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Robert A.M. Stern Architects’ New Morningside Heights Skyscraper Revealed At 100 Claremont Avenue

The Union Theological Seminary is working to sell air rights to Lendlease and L+M Development Partners to create a 42-story tower in Morningside Heights. Robert A. M. Stern Architects is designing the new mixed-use building, which will stand 466 feet to its pinnacle, easily making it the tallest in the neighborhood. The project is part of a $125 million rehabilitation initiative which will also include much needed renovations to the Seminary’s 119-year old campus.

The new tower will have a total area of 350,000 square feet, and appears to rise higher than Riverside Church. Inside, there will be a mix of private condominiums and institutional space that includes new offices, faculty housing, and classrooms. SLCE Architects is the architect of record on the building applications, which were filed a few days ago, and Crain’s was the first to reveal the rendering. Once the tower is completed, The Union Theological Seminary will buy back the floor space designated for them in the building.

From the main rendering, the overall design and massing of the building appears relatively uniform, featuring an even grid of large square-shaped windows and a crown with multiple setbacks on the southern elevation.

By the time the tower is topped out, it will change the appearance of the neighborhood substantially, due to the height and presence of the new skyscraper within mostly low-rise surrounds. The views of Riverside Church above the tree canopy as seen from Edgewater, New Jersey have given it a very distinct profile atop Morningside Heights for over a century, and 100 Claremont Avenue should be even more prominent.

A completion date for the new building has not been announced yet, but plans have been put in place to start renovations and possibly commence construction next summer.

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NYY