123 Washington Street - W New York Downtown - by Gwathmey-Siegel & Associates

[ZippyTheChimp]

Article from the Battery Park City Broadsheet

Sometimes known as 123 Washington St, the building at 4 Albany was recently sold by Deutsche Bank to the Moinian Group. A Moinian spokesperson would not comment on plans for the site, but executives associated with downtown reconstruction work confirmed that the building will come down and that new development is planned. Local residents are concerned that the building is contaminated, and without the public scrutiny that has been focused on the Deutsche Bank deconstruction, demolition may release toxins into the air.

As long as the Moinion Group does not use federal funds for the work, the company is not obligated to publicize its plans. "This should not be a secret project," said Helen Seeman, a BPC resident who participated in an LMDC advisory group on the Deutsche Bank deconstruction. "This needs to have a public process. It doesn't seem reasonable to have the LMDC go through all this and then have Moinian do whatever they're going to do with the other building."

The building at 4 Albany St is said to be architecturally significant and is eligible for listing on the National Register. Designed by architect Arthur C. Jackson, it was completed in 1922 for the National Surety Company. "It is a neo-classical commercial building with projecting bays at a stone base separated by Doric columns and a large bracket cornice," said Ken Lustbader of the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund. "If they're using private funds, they can do whatever they wantBut, for everybody, it would be beneficial to have a clearer line of communication."

[londonlawyer]

Thanks for the clarification. It's a shame, however, that this building is coming down.

[NewYorkYankee]

Maybe something WONDERFUL will come up in its place!

[londonlawyer]

I doubt it. Anyway, even if Monian planned something superb, they could have built it on a crappy site like the ones on B'Way that I rant and rave about.

[Derek2k3]

The Moinian Group built The Regent and The Biltmore. They also poorly renovated 90 West Street.

[sunlover1975]

well now I just feel silly. I saw an ad for an apartment in albany and I thought it was an apartment in upstate ny lol

hello btw. my name is michele. I currently live in norwalk, ct but work in chelsea and am trying to find a decent and clean and affordable and (roach free) apartment somewhere in the city area... *wave wave*

[Kolbster]

which one is it, the taller of the two?

[londonlawyer]

The tall one is the infamous Deutsche Bank which is coming down.

[Derek2k3]

Tribeca Trib

http://www.tribecatrib.com/

Greenwich St. Neighborhood on the Rise
by Etta Sanders
NoBat? SoLib? East of West?

No catchy moniker has yet caught on for the area north of Battery Park and south of Liberty Street from Broadway to West Street, but developers and the city are hoping it will become one of the hottest neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan.

"We're bullish about the area below the World Trade Center," said Elad Dror, director of residential properties for the Moinian Group, developers of a new apartment building in the area.

With much attention focused on buildings that are coming down just south of the World Trade Center site, less notice has been taken of what will be going up. By the time the rebuilding dust settles, the area commonly referred to by city planners as Greenwich Street South may be the most altered Downtown neighborhood of the post Sept. 11 era.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) has financed an urban design study of the area, examining, among other things, its potential for residential conversions and/or mixed uses, particularly housing in areas around the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

While the city and the LMDC study and plan, two high-rise luxury residential buildings are already in the works, according to The Real Deal, a trade periodical. One of them, a 30-story condominium building, is slated to go up at 4 Albany Street, where demolition of the existing building began in late December.

Dror confirmed that Moinian is planning a residential building on the site, but would give no other details. The developer has already converted three other commercial spaces in the area to create 1,200 apartments since the summer of 2000.

Just to the east, at the corner of Thames and Greenwich Streets, the two-story building that housed Corbett and Conley and a Japanese noodle shop will be replaced by another 30-stories of luxury condominiums.

At 120 Greenwich Street, nearly all the occupants of the 105 apartments are gone. Most moved in with two-year leases after Sept. 11 to take advantage of the Downtown residential grant program, according to Charles Cecil, managing director of Barrington Development, which manages the property. Cecil said the company plans to increase the 12-story building by roughly 50 percent and turn it into condos or a combination condo and hotel.

Today, the area hardly has a neighborhood look. "It's pretty bleak,' said Susan Fox, who moved from 120 Greenwich Street last year. "There's the Pussycat Lounge and the sex shop. There's really not much there."

But Dror expects that will change as more people move in. "With all the residents there, the retail will come," he said. The planned transformation of the southern stretch of West Street into a grassy boulevard could blossom into a promenade of outdoor cafes.

Cecil said the neighborhood will also be boosted by the restoration of Greenwich Street through the World Trade Center site, its proximity to the financial district, and by improved transportation. Even taking into account the hundreds of new apartments already coming to Tribeca and the Financial District, the market will not be saturated with high-priced housing, he said. "If demand went down 20 percent, it wouldn't change anything."

The newcomers, of course, will differ from the artists and others who pioneered the neighborhoods to the north. "Peculiar artsy types are not the ones spending $1,000 a foot," Cecil said.

[kliq6]

This will be a Westin Hotel / condo

[Derek2k3]

I guess that's positive news for the design.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42682987.jpg

Little Noticed Building Is Coming Down
by Etta Sanders
http://tribecatrib.com/newsjan05/little-noticed.htm


E.P.A. to communicate more on Albany St.
By Ronda Kaysen
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_91/epatocommunicate.html

[ZippyTheChimp]

Demolition work begins at 4 Albany St.

By Ronda Kaysen


While much of the World Trade Center redevelopment plans have been bogged down in a bureaucratic quagmire, a small neo-classical office building at 4 Albany St., standing damaged and shrouded behind a black curtain since Sept. 11th, 2001, has been cleaned of contaminants and will soon be reduced to nothing more than a cement foundation.


Workers began demolishing the Deutsche Bank-owned building last Friday and by July the 10-story edifice will be gone. One of the last World Trade Center-damaged structures scheduled for the chopping block, it is the only one privately owned. In December, workers began a painstaking floor-by-floor cleaning process to remove the contaminants – primarily lead and asbestos — that rendered it uninhabitable. With the building now empty and clean, the façade will be peeled into the structure to be demolished floor by floor.


“All of the contaminants have been removed,” Frank Lawatsch, Jr. legal counsel for the bank, told Community Board 1 members and local residents at a recent C.B. 1 public meeting. “All that’s left is brick and mortar.”


The office building’s fate was sealed last November when Deutsche Bank entered into a $30 million sale agreement with developer Joseph Moinian on the condition that the bank would demolish the structure.


A spokesperson for the Moinian Group declined to comment on the developer’s plans for the site.


From 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., five days a week, workers will haul debris from the site. Loading the remnants of the building on Albany St., trucks – two to five a day at the start, and 12 to 14 a day by the middle of June – will loop onto Carlyle St. and onto the West Side Highway.


The demise of 4 Albany St. may be a harbinger of how the other remaining 9/11-damaged structures are dismantled. “What happens at 4 Albany St. is setting the precedent for what happens at 130 Liberty St. and what happens at Fiterman Hall,” said C.B. 1 member Catherine McVay Hughes, referring to two 9/11-damaged structures that are awaiting demolition.


Although 4 Albany St. is not facing the same level of public and government scrutiny as the government-owned contaminated buildings, the Environmental Protection Agency has been closely watching Deutsche Bank’s activities at the site. Future demolitions will most likely take cues from the bank, according to Pat Evangelista, W.T.C. coordinator for the E.P.A. “4 Albany is a good model,” he said.


The E.P.A. is directly overseeing plans for the demolition of 130 Liberty St., a former Deutsche Bank property that was acquired by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, a city and state agency, last year. The L.M.D.C. is currently revising a draft of its demolition plan that will include a detailed emergency action plan, which the corporation discussed at the meeting.


Local residents and community board members voiced environmental safety concerns at the meeting, and a general sense of frustration with a process that has occurred with little public input.


“There’s a lot of distrust because the community wasn’t involved at the beginning,” Craig Hall, president of the W.T.C. Residents Coalition, told Deutsche Bank representatives.


Lawatsch insisted that the E.P.A. and C.B. 1 have been kept abreast of the company’s dealings, noting that environmental consultants for the bank deliver reports to the E.P.A. every week. “The last thing the bank wanted to do was expose the community to anything,” said Lawatsch.


There have been two incidents where contamination levels have exceeded safety levels since work began on the 130,000 sq. ft. building. The first exceedence showing lead was caused by work at a nearby Con Edison project and the second, caused by asbestos, was related to work at the site. Neither incident, said Lawatsch, posed a public health threat since the exposure stayed within safe limits. “We set very specific requirements that go well beyond what the law requires,” he said.



Ronda@DowntownExpress.com

[Edward]

The site of 4 Albany Street (http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/). 16 July 2005.

http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/4albany.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/)



http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/4albany_123washington.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/)

[Edward]

The site of 4 Albany Street (http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/), with the black wall of 130 Liberty St behind. 11 September 2005.

http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/4albany_130liberty.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/4albany/)

[NoyokA]

This should be a pretty tall and slender tower:

Silverstein Faces Some Competition For Liberty Bonds

BY DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
December 9, 2005
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/24196

Developer Larry Silverstein has some serious competition for the tax-exempt Liberty Bonds he wants to use to rebuild the World Trade Center site - in the form of an application from developer Joseph Moinian for $147 million in tax-exempt bonds to build a 53-story, mixed-use hotel and residential condominium tower about a block south of ground zero.

Mr. Moinian's $240 million project, which includes 440,000 square feet, 220 hotel rooms, and 180 residential condo units, appears to fall more in line with Mayor Bloomberg's vision for more mixed-use development in Lower Manhattan. Construction is ready to begin immediately and could be completed by 2007, according to Mr. Moinian.

The address of the Moinian building would be 123 Washington St., now an empty lot. The site, adjacent to the Deutsche Bank building now being dismantled, was affected by the September 11, 2001, attacks but not as severely as the Silverstein site.

Andrew Alper, the president of the city's Industrial Development Agency, the agency that distributes the bonds, indicated that the city, state, and Mr. Moinian have discussed $50 million in bonds, considerably less than the developer's original proposal. The bonds would essentially finance the hotel portion of the development. Should Mr. Moinian not receive the bonds, the project will be built as luxury condos.

Yesterday, Mr. Moinian, whose firm says it already controls 14 million square feet of Manhattan real estate, said his application was not intended to compete with the redevelopment of ground zero. "I want nothing more than to see Silverstein succeed in developing the World Trade Center site, I have no doubt that he will get this done. My request has been to add to and complement the site, Silverstein's project, and to the heart of Lower Manhattan, bringing a beautiful structure and a first class hotel to the area, including permanent jobs."

Both developers' Liberty Bond applications were submitted in April. Mr. Moinian's bonds could come out of Mr. Silverstein's request for all $3.35 billion remaining of the Liberty Bonds that were authorized by Congress after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Yesterday the city held a public hearing over Mr. Silverstein's application to use all of the remaining Liberty Bonds to replace the 10 million square feet of commercial office that was lost when the World Trade Center was destroyed. The financing from the bonds would supplement insurance proceeds from the terrorist attacks that could amount to $4.65 billion.

Mr. Alper yesterday said that the city would negotiate over the weekend with Mr. Silverstein, with the goal of settling on the terms and conditions of a bond allocation before a potential vote on Tuesday. "We don't have many disagreements with Larry Silverstein," he said.

In an effort to add more flexibility to a long-term deal and hedge some of the risk from depleting the entire Liberty Bond arsenal, Mr. Alper said the city is trying to add "claw-backs" that would allow the city to take back the bonds and redistribute the tax-exempt financing to other development projects if certain construction benchmarks are not met.

Mr. Alper noted that one potential future use for the bonds was to help develop a retail component at ground zero, a task that belongs to the Port Authority, but no application has been filed. He also said the city wanted to make sure that Mr. Silverstein's developer's fee is not "too excessive."

Yesterday the senior vice president of Silverstein's World Trade Center Properties, John Lieber, downplayed the differences between the city and the developer. "The big issue has been resolved. The city wanted a commitment to an aggressive schedule and we agreed," Mr. Lieber said. He said the savings in finance costs generated from the Liberty Bonds would permit the developer to build the project "as fast as engineering can allow."

Yesterday's public hearing over Mr. Silverstein's application lasted nearly two hours and contained passionate testimony both for and against Mr. Silverstein's proposal. More than 20 civic leaders and private citizens used a variety of economic, political, moral, and logistical arguments to try to influence the board members of the IDA in advance of its vote. The co-chair of Battery Park City United, David Stanke, said the mayor's suggestion of taking control of the site from Mr. Silverstein "feels like eminent domain - taking the rights of a private developer and giving it back to the government."

The chairman of the West Street Coalition, John Dellaportas, said it was immoral to use the Liberty Bonds for any purpose other than "filling that hole." He said that the city was unfit to tell a private developer how he should spend his money. "History will record that Osama bin Laden destroyed the World Trade Center and Michael Bloomberg kept it from being rebuilt," he said.

If the vote on the bonds is delayed beyond the scheduled meeting Tuesday, a resolution may have to wait until regularly scheduled monthly board meetings in January, February or beyond.

[NoyokA]

Architects are Gwathmey Siegel.

Construction is set to begin before the new year.

[kliq6]

Yes, Tishman is on board as the CM

[krulltime]

Moinian Group plans condo tower near Ground Zero


http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1135198305_123washa.gif


21-DEC-05

The Moinian Group is hoping to build a 53-story mixed-use tower one block south of Ground Zero at 123 Washington Street that would include 180 residential condominium apartments and 220 hotel rooms.

It applied to the New York Industrial Development Agency last April for $147 million in Liberty Bonds for the project.

Daphne Mayer Viders, a spokesperson for the Moinian Group, told CityRealty.Com today that the application is still pending and that a decision from the agency is expected soon.

Ms. Viders indicated that if the funding from the agency is not forthcoming, the developer plans to proceed with a hotel component, but she added that the configuration of the project might be reduced.

The agency has also received an application from the Silverstein Group for all of the available Liberty Bond financing for his redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site and recently Governor Pataki said that at least half of it would go to Mr. Silverstein’s project.

Mr. Silverstein recently announced that Sir Norman Foster would design a second commercial tower at the site where the Freedom Tower is planned.

In a statement released by the Moinian Group, Joseph Moinian, the group’s chief executive officer, declared that he wants “nothing more than to see Larry Silverstein and Silverstein Properties succeed in developing the World Trade Center site,” adding that he had “no doubt that he will get this done.”

He noted that Lower Manhattan currently has only 2,500 hotel rooms and “desperately needs additional hotel rooms.”

The Moinian project, now in excavation, is adjacent to the south side of the former Deutsche Bank Building, which is in the process of being demolished. The Deutsche Bank skyscraper was severely damaged in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 that demolished the World Trade Center.

The hotel portion of the Moinian project will occupy the lower 25 floors of the planned 53-story building, which is being designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates.

Ms. Viders said that the $240 million project is ready to start and could be completed in 2007. Tishman Construction is committed to the construction of the building. The Singer & Bassuk Organization is providing financial consultation with additional funding backed by Starwood Capital.


Copyright © 1994-2005 CITY REALTY

[NewYorkYankee]

By the time this is up, the bank building should be down?

[londonlawyer]

There's a rendering of this building on the 12/30 Downtownexpress.com. It's a bland box. The old building that was there was nice. It's a shame that most new residential and hotel buildings in NY are such shi..t.

Here's the rendering: http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/w.gif
(Hopefully, it will be all glass or glass and aluminum.)

Here's the article:

W hotel on Washington won’t be as easy as 1, 2, 3

By Ronda Kaysen


Larry Silverstein isn’t the only developer Downtown eyeing the remaining tax-exempt Liberty Bonds for the World Trade Center redevelopment. Another Lower Manhattan heavyweight bid for a chunk of the bonds to finance a hotel and condo project a few blocks south of the World Trade Center site, and the city appears interested in his proposal.


Developer Joseph Moinian applied for $147 million in tax-exempt bonds for a 53-story W Hotel and residential condominium at 123 Washington St. The $240 million development includes 220 hotel rooms and 180 residential condo units. The bonds would be used for the hotel portion of the building.


The property, formerly 4 Albany St., is currently an empty lot, since a 9/11 damaged building there was removed earlier this year to make way for the new development.


The city is considering giving Moinian $50 million in Liberty Bonds for the project. “It’s a good use. It’s a project that would start right away,” said Andrew Alper, president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation and chairperson of the Industrial Development Agency, which decides on the city’s Liberty Bond applications.


But Silverstein, the leaseholder for the World Trade Center site, has been pleading his case for the remaining pot of Liberty Bonds. $3.35 billion in triple-tax free Liberty Bonds remain for commercial use. Earlier this month, Governor George Pataki tapped $1.67 billion for Silverstein. Silverstein maintains he needs all the remaining bonds to finance the build out of the Trade Center.


“Financing certainty on this entire project is going to expedite this entire project,” Janno Lieber, Silverstein’s senior vice president, told Downtown Express earlier this month.


The $50 million that may go to 123 Washington represents a small percentage of Silverstein’s bond application and it is unclear how vigorously the W.T.C. developer is opposing it. Silverstein declined to comment for this story.


Moinian is a major player Downtown. His company, the Moinian Group, owns Goldman Sachs’ office at 180 Maiden Lane, as well as 100 John St., 90 John St., 17 Battery Place and 20 West St., a condo conversion. Moinian was the first developer to use Liberty Bonds for a residential conversion when he transformed 90 Washington St. into a luxury rental building.


He insists his project will not obstruct Silverstein’s goals. “I want nothing more than to see Larry Silverstein and Silverstein Properties succeed in developing the World Trade Center site,” he said in a statement. “I have no doubt that he will get this done.”


The hotel will occupy the lower 25 floors of the Gwathmey Siegel-designed tower, and include meeting rooms, an ancillary spa and fitness center, a high-end restaurant and lounge and a sky lobby. It is expected to open at the end of 2007.


Moinian purchased 123 Washington St. from Deutsche Bank when it was still 4 Albany St. The original structure was demolished as part of the sale agreement. Another formerly Deutsche Bank-owned, contaminated building, 130 Liberty St., is located across the street from 123 Washington and is also being demolished to make way for redevelopment.

[sfenn1117]

It's a box, but Siegel is a good architect and it could look good. Plus the city's third W hotel. Think about it, it is a very trendy hotel chain, and the other two locations are at popular locations: Union Square and Times Square. Downtown is getting trendy. Whether or not that is a good thing, it's your opinion.

[krulltime]

Here's the rendering: http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/w.gif


Oh cool lets put the rendering here...

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/w.gif

[macreator]

It could be a nice box -- we still don't know what kind of materials and glass will be used.

[antinimby]

Me like. :)

It may be a box, but it's got character lines and patterns. For NY, that's as good as it'll ever get.

[lofter1]

Nothing could be as bad as the horrid Marriott (cheap brick-like panels, baby doo-doo color) nearby this site:



http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/n/nycws/phototour/nycws_phototour01_s.jpg (javascript:sendto('no_country','no_brand','/property/phototour.mi?marshaCode=nycws&pageID=HWHOM&imageID=0&WT_Ref=prop','12');) Hotel Exterior

[NoyokA]

Horrible Horrible Horrible.

Gwathmey Siegel has no idea what they're doing. The current architectural trend is a post-modern modernism, which is a return and to the fundamentals of modern design rendered with modern materials and technologies. I would classify this under a similar name but its application is heinous, taking a modernist form and plastering it with postmodernism is tacky and discontinuous. The common trend in most Gwathemy buildings is that they lack a strong identity and cannot stand by itself as a whole entity.

My gripe is best shown in Michael Grave's Portland Building:

http://data.greatbuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_1109295603_Portland_Building_noid.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Man, that Graves buildings is bad. I'm not loving 4 Albany.

[londonlawyer]

I agree. The Graves building is horrible and 4 Albany is totally mundane. The old brick building that was there was nice. It should have been restored. Anyway, would it have killed Moinian to insist on a crown or something to give 4 Albany some pizzaz? Residential developers in NYC really suck. Oddly enough, one of the few great residential buildings constructed in recent years (in my opinion) is the GS building at Astor Place. This one, by contrast, is so bland.

[londonlawyer]

Nothing could be as bad as the horrid Marriott (cheap brick-like panels, baby doo-doo color) nearby this site:



http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/n/nycws/phototour/nycws_phototour01_s.jpg (javascript:sendto('no_country','no_brand','/property/phototour.mi?marshaCode=nycws&pageID=HWHOM&imageID=0&WT_Ref=prop','12');) Hotel Exterior

I agree with you. The Marriot sucks.

[pianoman11686]

It's a box, but Siegel is a good architect and it could look good. Plus the city's third W hotel. Think about it, it is a very trendy hotel chain, and the other two locations are at popular locations: Union Square and Times Square. Downtown is getting trendy. Whether or not that is a good thing, it's your opinion.

Don't forget the W Hotel East Side, on Lexington around 49th. As for this one: It's nothing special, but it has potential to look good at street level. As long as they don't cheap out on materials (ie use some limestone instead of brick) and put in a good restaurant and retail, it's just another downtown block that will have been revitalized.

[kliq6]

Biggest problem is residential buildings look like bland comercial buildings now, since they use so much glass facade.

[krulltime]

Crains: At Deadline


January 09, 2006

The Moinian Group has been told it will probably receive $50 million in Liberty Bonds for its hotel and condominium project at 123 Washington St. It had been seeking $123 million of the tax-free financing. World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein had sought all of the remaining Liberty Bonds, totaling $1.7 billion.


©2005 Crain Communications Inc.

[antinimby]

That is certainly good news. :)

[krulltime]

Moinian Aims To Build Downtown Hotel Financed in Part by $50M in Liberty Bonds


By DAVID LOMBINO
April 11, 2006

Developer Joseph Moinian is aiming to break ground next month on a 53-story hotel and condominium near ground zero that could be financed in part with $50 million in Liberty Bonds - financing that Larry Silverstein is also seeking.

The city has not yet awarded the bonds to Mr. Moinian, but a city official familiar with the application said the Bloomberg administration supports his project, which it sees as a relatively inexpensive way to encourage mixed-use development in Lower Manhattan.

The official said a hotel condominium could help spur demand at ground zero, and that $50 million in Liberty Bonds is not significant enough to upset negotiations with Mr. Silverstein, who has applied for the remaining $1.67 billion of the city's Liberty Bonds.

The city has not yet awarded any Liberty Bonds to Mr. Silverstein in an effort to compel the developer to renegotiate his 99-year lease on the ground zero site.

A spokeswoman for the Moinian Group, Daphne Viders, said yesterday that the bond application is being held up because Mr. Moinian has not yet submitted all the necessary paperwork to the city. She said a luxury hotelier would partner with the developer in the project; press reports have said it will be part of the W Hotel chain.

Last April, Mr. Moinian applied for $147 million of the tax-exempt bonds. In December, the president of the agency that will award the bonds, Andrew Alper, said the city was considering awarding the developer about $50 million. That amount of tax-exempt financing could save the developer about $2 million a year versus traditional commercial financing. If Mr. Moinian is not awarded the bonds, he has said he will not build the hotel portion of his project and will just construct apartments.

Mr. Moinian's 440,000-square-foot project, estimated to cost about $240 million, is slated to rise on an empty lot behind the Deutsche Bank building, which was severely damaged in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and is now being demolished. An office tower built by Mr. Silverstein is scheduled to occupy the Deutsche Bank building site, but the site has been mentioned as a possible residential building in recent negotiations between Mr. Silverstein and the Port Authority. It also could contain a hotel.

The same month that Mr. Moinian applied for the bonds, Mr. Silverstein applied for the city's remaining allotment of Liberty Bonds, which the developer said he would use to build 10 million square feet of commercial office space in five towers.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.

[ZippyTheChimp]

New perimeter fence and a Tishman sign at the site. Looks like construction is starting.

[kliq6]

yes source at tishman says foundation and caisson work has started

[krulltime]

That is great news! Now all we need is a better rendering. I am sure is not going to be all white.


http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/w.gif

[lofter1]

Wow .. a box with a grid-patterned facade!

[kliq6]

moderator, lets rename this thred 123 Washington Street, which is what this project will be called

[krulltime]

Anyone knows how tall in feet this tower will be?

[jeffpark]

Anyone knows how tall in feet this tower will be?

No. Stories: -38
Height: -468

[krulltime]

^ Thanks... but I think is 53 stories. Has it change?

[kliq6]

Tishman is serving the Moinian Group as construction manager for this new, 53-story hotel and condominium tower being erected at a tight sight on Albany and Washington Streets in Lower Manhattan. The site is the former location of a ten-story commercial building that was damaged on 9/11 and subsequently demolished. When completed, the building will contain 180 hotel units and 220 residential condominiums. Currently, excavation and foundation work is underway.

[antinimby]

Anyone knows how tall in feet this tower will be?177.7 metres or 583 feet.

Got it from skyscraperpage (http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?cityID=8&statusID=2).

[infoshare]

Tishman is serving the Moinian Group as construction manager for this new, 53-story hotel and condominium tower being erected at a tight sight on Albany and Washington Streets in Lower Manhattan. The site is the former location of a ten-story commercial building that was damaged on 9/11 and subsequently demolished. When completed, the building will contain 180 hotel units and 220 residential condominiums. Currently, excavation and foundation work is underway.

Some other good news : http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=2052118 AND http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/4_albany_street_81147.asp

[pianoman11686]

http://therealestate.observer.com/2006/07/moinian-gets-his.html

Moinian Gets His

FILE UNDER: Ground Zero

Developer Joseph Moinian got preliminary approval for $50 million in low-interest Liberty Bonds this morning to build a hotel a little south of Ground Zero, the city's Economic Development Corporation just announced. The amount represents a cut from the $147 million he had originally applied for last spring, but still digs into the $1.67 billion that rival Larry Silverstein originally wanted to rebuild the World Trade Center. Under the renegotiated April agreement, Silverstein and the Port Authority are dividing up responsbility for the new center, and with it the $1.62 billion Liberty Bonds that remain and which were also given a first nod this morning.

-Matthew Schuerman

copyright © 2006 the new york observer, L.P.

[pianoman11686]

A new rendering for the planned hotel/condo tower on 123 Washington Street:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/07/12/business/liberty.190.2.jpg

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/realestate/12liberty.html?pagewanted=all

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

[stache]

The base is kind of sucky but I like the unusual window placement.

[MidtownGuy]

The window placement is fine, but here we go again, another perfectly rectangular box. WTF.

[krulltime]

So the building is actually whitish looking. It might actually look nice in the skyline (or might not) in contrast with the other towers down there right now.

[stache]

I know, I wasn't going to mention "the box"...

[ablarc]

I like the unusual window placement.
Yeah, it gives you the optical effect of setbacks without actually having to do them. Slick.

[sfenn1117]

That is pretty bad, especially coming from Gwathmey Siegel. What is the main facade composed of? It's hard to tell.

[jeffpark]

'Gwathmey" condo developments have not done well in sales
from Tessler's -Windsor Park/100 West 58th
to Related's -Astor Place

[pianoman11686]

You can kind of make out the individual panels that cover the building, which leads me to believe the facade will be pre-cast concrete. It could be done stylishly, but I don't think it will end up looking all that great. Plus, the window treatments are vaguely reminiscent of Ratner's Hilton Times Square, and we all know how badly that turned out.

[NoyokA]

This buildings poor design is simply unacceptable.

[lofter1]

This site is on the SE corner of Albany / Washington, yes? ( MAP (http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=123+washington+st.,+new+york,+ny&ie=UTF8&ll=40.709312,-74.013889&spn=0.001769,0.005316&t=h&om=1) )

So is that rendering of the west and north facades?

If so then both of those facades will (eventually) be pretty much out of view (except to people right on the street): the west facade (with the exception of the upper floors) by the sorry Marriott, the north facade by the replacement to Deutsche Bank.

Most likely something will later go up on the site to the south (currently a parking structure).

The east facade might be the one that is most visible in the long run (small lot - now a 13 story residential).

Not that any of this excuses a boring cement box.

[pianoman11686]

Unless I'm mistaken, I think that's 7WTC in the background of the rendering, which means we're looking at the west and south sides of the building. The northern side, shown in earlier renderings, looks somewhat better.

[lofter1]

OK ^ That makes sense -- as the shorter building seen to the right would be the existing 13 story building on that block that fronts onto Greenwich.

and this would be the north facade (although some details on the west facade have changed):

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/w.gif

[kz1000ps]

And Gwathmey Siegel commits strike number three:

Strike 1 -- Astor Place
Strike 2 -- 400 5th Ave
Strike 3 -- 4 Albany St, although admittedly the most innocuous

Still, three strikes and yerr outta here!

[lofter1]

You mean to HERE (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9794) (and dropped down from 3 > 4 or 5?) ?

[kz1000ps]

I'd say 4. I just spent some time going through their site, and most of it seems rather competent, if a bit bland and undistinctive. However, we know they're capable of creating controversy, usually not for the better, so their position is a little fuzzy in my books..

[pianoman11686]

More from http://cityrealty.com/new_developments:

Moinian Group to get $50 million in Liberty Bonds for downtown tower 12-JUL-06

The New York City Industrial Development Agency has given tentative approval for the Moinian Group to get $50 million in Liberty Bonds for its mixed-use project at 123 Washington Street in Lower Manhattan.
Daphne Viders, a spokesperson for The Moinian Group, which is headed by Joseph Moinian, told CityRealty.com this afternoon that the 53-story tower will have 220 hotel rooms and 180 residential condominium apartments.

She said that the developer is hoping to finalize a deal with a partner for the hotel “in the next few weeks” and that construction would begin soon thereafter.

The Moinian site is south of Ground Zero and adjacent to the Deutsche Bank Building, which is in the process of being demolished because it was severely damaged in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The $240 million project has been designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates and a new rendering of the slender tower is shown at the right.

Congress created the Liberty Bonds program in 2002 and it authorized New York State and New York City to each issue $4 billion in bonds with $1.6 billion for residential rental projects and up to $2 million for commercial projects outside the Liberty Zone below Canal Street. With the recent allocations, the Liberty Bonds program is now fully earmarked.

Liberty Bonds have helped finance 13 residential buildings with 4,468 market-rate units and two more with about 500 apartments are still waiting to be approved. About $650 million of the bond are being used for the Durst Organization’s dramatic new Bank of American building designed by Fox & Fowle at One Bryant Park in midtown, about $80 million is helping fund the Frank O. Gehry-designed InterActive Corporation building on West 18th Street and West Street, about $1.7 billion has been earmarked for a new building in Battery Park City for Goldman Sachs, an investment bank.

The remainder of the Liberty Bonds are allocated to the redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site at Ground Zero and to a couple of other small projects in Lower Manhattan.

***

Nothing new here. I was just surprised that CityRealty didn't use the words "handsome" and "attractive" to describe either the Deutsche Bank building or this new tower.

[lofter1]

I was just surprised that CityRealty didn't use the words "handsome" and "attractive" to describe either the Deutsche Bank building or this new tower.

LOL

Methinks even CR wouldn't be that tone deaf.

[pianoman11686]

Well, they did say this:


It occupies the former site of a parking lot across from the extremely attractive Independence Plaza North red-brick and striated concrete complex of three towers that was erected in 1975 and designed by Oppenheimer, Brady & Vogelstein and John Pruyn.

To describe this:

http://www.amgwaterproofing.com/imgs/projects/independence_lg.jpg

At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if they thought Deutsche Bank was also an attractive/handsome building. :)

[krulltime]

A Liberty Leg Up for Another Hotel in Financial District


http://www.curbed.com/archives/2006_07_moinian.jpg


Thursday, July 13, 2006

In case you hadn't heard, the post-9/11 Liberty bond cookie jar is nuthin' but crumbs at this point, but one of the last guys to get his hand in and snag some cut-rate financing sweetness was Joseph Moinian of the Moinian Group, who plans to develop a condo/hotel tower at 123 Washington Street—below ground zero, next to the shrouded still-not-demolished-yet Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty. Mssrs. Gwathmey and Siegel—they who wrought Sculpture for Living upon the world—will be sharing the role of architect; more visuals for the project than you probably needed can be seen above. Come late '07 or early '08, look for 220 rooms on 25 painfully chic floors fitted with all the trappings of another W Hotel, while 180 residential condos are completed above. Throw in a "high-end restaurant, lounge, sky lobby, ancillary spa and fitness center," and you're already giving the Millenium Hilton something to sneer at from across the way.


Copyright © 2006 Curbed

[GreenwichBoy]

What is the latest news on this project?

[lofter1]

DOB (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?passdocnumber=1&passjobnumber=104215010&requestid=10) shows that PERMITS (partial) were issued on 11.28.06 which show structural and other changes to the project.

The work site is now operating under a DOB notice that a PARTIAL STOP WORK ORDER EXISTS ON THIS PROPERTY (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/ComplaintsByAddressServlet?requestid=1&allbin=1001049&fillerdata=A), apparently due to some safety violations.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Ongoing foundation work - caisson drilling.

[mumbles]

i read the building 120 greenwich next door moved 3/4 inch from excavation drilling. I am about to buy a condo there. Is this "movement" normal?

[MidtownGuy]

This design is ugly.

[antinimby]

How many in this city aren't?

[londonlawyer]

Since the NYC high schools on Trinity Place (located behind this) are now for sale, I wonder if the developer will buy them in order to acquire a larger plot. This could lead to a new design.

[mumbles]

i read on downtown express that the talks to have a W as the hotel partner fell-through whihc kind of sucks for neoghborhood chic-ness. the design could be more modern, for sure.

[stache]

W is getting tired.

[mumbles]

agreed, but if starwood is the investor, it is the best bet of theirs, in my opinion.

[BrooklynRider]

Well, Starwood sold the W in Union Square, so perhaps they will put a "W" there. Yet, they are also building (or were scheduled to build a W in Hoboken.) To me, this represents a downgrading of the brand (sorry NJ residents.) It could ultimately become a downtown Westin. I don't believe there are any Sheraton brands downtown and business travelers like to get their reward points by staying loyal to a brand.

[mumbles]

any starwood hotel gives you points in the starwood preferred club...

[TriHobo]

January 12, 2007 -- Downtown may soon be getting a brand new W Hotel.

The Post has learned that developer Joseph Moinian is in serious discussions to open a hotel with the alphabetically charming name at 123 Washington St.
"We have heard the W as well as other chains coming Downtown," said Eric Deutsch, president of the Alliance for Downtown Lower Manhattan.

Moinian has approvals for a new, 56-story building that would include 120 hotel rooms on the bottom and 184 - likely luxury - apartments on top.
Plans filed with the Building Dept. also call for a fifth-floor roofdeck bar and lounge, a ground-floor restaurant, meeting rooms and a health club.

The 289,129 foot tower would rise 631 feet - about one-third the height of the nearby Freedom Tower. But it would still take a significant spot on the skyline, just south of the World Trade Center site.
Moinian did not return calls by press time.

[krulltime]

The 289,129 foot tower would rise 631 feet - about one-third the height of the nearby Freedom Tower. But it would still take a significant spot on the skyline, just south of the World Trade Center site.

That is awesome but I also hope they alter the facade a little bit too.

[mumbles]

it is still not official what hotel this will be. anyone know if they have resumed construction?

[mumbles]

The last we heard of W Hotel Downtown NYC (http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/1/12/115924/360/hotels/Things_Will_Be_Great_When_W_Hotel_is_Downtown_) was that it was very probable but still not quite solidified. Now in a report on the downtown NYC hotel scene, we learn that indeed the W will open at 123 Washington St. in Tribeca. (pictured above)
[hotel chatter]

[antinimby]

123 Washington is in Tribeca?

[lofter1]

Yep -- between Albany & Carlisle Streets -- about 2-1/2 blocks south of WTC and right below the Deutsche Bank building.

MAP (http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=123+washington+street,+new+york,+ny&ie=UTF8&t=h&om=1&z=17&ll=40.709215,-74.013836&spn=0.00344,0.010664&iwloc=addr)

[antinimby]

I've always thought that Tribeca's southern boundary stops roughly at Barclay St.

[ZippyTheChimp]

It does.

The neighborhood to the south has always been considered part of the Financial District, although over the last few years it's been called Greenwich South.

[lofter1]

my dumb :o

[GreenwichBoy]

What does everyone think of a W Hotel in this area?

[mumbles]

yes, it is not techically tribeca.... will be rather connected once the have greenwich street going up through the wtc site.
hotle chatter bunked that one...

^^^ Greenwich boy, I am pleased that this is a W. Any other hotel chains you would prefer?

[kliq6]

shouldnt this thread be moved since the project is under construction now?

[mumbles]

where would it go? name change?

[infoshare]

shouldnt this thread be moved since the project is under construction now?


The builders' field office is located around the corner from the site: the hand written caption on the newspaper reads - "this is us too!". A modest boast from one of New Yorks' many unsung heroes. (photos attached)

[Derek2k3]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/402925093_c7f4b9fd1b_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/402925097_d7864c1db1_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/402925099_4c2e57f92b_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/402925104_c3e2033493_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/402925108_5b05b9eae2_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/103/402925109_f0017113b1_o.jpg

[antinimby]

^ Seems to have run into some sort of snag as that scene appears to have changed very little, I would say, for the past 6-8 months.

[mumbles]

^^^ what do you mean by unsung heroes?

-- i think the snag was some kind of concern about the drilling. They seem to have some braces on the building next door 120 greenwich to curb vibrations so i think they are proceeding.

[infoshare]

^^^ what do you mean by unsung heroes?


Construction workers build the buildings: the Architects get the accolade. I would like to see the people who are working hard "behind the scene" get more credit - unsung heros. Maybe the comment was a bit sentimental; but too obvious to have to explain.:eek:

[LeCom]

So that's how they solved the problem with the shifting building next door:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/402925099_4c2e57f92b_o.jpg

Thanks for the photos by the way. This area will truly change within the next 5-10 years, all the way from 200 Chambers down to the block to the south of this new tower (with another tower proposed for that site).

p.s. Is that a traffic light on that balcony?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/402925108_5b05b9eae2_o.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

The building being braced is 120 Greenwich. We usually see the ugly lot-line wall, but it's a nice building.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6802/120greenwich01ckg5.th.jpg (http://img406.imageshack.us/my.php?image=120greenwich01ckg5.jpg)

[GreenwichBoy]

March 27, 2007 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
W Hotels Puts the “W” Back in Wall Street with W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences

W Hotels’ Sixth Property in Manhattan Will Add Style and Substance to New York City’s Most Important Revitalization

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announces the continued expansion of W Hotels with an agreement with New York-based real estate developer Moinian Group to operate the W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences, a new luxury property in downtown Manhattan, featuring 217 guest rooms and 222 residential units. Located at 123 Washington Street, just one block from the site of the new Freedom Tower, the W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences will mark the W brand’s arrival in New York City’s recently revitalized downtown area. The newly constructed building is anticipated to open in 2008, with residential sales expected to begin in mid-2007.
The W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences is poised to serve the growing number of visitors and residents in lower Manhattan as it continues to transform itself into a premier 21st century business district and a vibrant residential community. Lower Manhattan is now the fastest growing residential market in the city, dedicating resources to improving its waterfront spaces, parks, schools, and cultural institutions, fostering the development of a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
As the first globally branded luxury hotel and residences project of its size and scale in downtown New York, the W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences is the first W residential development in Manhattan. Adding breadth to the W brand’s New York City based portfolio, this new property joins five other W hotels in the Big Apple and further strengthens Starwood’s position as the largest hotel operator in New York City with twelve renowned hotels in Manhattan.
“W is deeply connected to Manhattan and we’re proud to be a part of this important project to revitalize this part of the City,” said Ross Klein, President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. “W New York-Downtown will create a destination inside a destination, adding substance, style and luxury to Manhattan’s most anticipated new development.”
The 57-story building will offer all of the W signature comforts, including its Living Room experience where guests can socialize while sipping cocktails, and the Whatever/Whenever® 24-hour concierge service that can provide whatever guests want (from a bed covered in rose petals to private jet service) whenever they want it. Offering the ultimate urban lifestyle, residences will feature spectacular views of the city as well as state-of-the-art kitchen appliances and a sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure. Residents will enjoy all the services and amenities available to hotel guests, in addition to exclusive access to a residence-only lounge area, rooftop terrace with cabanas, and private spa treatment rooms. Both the hotel and residences will have dedicated full-service fitness centers.
Moinian Group, one of the nation’s top real estate developers, is the owner and developer of the project and Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects has been named design architect for the building. SHVO Marketing is handling exclusive marketing and sales for the property and will open the W New York-Downtown Residences Welcome Center by mid-2007 at 90 West Street, directly opposite the building’s construction site.
“This project will be a premier destination in downtown Manhattan because it brings both new visitors to the city and new residents to the neighborhood,” said Joseph Moinian, President & CEO of Moinian Group. “The W Hotels brand, and its sophisticated, well-traveled and savvy clientele, will help shape the cultural landscape of the area, making downtown New York City an even more desirable destination.”
Michael Shvo, President of SHVO Marketing, agrees. “This property offers an exceptional opportunity to live downtown,” said Mr. Shvo. “Few brands can match the lifestyle appeal of W Hotels, which immediately conveys a strong contemporary style and elevated taste-level to the buyer. As big believers in downtown New York City, we’re thrilled to be part of this project, and will create a dynamic, interactive sales experience for the W brand that will make buying at the W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences a very easy decision.”

[kliq6]

and why Starwood, a brand that cares about image is based in White Plains, ill never know!!!

[antinimby]

But Starwood itself isn't "the brand," is it? ;)

[macreator]

I thought Starwood was moving to NYC. Guess it fell through.

[pianoman11686]

Looks like the rendering for the W has changed:

Lower Manhattan’s Revival Will Include New Hotels

By LISA CHAMBERLAIN
Published: April 15, 2007

LIKE the distant sound of an approaching herd, the rumble of hotel developers coming into Lower Manhattan is growing ever louder. With more than 3,000 hotel rooms under construction or in various stages of planning, hotel capacity there could more than double within a few years.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/14/realestate/15sqft.2.190.jpg
The luxury W New York-Downtown
Hotel & Residences, the brand’s first
property in that neighborhood, is
scheduled to open in 2008.

Luxury developments include a W Hotel at 123 Washington Street and a boutique hotel at 75 Wall Street. Both projects will offer full-service hotel rooms, as well as residential units for sale. At the same time, a dozen other hotel projects are under way, many of them by the McSam Hotel Group, a developer based in Long Island City, Queens.

The W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences, set to open in late 2008, is the W brand’s first property in Lower Manhattan. Developed by the Moinian Group and designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, it will have 217 guest rooms and 222 residential units. Residential sales are expected to begin later this year.

“We bought the land three years ago with the intent to build a hotel, and started talking to W more than two years ago,” said Joseph Moinian, chief executive of the Moinian Group, one of Lower Manhattan’s largest property owners with more than five million square feet of commercial and residential property.

The site is just a block away from the proposed Freedom Tower. The hotel “will be an important addition to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan,” Mr. Moinian said. He noted that visitors have been flocking to the area known after 9/11 as ground zero “before the memorial is even built.”

“Then there is all the infrastructure that downtown is getting — transportation, new streets and sidewalks, parks,” he said.

Mr. Moinian isn’t the only developer to see a need for more hotels in Lower Manhattan, especially when so many hotel rooms throughout the city have been converted into condominiums as a result of the residential real estate boom.

Rex Hakimian, the chief executive of the Hakimian Organization, has had plans for a couple of years to convert 75 Wall Street, a building used by JPMorgan Chase, into a hotel and condo building. The developer said he was close to signing an agreement with a major hotel company that is starting a new boutique brand in Lower Manhattan.

The 36-story building, which was completed in 1986, will have 251 rooms — almost half of which will be suites — and 350 condos for sale. Renovations have already begun, with an anticipated opening in the summer of 2008.

The building’s redesign is being handled by David Rockwell, the principal architect of the Rockwell Group, with an emphasis on 10-foot-high ceilings and 9-foot windows.

“From the outside, what you see is something that’s built as an office,” Mr. Rockwell said. “The surprise is going to be on the inside; it will be very luxurious, all about reflective light.”

The lower floors will include meeting spaces, a restaurant overlooking Water Street, and a bar that will spill out into an outdoor plaza. “We’re talking with a couple different arts- and music-related people to provide activities in the plaza, hopefully over the summer and beyond,” Mr. Hakimian said. “We want to create a lively, active atmosphere.”

An increasingly active downtown, in fact, has been fueling demand for hotel rooms, especially on weekends. According to Kathleen Duffy, a spokeswoman for Marriott’s New York City hotels, the New York Marriott Financial Center, with nearly 500 rooms at 85 West Street, had an occupancy rate of 93 percent in March. The year-round average on weekends at that hotel is in the 70 percent range, she said.

“When we as hoteliers talk about proactively promoting the site, it’s still under discussion if it’s appropriate to market it as a destination,” Ms. Duffy said, referring to ground zero. “But when you go down there, you see tons of people,” she said.

Right now, Lower Manhattan has just shy of 2,200 hotel rooms, according to the Downtown Alliance, a business improvement district. But if everything that is on the drawing board is built, there will be an additional 3,200 rooms.

That number includes a proposed 160-room boutique hotel by Time Equities, at 50 West Street. But the projection does not take into account plans announced by Silverstein Properties last month for knocking down a building at 99 Church Street and building a luxury hotel and condominium building. A spokesman for the company said that no final decision would be made until the building was vacated this fall.

Eric Deutsch, the director of the Downtown Alliance, said that the area remains “a central business district, but the hotel companies recognize that this is becoming more of a 24/7 community with an improving retail environment.”

Jeffrey Dauray, a senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis who specializes in the hospitality sector, agreed. “It’s a vibrant marketplace,” he said. “In terms of occupancy increases, it’s the best-performing submarket in Manhattan. Historically, downtown had been a five-night-a-week hotel market, but that has changed, thanks in large part to the mixed-use development that’s happened.”

Most of the larger, full-service projects are combinations of hotels and condominiums, Mr. Dauray noted, because the two markets complement each other. The early return of capital from condo sales helps to offset the longer-term investment that a hotel requires. “And the residential base supports the amenities that the hotel offers,” he added. “There’s quite a nice synergistic relationship.”

Mr. Dauray has underwritten a number of hotel deals over the last few years, including those for the McSam Hotel Group, which has been acquiring smaller sites and planning both full- and limited-service hotels in Lower Manhattan.

At 20 Maiden Lane, McSam has a 101-room hotel under construction that will be a Holiday Inn Express. The company also has 1,800 more hotel rooms in various stages of planning, including a 288-room Westin at 33 Beekman Street, a 192-room Doubletree at 8 Stone Street and a 371-room hotel, with no brand name yet, at 99 Washington Street, among others.

The Lam Group, another local development company, has a 660-room Sheraton under construction at 217 Pearl Street.

“The Lam Group and McSam stepped into a market that had been overlooked,” said Gene Kaufman, the architect for both developers. “Now there are others coming in. The rebirth of Lower Manhattan has exceeded expectations — to everyone’s great joy.”

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

[lofter1]

Previous rendering .....versus....................................... ......................... new rendering

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2006_07_moinian.jpg.....http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/14/realestate/15sqft.2.190.jpg

[macreator]

At least we've got glass now. Would it really kill developers to at least try to build a more interesting building? At least the tower is thin like Trump World.

[BrooklynRider]

It looks the same, just turned 90 degrees counter clockwise.

[antinimby]

The new rendering reminds me a little of the Orion.

[macreator]

The new rendering reminds me a little of the Orion.

It's the glass. Does anyone know if this building will be using the same glass manufacturer. I love the Orion glass, it would be great if this building used the same stuff.

[infoshare]

It's the glass. Does anyone know if this building will be using the same glass manufacturer. I love the Orion glass, it would be great if this building used the same stuff.

I was at the site the other day and asked on of the guys working at the site about the curtain wall: he told me that the glass was similar to that of the Orion - but, not made by the same manufacturer.


While I was there, some interesting foundation work was underway.
The pipes in the photo with the billowing smoke are filled with liquid nitrogen and they descend 50 feet, at which point the pipes come in contact with solid bedrock. The purpose of the pipes in the ground - so this same guy working at the site told me - is to freeze the moist soil so it becomes firm enough to serve as a mold for a poured concrete footing. Once the concrete sets solid, the liquid nitrogen is then turned off, permitting the soil to thaw.

I do not know if this is common practice for making a foundation; but this is the first time I have seen this done at a construction site.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2175/img0026zk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[krulltime]

^ That's wierd. I never seen that before. Interesting stuff thanks.

[Scraperfannyc]

Maybe this is being done to prevent movement of soil which may have caused this project to be very delayed to begin with.

[antinimby]

If they had done this back in February, when it was 5° and everything was frozen (instead the site was kept idle then, go figure), maybe none of this would have been necessary.

[pianoman11686]

I doubt the soil would've been frozen further than a few foot below surface.

[infoshare]

I doubt the soil would've been frozen further than a few foot below surface.

True, during even the coldest winters the frost line of the soil in this region probably isn't very deep at all - there just getting to it whenever and however the site conditions permit. :eek:

[mkeit]

It is definitely not common and very expensive. The only recent ground freezing in NYC has been for the Water Tunnel shafts. Usually, brine is used-it takes a lot longer ( 2-3 months) to freeze. The nitogen is a faster, costlier and VERY NOISY alternative.

The normal practice would be deep wells or well points.

[TonyO]

This was taken on Sunday.

[infoshare]

This was taken on Sunday.

Great photo! That patch of earth has been undergoing this "freezing process" for well over a week. Given the fact that they have to freeze that soil down to about 50 feet below the surface: we're just going to have to wait untill ...... hell freezes over .... before they start pouring that foundation. :D :D :D

[pianoman11686]

Moinian Lines Up $305 M. for Downtown W Hotel Construction

by John Koblin
Published: May 8, 2007
Tags: Real Estate

From securing the last of the Liberty Bonds to teaming up with master-marketer Michael Shvo, Joseph Moinian’s W Hotel project at 123 Washington Street has moved forward with swift precision.

In his latest move, Mr. Moinian has acquired a $305 million construction and mezzanine loan for the project, with financing from Credit Suisse, PB Capital Corporation and the Union Labor Life Insurance Company. The Singer and Bassuk Organization arranged all of the financing.

The 55-story project will have 217 hotel rooms at its base, and 64 for-sale furnished apartments and 227 condos on the upper floors.

It was Richard Bassuk of the Singer and Bassuk Organization who also arranged the $50 million in financing from the last of the Liberty Bonds, a tax-exempt federal form of debt financing given to developers to encourage building downtown after Sept. 11, 2001.

“Once again, Mr. Bassuk acted as our financial advisor, and his experience, professionalism and expertise in arranging both the construction loan and mezzanine loan for one of the most complex projects I have ever done is unparalleled,” said Mr. Moinian in a statement from his eponymous firm.

Mr. Bassuk has been busy everywhere. In the last month alone, he has arranged nearly $1 billion worth of financing. In addition to the W, he arranged a $460 million loan project for the Edge, a 557-unit condo in Williamsburg and a $156 million construction loan for Azure, a 128-unit apartment building at 333 East 91st Street.

Copyright The New York Observer.

[GreenwichBoy]

Lower Manhattan.Info

Daily Activities

*The following information was last updated on May 9, 2007.

Excavation and foundation work
Vault installation on Washington StreetFreezing Helps with 123 Washington Excavation
As foundation work proceeds at 123 Washington Street (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/4_albany_street_81147.aspx), contractor Tishman Construction has employed a non-traditional excavation method for the building’s west elevator pit: liquid nitrogen. The chemical is being used to freeze the ground at the site, allowing crews to excavate despite the high water table in Lower Manhattan. The method shaves as much as three weeks off the pit’s excavation schedule. The overall completion for 123 Washington Street is planned for March 2008.

[infoshare]

..........contractor Tishman Construction has employed a non-traditional excavation method for the building’s west elevator pit: liquid nitrogen. The chemical is being used to freeze the ground at the site, allowing crews to excavate despite the high water table in Lower Manhattan. The method shaves as much as three weeks off the pit’s excavation schedule. The overall completion for 123 Washington Street is planned for March 2008.

And NYwired got the scoop on that story: citizen journalism at its' best. :)
p.s. Scoop; excavation, frozen, ect - sorry, but no pun intended.

[infoshare]

The latest SCOOP on 123 Washington Street.

photo attached.

[sfenn1117]

Thanks for the photo. Looks like it will start to rise in August:

http://lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/4_albany_street_81147.aspx

[macreator]

With this project and 50 West Street, the area south of the WTC site bounded by West Street is getting pretty busy. Glad to see such slim and tall towers rising.

[kz1000ps]

6/16

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5407/img5164pb4.jpg

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/6283/img5163mh4.jpg

and what's going on with this empty lot to the east?

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/5637/img5165em5.jpg

[TriHobo]

6/16

and what's going on with this empty lot to the east?

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/5637/img5165em5.jpg

That's 133-135 Greenwich St -or- 25 Thames St (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5461). The Copper Group (http://www.thecoppergroup.com/)is the Developer, they also are developing The Jade Jagger designed 16 West 19th St - Jade Condo (http://www.jadenyc.com/)in Chelsea.

They have been passively marketing the property/development for sale for over 2 years. I think with 130 Liberty taking forever to deconstruct, and now plans for JPM to be building their building until 2012, it is a difficult site for residential. That, and they over-paid in terms of where construction costs are today vs when they bought it.

[kz1000ps]

Thanks for the info. I posted the picture in the proper thread.

[antinimby]

Yeah, very good assessment, TriHobo.

I've been wondering for the longest time the reason why 25 Thames has been stalled for so long.

[infoshare]

I had the opportunity to view foundation work at the site today. The photos I post are a 'sequence' of events showing the hoisting of - what seems to me - a large steel foundation beam.
One very complex excavation project!

[Jaffster]

I walked by here today, and i noticed that the abandoned parking garage next door to this had scaffolding.

[GreenwichBoy]

I walked by here today, and i noticed that the abandoned parking garage next door to this had scaffolding.

111 Washington Street

Construction of a 50-story high-rise multi-use building is planned to begin at 111 Washington Street in late 2007/early 2008.

Summary

Construction of a 50-story high-rise multi-use building is planned to begin at 111 Washington Street in late 2007/early 2008. Located near Carlisle Street, the tower will serve as both a condominium and hotel and is scheduled to open in early 2010.


Daily Activities

The following information was last updated on June 21, 2007.

Demolition of the parking garage at the site is scheduled to take place from June through December 2007.

Contact Info

For more information regarding 111 Washington Street, visit the developer’s website (http://www.hrhconstruction.com/centerframe.html) or call HRH Construction at (212) 616-3100.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will construction of 111 Washington Street begin? (http://javascript<b></b>:toggleQuestion('answer0'))
A: In spring 2007, HRH Construction began demolition of several structures along Washington Street to clear space for the future 111 Washington Street tower. Building construction is currently scheduled for completion in early 2010.

Q: Who designed the new building? (http://javascript<b></b>:toggleQuestion('answer1'))
A: Garrett Gourlay is the architect for 111 Washington Street.

From: Lower Manhattan.info

[kitten]

Demolition is well under way for the parking garage @ 111 Washington st. and I imagine (what seems to be a fairly superficial structure) should not take so long to take down. Also to be demolished is 105-107 Washington st, 2 doors down in what had been a Buddhist temple, by the same developer- Gerald Brauser. I believe this space will serve as a public space/park. It's strikes me as odd to not try to acquire the building in between...

[kz1000ps]

^ The structures kitten is talking about, with the parking garage at 111 to the far left

what on earth is up with the ugly blue (parking garage?) structure at right?
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9155/img5161fk5.jpg

[kitten]

I believe that to be another Chang hotel in the works...

[infoshare]

I believe that to be another Chang hotel in the works...

From what I gather: it will be called "W" hotel.

Excerpt from the Downtown Express (http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_138/whotelonwashinton.html)
The hotel will occupy the lower 25 floors of the Gwathmey Siegel-designed tower, and include meeting rooms, an ancillary spa and fitness center, a high-end restaurant and lounge and a sky lobby. It is expected to open at the end of 2007.

Moinian purchased 123 Washington St. from Deutsche Bank when it was still 4 Albany St. The original structure was demolished as part of the sale agreement. Another formerly Deutsche Bank-owned, contaminated building, 130 Liberty St., is located across the street from 123 Washington and is also being demolished to make way for redevelopment.

[kitten]

I heard a while ago that the 'W' talks fell through...but that's it's still slated for some kind of hotel/condo...? That was a few months ago...

[GreenwichBoy]

^^^ Nope

W is set to open a sales office on the ground floor of 90 West Street.

W hotel is coming to 123 Washington Street.

[kitten]

The Cass Gilbert 90 West st.? Sales for condos above the hotel? Good to know...

[infoshare]

^^^ Nope

W is set to open a sales office on the ground floor of 90 West Street.

W hotel is coming to 123 Washington Street.


Thanks for the news update. i recently went to the site to see what news I could dig-up. :p



http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3245/img0002yo6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[GreenwichBoy]

http://www.wnyresidences.com

[Fahzee]

^ The structures kitten is talking about, with the parking garage at 111 to the far left

what on earth is up with the ugly blue (parking garage?) structure at right?
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9155/img5161fk5.jpg

Can someone clear the addresses here up for me?

I know that 111 Washington is the garage - and does that mean that 105 Washington is the beautiful terra cotta building next to the ugly blue structure?

And therefore, 105 is coming down, 111 is coming down, but NOT the brick buildings in between? (or am I just totally confused?)

[infoshare]

The attached photos were taken (see date/time stamp) recently; from what I can see it construction has been put on hold as a result of the fire at the neighboring Deuche Bank building.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Can someone clear the addresses here up for me?

I know that 111 Washington is the garage - and does that mean that 105 Washington is the beautiful terra cotta building next to the ugly blue structure?

And therefore, 105 is coming down, 111 is coming down, but NOT the brick buildings in between? (or am I just totally confused?)

5 buildings. Starting at the left:

111; 109; 105-107; 103; 99

111, 105-107, and 99 are coming down.

[Scraperfannyc]

5 buildings. Starting at the left:

111; 109; 105-107; 103; 99

111, 105-107, and 99 are coming down.

This is great. This means Morans (the white building) won't leave. I love morans. This is one of my favorite Irish restaurants in NYC. However, the ugly red building stays and the really nice one is being torn down is not good. That ugly red buidling is going to just block the potential for a much larger project.

[Fahzee]

thank you zippy! that is indeed too bad about 105-107, but at least the terra cotta building survives (for now)

[GreenwichBoy]

Crane Installation Takes Lane of Washington Street
As foundation preparation continues at 123 Washington Street, contractor Tishman Construction will install the project's tower crane on Saturday, September 22nd. The crane will be erected in large sections that will be laid on the east lane of Washington Street, between Albany and Carlisle Streets.


From: LowerManhattan.info

[infoshare]

Crane Installation Takes Lane of Washington Street
The crane will be erected in large sections that will be laid on the east lane of Washington Street, between Albany and Carlisle Streets.


The attached photo shows a recent view of the current site conditions: definitely no room for the crane down there.

[GreenwichBoy]

9/22/07 on South End Ave

[GreenwichBoy]

9/22/07

[antinimby]

The crane is up:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4819/img0067lq3.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3370/img0069tk7.th.jpg (http://img252.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0069tk7.jpg) http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5109/img0071ho4.th.jpg (http://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0071ho4.jpg)

[Tectonic]

The website for this project was recently updated. Floor plans, amenities, renderings etc. http://123washingtonstreet.com/

[GreenwichBoy]

Sales office opened yesterday @ the ground floor of 90 West street.

[kitten]

There has been a stop work order for a partial collapse....I also hear Tishman has been fired... anyone know?

[GreenwichBoy]

^^^ When?

[kitten]

it was actually in october i believe, i just found out but you can find it on the DOB's web-site...

[lofter1]

From DOB: The STOP WORK ORDER Complaints (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/ComplaintsByAddressServlet?requestid=1&allbin=1001049&fillerdata=A) for 123 Washington Street

There was a SWO Issued (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/OverviewForComplaintServlet?requestid=2&vlcompdetlkey=0000809591)(since resolved):

Re: DRILLING/EXCAVATION WORK AT ABOVE SITE ENDANGERING ADJ BUILDING

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://123washingtonstreet.com/

Naked woman behind frosty glass. Marketing boys from Wm Beaver are in the building.

[lofter1]

Looks like it ^

Not sure I get the bird doo on the white plate :confused:

Maybe it's something the kids are into ...

[Tectonic]

^^HA! I always wonder what happens with those nice outdoor spaces when its 20 degrees, outside. Did developers get these ideas from Miami?

Which leads to my next versus Trump Soho (http://www.trumpsoho.com) vs W Downtown (http://123washingtonstreet.com/). Based on what's presented on the site I think Trump Soho may win this one because of the views.

[lofter1]

Showroom for Trump SoHo on Greene Street above Broome has a big model -- floors above #5 all clad in VERY reflective glass.

Next time you're at Sixth / W 23 take a look downtwon and see how prominent the TS is ... the views are indeed going to be fantastic (whereas the new W will be much more boxed in on many sides).

[Tectonic]

11/11/2007

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2007/11/571335.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2007/11/571323.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2007/11/571329.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2007/11/571337.jpg

[lofter1]

That brick Marriott mess across Washington Street is an embarassment.

[Tectonic]

It is I didn't notice till I posted those pictures.

[antinimby]

This one seem to be jinxed. First, it's the older building next door that caused a delay. Then it was the whole fire/FDNY mess over at the Deutsche Bank.

Was supposed to completed in 2008. Now, it'll be lucky to even get above ground by then.

Oh yes and the Marriott needs a date with the wrecking ball badly. What's up with that unnecessary horrible blank wall treatment?

[GreenwichBoy]

Tishman still there

[Jaffster]

The lot next door is now a parking lot. I guess nothing will go there for a while.

[investordude]

In these credit challenged times, its always good to confirm the money is in the bank - and it looks like that's official now: http://www.globest.com/news/1045_1045/newyork/166379-1.html

[antinimby]

Oh for Christ's sake, this project is beginning to annoy me. First, Moinan cries about needing Liberty Bonds to build the hotel portion or else it's not economical.

Then, he comes along and gives us a lackluster design. How come everyone else can not only build but build bigger and better than him (Silverstein's 99 Church St., 50 West St. for example) and no one else has nearly as much trouble as he does?

[GreenwichBoy]

December 6, 2007 123 Washington Superstructure on the Rise

http://www.lowermanhattan.info/images/news/120607_123Washington_160px.jpg

This project is expected to open by October 2009 Developer Moinian Group is wrapping up work on the foundation of the 52-story 123 Washington Street (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/4_albany_street_81147.aspx) tower, with plans to begin superstructure (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/global/construction_talk/) work by mid-December. As the superstructure rises, contractor Tishman Construction will remove the neighboring building's steel bracing. Crews continue to work at the site on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and may begin working Saturday hours in the coming weeks, pending approval by the city Department of Buildings (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/global/contact/#nyc). The future W Hotel and condominium tower is expected to open in October 2009.


From Lowermanhattan.info

[Jaffster]

This one is above ground now. Also, does anyone know anything about the property next door, 111 Washington street? That has become a parking lot recently, I thought a 50 story was supposed to go there. I guess it was cancelled?

[antinimby]

I hate Moinian. How stupid was I a few years ago when I actually had hoped he would get that Liberty Bond to help with building this dumb condotel.

Now I just want to see him drop dead because of the Newsweek building recladding.

[londonlawyer]

I agree with you. Moinian is a full-fledged member of the "axis of evil" (i.e., Macklowe, Zuckerman, Solow, Chang and Moinian).

[infoshare]

Above-grade construction has begun at the site.

RE question (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=201922&postcount=165) about 111 Washington Street. With the demolition of the bank building still under way (in background of photo) and given all the other construction activity in the area; I doubt that any attempt to build on the 111 Washington Street site will start any time soon.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5655/img0022jb1.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0022jb1.jpg)

URL=http://imageshack.us]http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5655/img0022jb1.jpg[/URL]

[Tectonic]

Update from 01-30-2008

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/590088.jpg

Taking shape, corner of Albany and Washington
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/590090.jpg
Along Albany
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/590092.jpg
Washington and Carlisle Streets
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/590086.jpg

[londonlawyer]

More crap from the greedy SOB Moinian.

[kitten]

apparently worked stopped sat. the 21st due to crane safety issues... 'pins' missing in base of crane according to channel 2 news sat....

[ZippyTheChimp]

Zippy mocks the Moirae (not related to Moinian).
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4052/4washingtonhotel01cnx8.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4washingtonhotel01cnx8.jpg)


I didn't realize that the building would not occupy the entire site. That's good.
But it looks like the south wall is a side core. That's bad.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8546/4washingtonhotel02czp3.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4washingtonhotel02czp3.jpg) http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4491/4washingtonhotel03cmo2.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4washingtonhotel03cmo2.jpg)

[Tectonic]

Hints at a blank wall doesn't it. But, there's a setback coming soon, hopefully it doesn't rise past that.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Only one section of blank wall continues past the setback.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/6641/4albanyhotel04cqi5.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4albanyhotel04cqi5.jpg)

[Tectonic]

I notice they cover blank walls in some projects, for example:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/citycenter/cc-1.jpg

Courtesy mdiederi (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/member.php?u=61583) on skyscrapercity.com

[pianoman11686]

Construction on this one seems to be moving right along, up to about floor 14. Very interested to see how the cladding on this one will turn out.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/pianoman11686/Random037.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/pianoman11686/Random038.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/pianoman11686/Random039.jpg

[antinimby]

One on its way up, the other on its way down.

[NYC4Life]

From: NY1

Cracked Downtown Manhattan Crane To Be Dismantled

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/images/live/142/283807.jpg

June 20, 2008

Inspectors found two cracks in the turntable of a tower crane on Washington Street owned by New York Crane earlier this month.

The 12-story tall crane was shut down in March because an I-beam was missing a pin.

A later inspection reportedly found that the mechanism used to keep the crane's boom locked was not functioning.

The crane was one of four Kodiak cranes taken out of service after another of New York Crane's Kodiak model cranes collapsed last month, slamming into a building on the Upper East Side and killing two workers.

Another crane provided by New York Crane collapsed in March, killing seven people in Turtle Bay.

The Department of Buildings told the paper the cracks in the Washington Street crane do not threaten its structural integrity and the crane is slated to be dismantled this weekend.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has reportedly launched a probe of New York Crane.

[BrooklynRider]

It's kind of amazing that there is no penalty - severe penalty - for the crane leasing firm.

[kz1000ps]

Forgot I had these.. from 6/15:

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/1774/img1356wh3.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/3043/img1361vh3.jpg

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/6618/img1370qe2.jpg

[antinimby]

^ Wake up sleepy head.

Have they erected a new crane yet?

[Tectonic]

The new crane arrives on July 12th.

[kliq6]

Ive heard this buildings sales are awful, cant say im shocked based on its location. Anyone have any info on this buildings sales rate?

[lofter1]

Sales awful here?

But what a singular location!

Next door is a toxic tower + death trap that will remain for who knows how long. And one block away is a 16 acre construction site going full steam pretty much 24/7 -- much to the anger of the locals -- that will remain that way for another 7 + years.

And to think folks aren't tossing down millions to live here :confused:

(maybe I should offer to write their pr blurbs)

[antinimby]

Maybe not live, but certainly invest.

If I had the millions, I'd definitely buy here because in a few years, all of those currently unpleasant features will be over and it'll actually be a prized location.

[Derek2k3]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10151

Signs of renewal near WTC site
W New York Downtown tower nears completion


As the trials and tribulations at the former WTC site continue to unfold, there is good news nearby. The W New York Downtown Hotel and Residences, a 57-storey tower rising at the southernmost edge of the World Trade Center Memorial Site, will complete later this year. Designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects with GRAFT providing the interior design, the project is the first luxury hotel and residential tower to be built in Lower Manhattan and the first new project not a part of the WTC complex to begin construction since 9/11.

Rising from a four storey limestone base that will contain a restaurant, lounge, conference center, and fitness center, the glass clad tower will house 217 hotel rooms and 222 residences with commanding views of the memorial site, the water and the city beyond.

To differentiate the tower from the commercial structures nearby, the architects have clad the tower with a glass curtain wall that has a subtle grid pattern of white, grey and clear glass panels. The grid is expressed in white glass panels with variations in the pattern to differentiate the three sections of the tower: the hotel guest rooms, the hotel residences and the condominiums.

A landscaped urban plaza along the tower’s southern edge completes the project.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/10151_w%20downtown4.jpg


http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10151_1_W%20down%203big.jpg


http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10151_2_w%20down1%20big.jpg


http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10151_3_w%20down2big.jpg

[NoyokA]

That kitchen already looks dated. The exterior is a total bore.

[kitten]

interesting rendering of the block! caveat emptor!

[philvia]

i actually like the exterior... assuming its like the render 2 posts up^^

if its just the boring one with exposed floorplates like some other versions, then yes... BORE!

[Tectonic]

What's going on here?

Looks like they're putting up those 'things' for the glass....what are they called again?

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/08/638516.jpg

[lofter1]

cleats?

[Tectonic]

That's what I was thinking....but mind is also saying aren't those football shoes? LOL.

[Jaffster]

You guys won't be happy, but the glass is going up...and it ain't the blue/green color you see in the renderings.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I saw it yesterday.

The base is unpolished stone blocks - no big deal, but not offensive.

The glass on the tower is another story.

[lofter1]

what color?

what's the problem?

pics?

[praying it's not pink-ish]

[londonlawyer]

Based upon the following description on the architect's website, I assumed that this building's facade would have white panels:

"The tower’s glass curtain wall has a subtle grid pattern of white, grey and clear glass panels that visually separates it from more commercial structures. The grid is expressed in white glass panels with variations in the pattern differentiating the three sections of the tower: the hotel guest rooms, the hotel residences
and the condominiums. The white panels feature two layers of glass with the outer layer receiving a pattern of white dots over an interior panel also painted white. The shadows of the dots against each white panel will move as the sun passes, adding a depth of tone and texture. A grid of grey spandrel glass appears to pass behind the white panels, with the actual windows expressed as regular vision glass."

Anyway, since Monian is developing it, we knew it would be cheap.

[GreenwichBoy]

http://123washingtonstreet.com/site.aspx?r=0

Skip Intro

Click on "Explore The Residences"

Live feed to the site

[lofter1]

Not seeing the dots, but the glass is definitely milky ...

***

[antinimby]

Judging from those photos of the glass so far, I don't see any deviations from the renderings.

The opaque parts are really the non-window parts of the façade that you can see below mostly as white.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/07/12/business/liberty.190.2.jpg

[Tectonic]

Is it just me or does the building seem like it's not getting taller.

[NYC4Life]

Coincidence. The Deutsche Bank building in front of it doesn't appear to be getting shorter :rolleyes:

[Antares41]

Looks like it sticking closely to the original rendering, rather that the second version which appeared to have blue glass. I think the white will be fine. Should help the building standout amongst the beige, brown and black bldgs that are in close proximity.

[econ_tim]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/2916353041_1e96e7992d_b.jpg

[NoyokA]

This building is truly disgusting. It looks like a skyscraper jail.

[NoyokA]

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060327/060327_brooklyn_detention_vmed_4p.widec.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/07/12/business/liberty.190.2.jpg

[GreenwichBoy]

10/26/08

[kitten]

the port authority is putting trailers on the lot at 111 washington st... what's up with that?

[antinimby]

So it's the PA? Over at the 111 thread, we got a false alarm thinking that they were going to start work on that project. I guess not.

[kitten]

well, there WERE plans to begin work there and i think we all saw the renderings, most notably, on the bcn development web site. the word so far is that the PA is leasing to set up a 'staging area' related to the WTC rebuilding...????? i don't know anymore than that... perhaps the credit crisis has caused a sudden shift in plans?

[BrooklynLove]

Judging from those photos of the glass so far, I don't see any deviations from the renderings.

The opaque parts are really the non-window parts of the façade that you can see below mostly as white.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/07/12/business/liberty.190.2.jpg

This rendering is very poor - in a good way. I checked out the site today and am very pleased with what's taking shape. A lot of the facade has gone up already and it looks very nice. Unfortunately I did not have my camera. It's going to be a fine spectacle once this tower grows visible from Brooklyn.

[infoshare]

I checked out the site today and am very pleased with what's taking shape. A lot of the facade has gone up already and it looks very nice. Unfortunately I did not have my camera.

Yes, must agree, this one is looking good. Fortunately, I had my camera when walking in that area recently, and took a few pics. I was surprised to see the use of a crane for installing the cladding; not a typical installation method from what I have seen around town.


http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1393/img0070qx9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/img0070qx9.jpg/1/w600.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img254/img0070qx9.jpg/1/)


http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4315/img0035ml5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4315/img0035ml5.906ce5594c.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=526&i=img0035ml5.jpg)

[econ_tim]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/3016851587_b0600352c4_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3017688286_015944da73_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/3017690244_0c2a5894c6_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/3016860375_8463c4bced_b.jpg

[NoyokA]

Looks straight from the early 1980's.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I snapped a photo last week, but didn't bother posting it. It's not that it's bad, just unremarkable.

[lofter1]

Looks straight from the early 1980's.

Exactly.

It's like that re-clad Hotel next to GCT -- only clean. :(

[NYC4Life]

Looking at it straight up looks alot like the Trump Soho.

[infoshare]

Currently - in additon to the glass curtain wall panels - precast stone cladding is being installed at the base level of the building.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8631/img0012ve0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/img0012ve0.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img527/img0012ve0.jpg/1/)

[DKNY617]

The stone looks somewhat nice, I like the color, though I'll have to go check it out in person sometime soon, perhaps next week.

[infoshare]

The stone looks somewhat nice, I like the color, though I'll have to go check it out in person ..........

Good idea to see the stone first hand, photographs posted on internet forums typically have the unfortunate effect of 'flattening-out' (or muting) what is what I view as one of the most important aesthetic features of any given work of art: the surface texture.

The stone has a granular - not totally smooth - texture, and the color is a mottled light grey: a nice contrast to the bright white glass on the upper sections of the building.

Nice work all around, both in terms of design & construction; I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[NYC4Life]

Curbed.com

SHVO Takes W Hotel Roadshow to Dubai, Finds FiDi Lovers

Monday, November 24, 2008, by Joey
http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_11_wlounge.jpg

Folks, when the world ends, at least we'll have our memories of the W New York Downtown Hotel & Residences to keep us warm. The mouthful of a condo/hotel under construction just behind the Deutsche Bank Building near ground zero is somewhat a relic of frothier times—when buildings resembled (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/04/17/show_us_your_sales_office_w_hotel_residences.php) space brothels (above) and 23-year-old developers saved entire floors (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/09/17/23yearold_snags_ultimate_bachelor_pad_at_fidis_w_h otel.php) for use as their "ultimate bachelor pad." Ah, 2008, how we'll miss you. Luckily for SHVO, the brokerage selling the 200+ sexpods in the 58-story Financial District tower, our friends in the Middle East haven't yet caught on that gaudy is on the outs in our troubled capitalism headquarters. Last week, New York magazine ran an epic feature (http://nymag.com/news/features/52180/) on Americans in Dubai chasing that big pot of gold in the sand, and in it, a scene from the massive real estate conference Cityscape leaps out:

The W girls seem weary. They've traveled a long way—from the New York headquarters of the tony real-estate-marketing firm SHVO—to be here, at Cityscape, where their working environment is almost neurologically assaultive. Their home for the duration of the conference is a dimly lit two-tiered red-and-black box with hipster lounge music piped in through hidden speakers and four touch-screens perpetually commending the amenities that accompany an ownership stake in the W New York Downtown Hotel & Residences, currently going up down the street from ground zero. Jaclyn Savar, diminutive and blonde, stands by the bar clutching a paper cup of coffee as if it were a cane. “I’ve barely slept at all,” she says. She moved here four days ago, to work at SHVO’s new offices on Sheikh Zayed Road, and she’s still suffering from jet lag. Sales, at least, are brisk. Upstairs in the “closing room,” beyond a velvet rope, a young Arab man sits on a plush couch deciding which two floors of the W he would like to purchase.And say what you will about the W, but at least we know this much is true: the parties are going to be absolutely bitching.

[BrooklynRider]

If Deutche Bank wsa gone and we watch this rising, I think we'd all be more impressed. That said, when Deutsche starts to diminish into nothingness, it will be nice to have this gleaming white building appear.

[lofter1]

December at dusk ...

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/Lofter1/Financial%20District/123Washington_059.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/Lofter1/Financial%20District/123Washington_0511.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/Lofter1/Financial%20District/123Washington_0514.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/Lofter1/Financial%20District/123Washington_0520.jpg

123 washington

[Tectonic]

I love the 3rd and last shots. You have to appreciate how they're covering the bare concrete areas.

[Tectonic]

On the 3rd day of 2009:

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/671933.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/671947.jpg

[Derek2k3]

I was worried about this one, but according to the Times it'll be fine.

The New York Times

An Owner of Towers Walks a Tightrope
By TERRY PRISTIN
Published: January 13, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/realestate/commercial/14joe.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business

[GreenwichBoy]

The following information was last updated on January 28, 2009.

Work hours at the site are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
Superstructure work is ongoing; top off expected in March 2009
Construction expected to be complete in March 2010
Ongoing work has reduced traffic lanes on Washington Street and calls for a full sidewalk closures on Washington, Carlisle, and Albany Streets along the site's perimeter
Building expected to top out in May 2009
A Stop Work Order (SWO) was issued on January 23, 2009

[Derek2k3]

What a difference location makes. This building is taller than 1 Madison Park and barely gets any attention. I was surprised to catch this much of it from the east side.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3344/3247630785_8f2b3221dc_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3431/3247630775_127e110e30_o.jpg

[BrooklynLove]

For the several years that 5 WTC remains unbuilt, this building will be a fixture in many shots taken from the WTC grounds.

[econ_tim]

I saw a listing for one of the W residences on Curbed market place, and it ain't cheap.

[kz1000ps]

To the moderators: how come this is in the real estate forum and not skyscrapers & architecture?

[kitten]

i just got this notification... ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!!??!


This will notify you of an on-site incident at 130 Liberty Street with no impact to the surrounding area. Earlier today the pressure alarm on the 130 Liberty Street building standpipe was activated. The Fire Department (FDNY) and Department of Buildings (DOB) were notified and responded immediately. The FDNY and contractor examined the standpipe and determined that it had been cut.
All work in the building has stopped, and the building has been evacuated. Licensed plumbers are on site and working to repair the standpipe. Abatement work will not recommence until the standpipe has been repaired, and it has been inspected by FDNY and DOB.

[lofter1]

Comical Tragical

[Alonzo-ny]

Wrong thread.

[kz1000ps]

To the moderator who moved this over -- thanks! The tower is tall, and the thread hasn't been overrun by prospective residents/investors, so it deserves to be here.

[BrooklynRider]

From the view from my office (perched in the ESB), this building is now head and shoulders above the WTC site. Very impressive growth spurt.

I need to bring my camera to work.

[BrooklynLove]

Sadly, it's pretty much all but blocked off by fatty Chase behemoth when viewing from South Brooklyn.

[NYatKNIGHT]

This building also has popped up behind Trinity Church in the famous view looking west up Wall Street.

[Alonzo-ny]

Love the new avatar LL!

[londonlawyer]

Thanks, mate.

I thought you'd like it!

[Alonzo-ny]

I look forward to every post you make even more now!

[londonlawyer]

You and I are of one mind!

[econ_tim]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3320626807_177eafc4f7_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3320624023_91267cf6d5_b.jpg

[BrooklynLove]

*The following information was last updated on March 4, 2009.

Superstructure work is ongoing; now up to floor 42
Construction expected to be complete in March 2010
Ongoing work has reduced traffic lanes on Washington Street and calls for a full sidewalk closures on Washington, Carlisle, and Albany Streets along the site's perimeter
Building expected to top out in May 2009

[Tectonic]

03-21-2009

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/03/689787.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/03/689784.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/03/689795.jpg

^ Whats happening with that slim building next to 90 West Street?

[ZippyTheChimp]

Go back one page.

EDIT: The building fell under the radar. We have an old thread (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5527) on it. Moved the 130 Cedar St posts.

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8994/4albanyhotel05c.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4albanyhotel05c.jpg) http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/756/4albanyhotel06c.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4albanyhotel06c.jpg) http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3082/4albanyhotel07c.th.jpg (http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4albanyhotel07c.jpg)