217 West 57th Street/Nordstrom Tower

Sneak Peak at Facade & Construction Update for 217 West 57th Street, aka Nordstrom Tower

YIMBY has brought you continual updates on the progress of Extell’s 217 West 57th Street, a.k.a. Nordstrom Tower (officially Central Park Tower), and now we have the first photos of what the facade for the building will actually look like, as well as an update on progress. The image comes from an anonymous tipster and shows the glass that will appear over the top of the Nordstrom floors, crowning the retail podium in a series of undulating curves, and demarcating the boundary between the pedestrian realm and the supertall that will cantilever up above.

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2118 Mapes Avenue, image via Google Maps

Permits Filed: 2118 Mapes Avenue, Belmont, Bronx

Market-rate development is finally returning to Belmont, a neighborhood just south of Fordham University in the northeastern Bronx. Yesterday, developer Gac Haxhari filed applications for an eight-story market-rate building at 2118 Mapes Avenue, between East 180th and 181st streets, which is two short blocks from Bronx Park.

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Demolition at the Market Diner. Photo by Tectonic.

Market Diner Being Demolished To Make Way For Apartments At 572 Eleventh Avenue

For decades (with a brief break), Manhattan had a diner, complete with outdoor seating and a tiny parking lot, near the edge of Midtown West/Hell’s Kitchen. Last year, we learned that the Market Diner at 572 Eleventh Avenue (at the corner of West 43rd Street) would be replaced by an apartment tower. Now, a photo from our friend Tectonic shows that demolition has begun.

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Fordham Plaza

Pedestrian-Friendly Fordham Plaza Opens To Public In West Bronx

The $34 million renovation and redesign of Fordham Plaza – bound by East 189th Street and East Fordham Road, and Park Avenue and Firefighters Boulevard in the West Bronx – has recently been completed, according to the Architect’s Newspaper. The plaza was designed by Grimshaw Architects and features a café, market canopies, public toilets, vegetation, and seating. It also serves 12 bus lines and is directly above the Fordham station on the Metro-North Railroad. The initiative behind the project was to reduce traffic accidents and to create a more pedestrian-friendly experience. The city’s Department of Design and Construction and Department of Transportation were behind the project.