When YIMBY last checked in on TF Cornerstone’s massive new development at 606 West 57th Street, in Hell’s Kitchen, foundation work was just nearing completion. A lot more has happened since June.
Hearst Tower, the 46-story, 861,100-square-foot office tower located at 300 West 57th Street in Midtown, is about to get a flashy upgrade to its ground floor. Crews are now constructing what will be dubbed HearstLive, a digital, wrap-around media installation that will broadcast news and other information. It will become the building’s façade at street level, measuring 107 feet, five inches along Eighth Avenue and 57th Street. The exact content will be determined by a collection of Hearst’s brands and partners. Hearst Tower is an individual landmark, which means the Landmarks Preservation Commission would have had to approve any exterior alterations, but this latest addition appears to be located behind the existing glass. HearstLive will debut on September 27.
Construction is up to the third floor on the nine-story, 142,554-square-foot mixed-use commercial building at 540 West 26th Street, in West Chelsea. The latest photos can be seen on the YIMBY Forums. The most recent building permits indicate the project will eventually measure 142,554 square feet and rise 135 feet above street level. The developers have already pre-leased 85,421 square feet across portions of the ground through fifth floors to Avenues: The World School, a private school. The sixth through ninth floors will contain office space and the ground floor will feature an art gallery space. The real estate fund Savanna and the Silvermintz family are developing the building, while Morris Adjmi Architects is designing it. Completion is expected in 2017.
In September of 2015, Stellar Management acquired, for $12 million, the two-story, 7,500-square-foot commercial building at 130 Second Avenue. That’s located on the corner of St. Marks Place in the East Village. It has now been revealed that Stellar will renovate the existing building, formerly occupied by a Chase bank branch. It will become the headquarters of the currently TriBeCa-based non-profit art organization Swiss Institute, Curbed NY reported. Besides upgraded office space, new elements will include event spaces, a library, a bookstore, and a rooftop terrace. Selldorf Architects is designing the renovation and completion is expected in 2017.
Empire State Development (ESD) has formally launched a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a development team for the planned three-story, 1.2-million-square-foot expansion project at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, located at 655 West 34th Street in what’s now called the Hudson Yards District. The expansion was announced earlier this year. The ground-up portion of the project, to be built on the complex’s northern edge, has been dubbed the Transformer Building. It will contain electrical and mechanical infrastructure, plus 665,000 square feet of meeting rooms and exhibition space, a ballroom, and outdoor space. A large truck garage is also expected to be built. FXFOWLE Architects is behind the expansion’s design. Construction is expected to begin by the end of this year, Real Estate Weekly reported.
