NEW YORK | 432 Park Avenue (Drake Hotel dev.) | (1,396) FT / 432 M | 89 FLOORS

[Oakydoke]

It'll be quite the view for whomever can afford it, that's for sure. And it won't be me......

[ILNY]

Originally Posted by aquablue

This tower is so elementary, even a YOUNG child could draw it.

Simplicity is what makes this tower beautiful and classy.

[sparkling]

Daniel Geiger
September 13, 2015

At 432 Park Ave., Harry Macklowe, the developer of the office cube, designed the building's entrance to be a unique angled slit in its otherwise clean glass exterior and said the lobby will be "museum-like," with high-priced art on display and high-end retail space. Though the building doesn't have the height to offer soaring vistas, Mr. Macklowe said, he is using huge panes of glass that will eliminate unsightly window seams.

Mr. Macklowe's attempt to hit $200 per square foot shows how some owners are trying to rewrite the unspoken rule that top-tier spaces must feature stunning views of Central Park.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...-not-the-world

[ILNY]

[surplusQ]

Has the film been removed off the windows yet?

[kznyc2k]

[hunser]

New Kid On The Block by Zoë Eisenberg, on Flickr


Untitled by www.underover.in, on flickr


four three two (one) by www.underover.in, on flickr

[Aaronaa4]

Hey,
I just made my September Update, and would like to thank all of you for all the great pictures. Enjoy the video

• Video Link

[hunser]

IMG_6073.jpg by Joseph Kwong, on Flickr

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by ILNY

Simplicity is what makes this tower beautiful and classy.

I respectfully disagree. Height is what makes this tower interesting. If it were 400 feet tall would anybody care about it?

[ILNY]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

I respectfully disagree. Height is what makes this tower interesting. If it were 400 feet tall would anybody care about it?

You have a right to disagree but does anybody care about 400 feet tall buildings in New York in general unless they have exceptional architecture?

[Hypothalamus]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

I respectfully disagree. Height is what makes this tower interesting. If it were 400 feet tall would anybody care about it?

I think you've stumbled upon the flawed notion that tall equates to aesthetically more complex. Usually, the more simple something is, the more it's accepted and prized. Take another look at iconic buildings and observe their sophisticated simplicity.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by ILNY

You have a right to disagree but does anybody care about 400 feet tall buildings in New York in general unless they have exceptional architecture?

My point exactly!

Originally Posted by Hypothalamus

I think you've stumbled upon the flawed notion that tall equates to aesthetically more complex. Usually, the more simple something is, the more it's accepted and prized. Take another look at iconic buildings and observe their sophisticated simplicity.

Exactly not my point. I was saying that in my opinion the only impressive thing about this building is its height. The iconic buildings that come to mind are the Taj Mahal, Hajia Sophia, Chrysler, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, etc. They're all very sophisticated but not simplistic at all.

You guys are certainly entitled to your opinions and I respect that.

[BoM Trespasser]

I don't think you can get more iconic than the Empire State Building. It was the world's tallest building for several decades. A building doesn't necessarily have to have curves in order to considered iconic.

The Lake Shore Apartments in Chicago by Mies van der Rohe is another example. Iconic and nary a curve in sight.

[JACKinBeantown]

In the 1950s it and Seagram were something new. Nobody had ever done boxy buildings before. Form follows functions. I get it. They were praised for it.

Now it's 60 years later and another box is just another box... only taller in this case. Do I appreciate it? Yes. But not because it's stellar architecture; more because of the impact it has on the skyline. But there are plenty of other supertalls in the works in New York that I'm much more excited about.

[Hypothalamus]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

Exactly not my point. I was saying that in my opinion the only impressive thing about this building is its height. The iconic buildings that come to mind are the Taj Mahal, Hajia Sophia, Chrysler, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, etc. They're all very sophisticated but not simplistic at all.

Besides what we both define as simple, I think we're agreeing. In my opinion, simple is not defined as minimalist. The Chrysler, Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower are iconic because of their sophisticated simplicity -- their symmetry, dimensions, geometry, etc. Cheers.

[CityGuy87]

432 Park isn't necessarily an icon of the city but it's iconic in the sense that now people are beginning to just realize the massive sea change the skyline is undertaking. The new WTC was always a given in the long run, pretty much everyone expected that it would eventually be completed but with towers like 432 Park, threw off anybody who doesn't follow these forums and development news (aka: the majority), nobody was expecting a Midtown skyscraper to surpass the Empire State Building any time soon and certainly not the roof height of 1 WTC (again the majority of people just go by the total height of 1776' and not the parapet which is equal to the Twin Towers) but I digress, 432 Park has given people a little taste of things to come and that's why I consider this tower to be iconic in that regard. One57 may be the first of the Billionaire towers but 432 Park is the tower that's setting the mood for what's to come and only then will people fully realize the extent of this boom.

But overall with these new towers, 1 WTC has quickly cemented its place as a city icon, Foster's 2 WTC would've been as well and possibly even the Ingles design. Steinway, Verre and 1 Vanderbilt are also definitely in the running as they evoke classic NY architecture but with a 21st Century take. The main Hudson Yards towers will be icons as well considering that they are creating an entirely new neighborhood on the West Side.

[Lecom]

September 2015 update. Most of the tower is glassed in. During late afternoon, it shines with a surprisingly bright shimmer. I underestimated how much reflective surface all the glass adds up to. The window of opportunity for this effect is rather brief, though, and I intend to capture it on photo and/or video as soon as I get the chance.

• Video Link

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by CityGuy87

432 Park isn't necessarily an icon of the city but it's iconic in the sense that now people are beginning to just realize the massive sea change the skyline is undertaking. The new WTC was always a given in the long run, pretty much everyone expected that it would eventually be completed but with towers like 432 Park, threw off anybody who doesn't follow these forums and development news (aka: the majority), nobody was expecting a Midtown skyscraper to surpass the Empire State Building any time soon and certainly not the roof height of 1 WTC (again the majority of people just go by the total height of 1776' and not the parapet which is equal to the Twin Towers) but I digress, 432 Park has given people a little taste of things to come and that's why I consider this tower to be iconic in that regard. One57 may be the first of the Billionaire towers but 432 Park is the tower that's setting the mood for what's to come and only then will people fully realize the extent of this boom.

But overall with these new towers, 1 WTC has quickly cemented its place as a city icon, Foster's 2 WTC would've been as well and possibly even the Ingles design. Steinway, Verre and 1 Vanderbilt are also definitely in the running as they evoke classic NY architecture but with a 21st Century take. The main Hudson Yards towers will be icons as well considering that they are creating an entirely new neighborhood on the West Side.

What he said.


Lecom: thanks for the video update. What's the building under construction in east midtown to the "left" of ESB?

[chris08876]

What do the workers building the new towers on Billionaires’ Row think about them?

A promotional video for 432 Park Avenue from 2014 has a sped up time-lapse video of the construction progress. From a hole in the ground, the building grows, higher and higher as if by magic. And befitting a fantasy tower, when finished, it will have the highest roof in New York City at 1,396 feet and will be the tallest residential tower in the world. That is, until 217 West 57th Street (aka the Central Park Tower), right down the block, wraps up construction in 2019 at 1,550 feet.

Magic, of course, is not how 432 Park — or any of the mega-expensive, supertall towers on the stretch of Midtown from Park to Eighth Avenue around 57th Street — are being built. Hordes of construction workers have been toiling diligently for long hours in the summer heat to erect them on time and on budget. But what do they really think about them?

I went to find out. “It’s a sign of progress, I guess,” said a worker at 220 Central Park South. “I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

Another worker on 432 Park was a bit more appreciative, saying about his building, “Construction-wise, it’s amazing. There are great features, the design is not standard,” and, no surprise, “the view is everything — there’s nothing you can’t see.” SSP member working on it?

The average salary for a construction worker in New York City is $54,120, according to U.S. News and World Report, a tiny fraction of the cost of homes they are building. The penthouse at 432 Park Avenue sold for $95 million in 2013 and the penthouse at One57 just down the block sold for $100.5 million back in January.

Many of the workers I spoke to, though, are just happy for the steady income, and didn’t seem particularly concerned about the glaring inequality. “The rich are building whatever they damn well please. I just put them up,” said one worker on 220 Central Park South. Another expressed a similar sentiment: “I’m glad they’re building stuff and I have a job.”

Some of the workers had no idea how much the apartments cost or who is moving into them. “My daughter told me what this was,” said a worker at a project at 217 West 57th. When I told a worker at 220 Central Park South that the penthouse was asking between $150-$175 million (there were rumors in June that a combined apartment in the building might sell for $250 million), his mouth formed a perfect “O.” He was silent for a few seconds, and then shook his head, muttering, “The rich want everyone out of here. That’s what they’re doing.”

“It’s New York,” said another at 432 Park Avenue, shrugging his shoulders.
“I don’t have time to tell you everything I feel about this.”

Many of the workers do not live in Manhattan, but in the boroughs or suburbs — and said they had no interest in living in these apartments. “I like my backyard,” said one worker on 432 Park Avenue. “I guess it’s a nice building, if that’s what you like.”

====================
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/09/....imGKhNnr.dpuf

Note: I added that ssp member working, so don't think trd added it.

Athlough some insiders in terms of workers are always great.