Back in January of 2017, construction at 685 First Avenue had just reached the fifth floor. In just under two years, the tower and façade have topped out, sales have launched, and completion is expected by the end of the year. Sheldon Solow’s Solow Building Company is developing the 42-story minimalist Murray Hill skyscraper.
Façade installation is coming to an end for Waterline Square, a five-acre project overlooking the Hudson River. The three towers are being constructed simultaneously so that residents will have the benefit of moving into a finished mini-neighborhood inside the Upper West Side. Once complete, a lush public space will unite the residential buildings and retail center, containing several eateries. GID Development Group is responsible for the venture.
Among the few vacant lots remaining in Murray Hill, 685 First Avenue, between East 39th and 40th Streets, was one of the largest before permits were filed back in August of 2015. In May of 2016, the first renderings for the building were released, and by January of this year, construction was several floors above street level. Now, the latest photos from 5B Films show that work has topped-out, and the facade is closing in on the upper levels, as the 42-story tower approaches completion.
The southwestern blocks of the Upper West Side have been in a state of constant flux over the past few years, with several major developments either wrapping up or breaking ground across the last wide-open spaces remaining in the neighborhood. Perhaps the largest project within this area is GID Development’s Waterline Square, formerly known as Riverside Center, where construction on three new buildings is now pushing upwards and into the skyline.
Construction is just getting underway on 685 First Avenue in Midtown East, where a 460-foot-tall residential building will eventually fill a block-long hole in the ground between 39th and 40th streets. Now, we have new renderings for the tower, which is being designed by renowned Modernist architect Richard Meier.
