If you remember the recent topping out of 23-10 Queens Plaza South as the second tallest building in Queens, hearing of another contender usurping its place so quickly might give you a sense of déjà vu. In a testament to Long Island City’s dizzying pace of development, the title passes to Tower 28, previously known as 28 on 28th.
New York University’s 1.6-million-square-foot expansion looms on the horizon, in anticipation of its distant 2035 completion. However, well ahead of any significant redevelopment, a smaller overhaul of street-adjacent community space is already underway. NYU is collaborating with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to upgrade two linear, street-facing plazas at LaGuardia Place and Bleecker Street.
The year 2015 marked the near-complete demolition of Times Square’s second oldest structure. The Columbia Amusement Co. Building, which opened at Times Square’s northeast corner on West 47th Street in January 1910. 701 7th Avenue was known by a variety of names during its century-long life span. Like the slightly older yet much more famous One Times Square at the opposite end of the square, the building engaged in the neighborhood’s classic disappearing act, where giant billboards seen by millions made their renovation-scarred hosts all but invisible. But behind the ads, standing on a 16,000-square-foot lot, was a building with a history as dramatic and diverse as that of the famous square on which it stood.
New Yorkers breathe a collective sigh of relief as the city’s second largest snow pileup on record is steadily melting away. But while snow cover is a hazard to pedestrians and drivers alike, it also offers an opportunity to make the streets safer and more pleasant.
A six-story residential building has topped out at 11-07 Welling Court in western Astoria, in the middle of one of New York City’s most important street art and graffiti destinations.
