does not end at the end of this year).

EDIT: I was reading this part:
"Complicating the redevelopment for 425 Park and other buildings on Park Avenue is a quirk of the city's zoning code that would force Mr. Levinson to build a smaller tower if he demolished the existing building in its entirety. To avoid this, Mr. Levinson plans to leave in place the steel skeleton for the bottom 25% of the building, the minimum required.

The Bloomberg administration has told landlords it is considering boosting the development rights for office building owners in parts of eastern Midtown. But that plan would likely take at least another year and a half before it would be finalized, and Mr. Levinson has said he needs to begin planning now under the current rules. "

And... It's a shame that Mr. Levinson will not wait for the upzoning to build something higher, since the rezoning it will take to be done, and the company wants to start planning early on this project. But let's see, a lot can change.

RobertWalpole · July 11th, 2012, 03:37 PM

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/0...ctory.php#more

Four Starchitects Are Battling for Park Avenue Victory
Wednesday, July 11, 2012, by Dave Hogarty

The decision to choose who will be the designer of Park Avenue's next great tower is down to four finalist starchitects: Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Richard Rogers. Vishaan Chakrabarti of Columbia University's Center for Urban Real Estate and SHoP Architects is directing the competition for L&L Holding Company, which wants to rebuild the existing block-long pile of white brick and glass between 55th and 56th Street as an esteemed Park Avenue skyscraper to rival the Seagram Building and Lever House. According to The New York Times, the four architects and their firms were selected by David W. Levinson. Their plans for 425 Park Avenue were being laid out in a series of presentations that began yesterday and should conclude today.

The four starchitects' visions for the address will be made public (and we'll welcome your opinions in our comments), but Levinson doesn't give a crap what the public thinks about the entries. He's preparing to spend three-quarters of a billion dollars to build an iconic skyscraper. “It is a decision that is solely within our discretion." Those hoping for something truly unprecedented and exciting should dampen their expectations. Prior to the competition, Levinson told the four finalists not to let their egos and creativity get the best of them. He wants "restrained elegance."

***desertpunk*** · July 11th, 2012, 10:58 PM

In NYC "Restrained elegance" = box.

***desertpunk*** · July 11th, 2012, 11:47 PM

Here's an early mockup by L&L of what 425 Park Ave can accomodate.
(Under the current zoning code. A new up-zoning of the area could launch this project into the stratosphere.)

http://observer.com/2012/07/everybod...park-redesign/

RobertWalpole · July 11th, 2012, 11:57 PM

According to the article in today's NY Times, L&L had the architects draw plans based upon current zoning and based upon the enhanced zoning proposed by the Mayor.

ThatOneGuy · July 12th, 2012, 12:26 AM

I know it's not the real design, but I wish they would build it like in that picture above!

comet the cat · July 12th, 2012, 05:52 AM

That mock up design looks better than many others!

L.A.F.2. · July 12th, 2012, 06:01 AM

I hope Foster wins it. His Hearst addition is masterful.

giorgio righi riva · July 12th, 2012, 11:56 AM

I hate this developer is a really stupid pearson he want only be advertising with great names, but in reality, he will choice the most chip and boring of these project.
he is false or stupid because asked for new icon and call the starchitect famous for exuberance and icons but after puts limits to their creativity ! is like you buy ferrari but with mandatory limit to the motor...
Icon? goodbay icon , will be a simple mannersit neomodernist lever house copy....
shit

giorgio righi riva · July 12th, 2012, 11:59 AM

yes a simple boring box, without financial structural problems,but he announced :" i want an eye catching icon"

!
hahhahahahah

***desertpunk*** · July 13th, 2012, 03:48 AM

This could send 425 Park Ave to the moon:

City Planning Presents Midtown East Rezoning Plan

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...010664218.html

Quote:

While a new pedestrian plaza near Grand Central Terminal has grabbed the headlines this week, it’s really just a small aspect of a widespread rezoning of Midtown East to which Mayor Michael Bloomberg is reportedly pinning his legacy.

Bloomberg News reported that the Department of City Planning presented the mayor’s preliminary vision for the rezoning, which is aimed at encouraging modern office development in Midtown East, to Community Board 5 yesterday.

The plan would allow for building owners to acquire air rights to build as high as 900 feet in the area immediately surrounding Grand Central. Outside the “core” area, on the blocks bounded by Lexington and Madison avenues and East 39th and East 49th streets, towers of 700 feet would be permitted. According to the New York Observer the floor-area-ratio limits would increase to 24 for the core area, and 21.6 outside the core. Elsewhere in Midtown East the allowable FAR would rise to 18 from 15.

However, to acquire these rights, developers would be required to obain “a new special permit,” which would be limited to key sites where developers promise to fund improvements to pedestrian areas and transit hubs. They can also purchase air rights from nearby landmarks.

The community board voiced concern about further congesting its neighborhood, but supported the “basic core” idea, according to its chairwoman.

ThatOneGuy · July 13th, 2012, 04:35 AM

Bring back International Style modernism! 432 Park is the loneliest box in NYC! I really hope something along the lines of that render will be built.

RobertWalpole · October 3rd, 2012, 04:29 PM

This is nice but no landmark, which the location warranted. It will be interesting to see more images of the crown, which will consist of three vertical prongs.

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...ark_avenue.php

Starchitecture of the Future
Norman Foster Will Design New Tower at 425 Park Avenue
Wednesday, October 3, 2012, by Sara Polsky

Four starchitects—Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Richard Rogers—faced off for the chance to redesign 425 Park Avenue, a rather soulless pile of brick and glass between 55th and 56th streets, into the next Seagram Building or Lever House. And the winner is…Norman Foster! The Hearst Tower architect submitted a conceptual proposal (shown above) that "features a tapered steel-frame tower rising to meet three illuminated shear walls, adding to the vibrant New York City skyline. The conceptual design also calls for an elegant façade that seamlessly integrates with the innovative internal arrangement that allows for three gradated tiers of column-free floors," according to the archibabble in a press release.

The bigger idea behind that "innovative internal arrangement" is that the workplace is changing and 425 Park Avenue needs to accommodate that. David Levinson, chairman of site developer L&L Holdings, explains to the Times that office space these days needs "places where you can have an intersection of ideas, areas of collaboration," and Foster's design includes many such common spaces. L&L plans to start building the thing in 2015 and have it ready in 2017. Better luck next time, Hadid, Rogers, and Koolhaas!

Here's a larger version of that Foster conceptual design:

Phobos · October 3rd, 2012, 05:36 PM

Big deception.

Hudson11 · October 3rd, 2012, 09:08 PM

not bad, looks to be ~250m with the crown

seb.nl · October 3rd, 2012, 09:26 PM

Pretty good i think. Look at those floor heights in the bottom section, and the high plinth, there's a good sizes square underneath this skyscraper. It sure would make the surrounding area a nicer place.

ThatOneGuy · October 3rd, 2012, 09:39 PM

Too Chinese looking.

tim1807 · October 3rd, 2012, 09:41 PM

I quite like it, but I only have seen the frontside

, that frame reminds me of the base of the Transamerica Pyramid.

April 23rd, 2012, 04:42 AM	#1
RobertWalpole SSP is provincial! Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,380 Likes (Received): 156	NEW YORK \| 425 Park Ave \| 209m \| 687ft \| 41 fl \| Pro http://designyoutrust.com/2012/10/42...ster-partners/ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...FTForthStories Planning New York's Next Iconic Building . By ELIOT BROWN Nearly a half century after much of Park Avenue's high-end corridor of office buildings were built, developer L&L Holding Co. is advancing plans for a new tower. Aiming to create an iconic, eye-catching building in the place of a 1950s-built boxy tower at 425 Park Ave., L&L last week reached out to 11 top architectural firms to join a competition to design a new tower. The list included Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Jean Nouvel, each of whom have won architecture's top Pritzker Prize. L&L Holding Co. has asked 11 top architects to submit designs for a new tower at 425 Park Ave. "We want to work with the best architectural minds out there, because we have some very important things to achieve and to deal with," says David Levinson, L&L's chief executive. Mr. Levinson says he hopes to begin demolition work in 2015 and to finish the new building two years later. The price tag on the project is expected to be about $750 million, he says. The bold plan to knock down the bulk of the existing building and to put a new one in its place reflects Mr. Levinson's faith in the value of the site. Currently the building is mostly leased with tenants including the white-shoe law firm Kaye Scholer. But Mr. Levinson is planning to vacate the building on the bet that he'll be able to substantially boost rents once he replaces it with a modern, attractive design. While older, unremarkable buildings similar to the current 425 Park Ave. tend to fetch annual rents in the $50-to-$70 per square foot range, top architectural icons the Seagram Building at 375 Park Ave. easily win tenants paying over $100 a foot. The plan still faces high hurdles. For starters, Mr. Levinson needs to attract financing for the project at a time that the Manhattan office market shows some signs of weakness due to the downturn and the contraction of the financial services industry. Mr. Levinson believes great architecture will enable him to attract tenants and financing. He hopes the building's design will be achieve the same distinction as the Seagram Building or the Lever House at 390 Park Ave., both of which are considered modernist icons. Vishaan Chakrabarti, a former city planning official and director of Columbia University's Center for Urban Real Estate, is directing the competition for L&L. "We think it could be a jewel, and given where it sits, a crown jewel," Mr. Chakrabarti says. Park Avenue has been largely static for at least four decades. The bulk of the office towers were erected in the 1950s and 1960s on platforms over rail tracks leading into Grand Central Terminal. Most of the towers were built with a boxy design that creates a relatively uniform feel for the wide boulevard. The most recent large office building to be constructed was 499 Park, at 59th St., built in 1980, although it doesn't take up the full block. Complicating the redevelopment for 425 Park and other buildings on Park Avenue is a quirk of the city's zoning code that would force Mr. Levinson to build a smaller tower if he demolished the existing building in its entirety. To avoid this, Mr. Levinson plans to leave in place the steel skeleton for the bottom 25% of the building, the minimum required. The Bloomberg administration has told landlords it is considering boosting the development rights for office building owners in parts of eastern Midtown. But that plan would likely take at least another year and a half before it would be finalized, and Mr. Levinson has said he needs to begin planning now under the current rules. L&L partnered with Lehman Brothers in 2006 to buy the long term lease on 425 Park. Lehman still has a stake in the building, although it is looking to exit all its real estate investments over the next few years. Write to Eliot Brown at eliot.brown@wsj.com Last edited by desertpunk; October 18th, 2012 at 04:46 PM.

April 23rd, 2012, 04:45 AM	#2
*desertpunk* Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: ELP ~ ABQ Posts: 29,629 Likes (Received): 1355	All part of Bloomberg's upzoning in East Midtown that should yield some very interesting towers in the future! __________________ We are floating in space...

April 23rd, 2012, 05:59 AM	#3
rencharles We will never forget Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 476 Likes (Received): 0	Wow They will demolish a large building ... I hope they can make a very modern building and super high. Still going very close to the 432 Park Place. It seems that Bloomberg's dream will come true. Just a pity that this will be demolished in 2015 and be built later (if the world does not end at the end of this year). EDIT: I was reading this part: "Complicating the redevelopment for 425 Park and other buildings on Park Avenue is a quirk of the city's zoning code that would force Mr. Levinson to build a smaller tower if he demolished the existing building in its entirety. To avoid this, Mr. Levinson plans to leave in place the steel skeleton for the bottom 25% of the building, the minimum required. The Bloomberg administration has told landlords it is considering boosting the development rights for office building owners in parts of eastern Midtown. But that plan would likely take at least another year and a half before it would be finalized, and Mr. Levinson has said he needs to begin planning now under the current rules. " And... It's a shame that Mr. Levinson will not wait for the upzoning to build something higher, since the rezoning it will take to be done, and the company wants to start planning early on this project. But let's see, a lot can change. Last edited by rencharles; April 23rd, 2012 at 06:13 AM.

July 11th, 2012, 10:58 PM	#5
*desertpunk* Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: ELP ~ ABQ Posts: 29,629 Likes (Received): 1355	In NYC "Restrained elegance" = box. __________________ We are floating in space...

July 11th, 2012, 11:47 PM	#6
*desertpunk* Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: ELP ~ ABQ Posts: 29,629 Likes (Received): 1355	Here's an early mockup by L&L of what 425 Park Ave can accomodate. (Under the current zoning code. A new up-zoning of the area could launch this project into the stratosphere.) http://observer.com/2012/07/everybod...park-redesign/ __________________ We are floating in space...

July 11th, 2012, 03:37 PM	#4
RobertWalpole SSP is provincial! Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,380 Likes (Received): 156	http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/0...ctory.php#more Four Starchitects Are Battling for Park Avenue Victory Wednesday, July 11, 2012, by Dave Hogarty The decision to choose who will be the designer of Park Avenue's next great tower is down to four finalist starchitects: Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Richard Rogers. Vishaan Chakrabarti of Columbia University's Center for Urban Real Estate and SHoP Architects is directing the competition for L&L Holding Company, which wants to rebuild the existing block-long pile of white brick and glass between 55th and 56th Street as an esteemed Park Avenue skyscraper to rival the Seagram Building and Lever House. According to The New York Times, the four architects and their firms were selected by David W. Levinson. Their plans for 425 Park Avenue were being laid out in a series of presentations that began yesterday and should conclude today. The four starchitects' visions for the address will be made public (and we'll welcome your opinions in our comments), but Levinson doesn't give a crap what the public thinks about the entries. He's preparing to spend three-quarters of a billion dollars to build an iconic skyscraper. “It is a decision that is solely within our discretion." Those hoping for something truly unprecedented and exciting should dampen their expectations. Prior to the competition, Levinson told the four finalists not to let their egos and creativity get the best of them. He wants "restrained elegance."

July 11th, 2012, 11:57 PM	#7
RobertWalpole SSP is provincial! Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,380 Likes (Received): 156	According to the article in today's NY Times, L&L had the architects draw plans based upon current zoning and based upon the enhanced zoning proposed by the Mayor.

July 12th, 2012, 12:26 AM	#8
ThatOneGuy NOT BANNNED Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Constanța Posts: 7,081 Likes (Received): 663	I know it's not the real design, but I wish they would build it like in that picture above!

July 12th, 2012, 05:52 AM	#9
comet the cat Too tall is not an option Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Adelaide Posts: 466 Likes (Received): 34	That mock up design looks better than many others! __________________ My you tube channels For buildings - http://www.youtube.com/user/isthereanythathasnt1 For physics - http://www.youtube.com/user/istherea...3?feature=mhee

July 12th, 2012, 06:01 AM	#10
L.A.F.2. Piercing the Sky Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albany Posts: 1,643 Likes (Received): 242	I hope Foster wins it. His Hearst addition is masterful.

July 12th, 2012, 11:56 AM	#11
giorgio righi riva Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 52 Likes (Received): 0	I hate this developer is a really stupid pearson he want only be advertising with great names, but in reality, he will choice the most chip and boring of these project. he is false or stupid because asked for new icon and call the starchitect famous for exuberance and icons but after puts limits to their creativity ! is like you buy ferrari but with mandatory limit to the motor... Icon? goodbay icon , will be a simple mannersit neomodernist lever house copy.... shit

July 12th, 2012, 11:59 AM	#12
giorgio righi riva Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 52 Likes (Received): 0	yes a simple boring box, without financial structural problems,but he announced :" i want an eye catching icon"! hahhahahahah

July 13th, 2012, 04:35 AM	#14
ThatOneGuy NOT BANNNED Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Constanța Posts: 7,081 Likes (Received): 663	Bring back International Style modernism! 432 Park is the loneliest box in NYC! I really hope something along the lines of that render will be built.

October 3rd, 2012, 04:29 PM	#15
RobertWalpole SSP is provincial! Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,380 Likes (Received): 156	This is nice but no landmark, which the location warranted. It will be interesting to see more images of the crown, which will consist of three vertical prongs. http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...ark_avenue.php Starchitecture of the Future Norman Foster Will Design New Tower at 425 Park Avenue Wednesday, October 3, 2012, by Sara Polsky Four starchitects—Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Richard Rogers—faced off for the chance to redesign 425 Park Avenue, a rather soulless pile of brick and glass between 55th and 56th streets, into the next Seagram Building or Lever House. And the winner is…Norman Foster! The Hearst Tower architect submitted a conceptual proposal (shown above) that "features a tapered steel-frame tower rising to meet three illuminated shear walls, adding to the vibrant New York City skyline. The conceptual design also calls for an elegant façade that seamlessly integrates with the innovative internal arrangement that allows for three gradated tiers of column-free floors," according to the archibabble in a press release. The bigger idea behind that "innovative internal arrangement" is that the workplace is changing and 425 Park Avenue needs to accommodate that. David Levinson, chairman of site developer L&L Holdings, explains to the Times that office space these days needs "places where you can have an intersection of ideas, areas of collaboration," and Foster's design includes many such common spaces. L&L plans to start building the thing in 2015 and have it ready in 2017. Better luck next time, Hadid, Rogers, and Koolhaas! Here's a larger version of that Foster conceptual design: Last edited by RobertWalpole; October 3rd, 2012 at 07:21 PM.

October 3rd, 2012, 05:36 PM	#16
Phobos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Porto,Portugal-EU(currently living in Brazil) Posts: 9,169 Likes (Received): 10	Big deception. __________________ ████ ████ Europe:many countries,only one nation. http://europa.eu/

October 3rd, 2012, 09:08 PM	#17
Hudson11 Title Fabricator Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: The Empire State Posts: 1,073 Likes (Received): 210	not bad, looks to be ~250m with the crown

October 3rd, 2012, 09:26 PM	#18
seb.nl Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,020 Likes (Received): 26	Pretty good i think. Look at those floor heights in the bottom section, and the high plinth, there's a good sizes square underneath this skyscraper. It sure would make the surrounding area a nicer place. Last edited by seb.nl; October 3rd, 2012 at 10:02 PM.

October 3rd, 2012, 09:39 PM	#19
ThatOneGuy NOT BANNNED Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Constanța Posts: 7,081 Likes (Received): 663	Too Chinese looking.

October 3rd, 2012, 09:41 PM	#20
tim1807 faster than buildings Join Date: May 2011 Location: Den Helder Posts: 6,705 Likes (Received): 574	I quite like it, but I only have seen the frontside, that frame reminds me of the base of the Transamerica Pyramid.

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