NEW YORK | 56 Leonard | 821 FT / 250 M | 57 FLOORS

[Jonovision]

I really like it. It looks clean. And its a great way to get some really interesting balconies.

[NYguy]

worldarchitecturenews.com

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by philvia

i like it... i can imagine myself staring at it for a long time

People stare at car wrecks too... and all it accomplishes is slowing down traffic and causing other accidents. This building will look like skyscraper wreckage.

On a more serious note: I like all the offset pieces that form interesting spaces and lots of balconies, but when you look at the building as a whole it is not very pleasing to the eye. The top looks like it was piled on in pieces by a child and the parent never came over to clean up the aesthetic mess. Especially that very top level... at least they could have tapered it so it comes to a conclusion of some sort. Looks very unfinished.

And does it rotate or something? Why is it at an angle in that second rendering?

[scalziand]

Frankly, conceptually and aesthetically, this reminds me of Habitat. From a distance, both look... odd. Yet up close, they'll tend to look better.

[NYC2ATX]

What kills me about all of you who think this is a jumbled mess or a novelty, is that you are contradicting yourselves. Daring designs are what keeps our city on the edge. I know you all love the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building. Those were considered daring and crazy for their time. Now they are revered as symbols of the city. I'm not about to say that 56 Leonard is going to be a symbol of New York in years to come, but it sure as hell will make our already interesting skyline that much more interesting.

Keep an open mind everyone. The ones that change the world don't stick to the norm. After all, what change is that anyway?

[Dale]

I just realized that this will really serve to extend the Downtown cluster to the north.

[scalziand]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Somebody get 30 Park Place and Beekman Tower into that first rendering:

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/09/odd_56story_sky.php

Here's what I could came up with. I'm afraid that Beekman would be obscured from this angle.

[Lecom]

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

What kills me about all of you who think this is a jumbled mess or a novelty, is that you are contradicting yourselves. Daring designs are what keeps our city on the edge. I know you all love the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building. Those were considered daring and crazy for their time. Now they are revered as symbols of the city. I'm not about to say that 56 Leonard is going to be a symbol of New York in years to come, but it sure as hell will make our already interesting skyline that much more interesting.

Keep an open mind everyone. The ones that change the world don't stick to the norm. After all, what change is that anyway?

My thoughts exactly.

Scalziand, nice comparison, though I may be wrong but it looks like 30 Park place looks about 50 ft too tall.

Also I wonder how they're gonna go about mechanicals at the top - service level, elevator space, cooling, etc. The render doesn't seem to accomodate for it at all. Stacked glass penthouses look nice and clean and all, but truth is that they'll have to deal with the mechanical mess one way or another.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by scalziand

Here's what I could came up with. I'm afraid that Beekman would be obscured from this angle.

That's great, you should be able to get Beekman on the left edge of that rendering. This should help:

[scalziand]

Thanks for the Beekman Tower source NYguy, it really helped me place it properly. Anyway, this helps show how impressive the new residential towers will be.

[antinimby]

You're really a pro with that photoshop thing, scalziand. Good job.

(BTW, I think Beekman should be a tad shorter because it shouldn't be that much taller than Woolworth and also because it's slightly further away, too. Same with 30 PP)

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by scalziand

Thanks for the Beekman Tower source NYguy, it really helped me place it properly. Anyway, this helps show how impressive the new residential towers will be.

That's just what I wanted to see. They're as impressive in their own right as the new WTC, and all within a relatively small area. It will be very exciting watching these towers race to the sky.

[philvia]

Originally Posted by JACKinNYC

People stare at car wrecks too... and all it accomplishes is slowing down traffic and causing other accidents. This building will look like skyscraper wreckage.

that is exactly what i meant

[scalziand]

I was having a look at the original rendering to see why i couldn't get 30 pp and Beekman scaled properly, when I found a bit of a surprise. It looks like all the foreground buildings were rendered along with the tower, and then the whole scene was stuck a few blocks south of its actual position to make it look loike the views were better than they actually are.

The perspective and focus of the highlighted buildings just doesn't match the rest of the downtown buildings.

Additionally, when I looked at the same view using google earth, I found that ATT Long Lines and Tribeca Tower would be in between Beekman and 56 Leonard.

The buildings highlighted are (the former) 99 Church Street, the sight of 56 Leonard, and a building next to the sight of Beekman Tower.

[NYC4Life]

This is a great time to be in love with NYC architecture. The downtown boom is impressive and immense. Can't see another 5 or so years, to see how these towers will appear on the skyline.

[JACKinBeantown]

At least it's not as offensive as that UFO wreckage in Louisville.

[ucgrady369]

I'm suprised no one else has said anything about the blatant rip off of the "the Bean" (Cloud Gate) that is at the base. It doesn't relate to the otherwise orthagonal building and seems like a cheap rip off of that sculpture.

[antinimby]

It ain't a "rip off" if it came from the same artist (Anish Kapoor). Duh.

[Lecom]

To be honest, I'm rather disappointed in seeing The Bean squashed under this tower, but that's only because I'm against franchising unique works of art as if it were McDonalds. Other than that, the sculpture is sickness and, in contrast to Chicago's Bean's open surroundings, this one is a nice take on how such a sculpture would work if tucked away somewhere in a very dense urban environment.

Scalziand, that's a great catch. I didn't even notice the render "forgery" till you pointed it out. Really, according to the renders they posted, it's as if 56 Leonard is a block away from City Hall.

[NYguy]

^Yeah, but you still get the idea from the job he did. We're talking about three new peeks. Since the original World Trade Center construction, there hasn't been anything this tall built Downtown - and yet there are six taller towers under construction or soon to be there. What's more, these towers are changing the way we see Manhattan, where the tallest residentials are always in Midtown (forget about conversions).

There are a number of residential towers under construction Downtown, but the "Big 3" get the most attention. (Imagine if 80 South Street somehow managed to get built.) And 56 Leonard is exactly what New York needs. Had it been another glass box or typical residential tower, the excitement would have been way down, the complaints numerous. (Well, there are still complaints, you can't please everyone.) But all of this is working to make true the prediction that the new Downtown will be much better than the pre-9/11 Downtown.

As far as the sculpture goes, bring it on. It certainly doesn't hurt anything, and brings a little street level excitement to a city where towers often blend into the streetwall.