Steeper than the Empire State Building: 7 tallest skyscrapers in New York

Since 2014, New York City's skyscrapers have begun to flourish. First, One World Trade Center appeared in 2014, and just a year later - 432 Park Avenue. The latter drew quite a lot of criticism. In 2019 were opened 30 Hudson yardsand 2020 has been an exciting year for super-tall buildings. Completed construction One vanderbilt, 111 West 57th St and Central Park Tower. Untapped Cities told the stories and features of New York skyscrapers. Here are seven of New York's super-tallest buildings!

World Trade Center One

World Trade Center Oneformerly known as the Freedom Tower (Freedom tower) and one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in New York. It is the tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth tallest in the world. The building rises to a symbolic height of 1776 feet (541 m) in honor of the year of signing Declaration of independence... The height includes 124 meters of the spire. The architect of the building is David Childs, whose firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill also designed the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa and Willis Tower. On April 30, 2012, he overtook Empire State Building as the tallest building in New York.

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In the 1960s and 70s, in the construction of ultra-high floors, the floor area was as significant as the height. Each of twin towers the original World Trade Center was independently recognized as the largest building in the world. Here the floor area is 418063 square meters. The towers were also recognized as the two tallest buildings in the world at 415 and 416 meters. After the September 11 attacks, many predicted the end of skyscrapers because people would be too afraid to work or live in them. These concerns were short-lived, however, as construction on the 94-story building began back in 2006. One World Trade Center has an area of ​​3716 square meters, almost identical to the area of ​​the original Twin Towers. Remains of the original World Trade Center are still next to the One World Trade Center. It includes the Twin Towers tridents, a wall in the ground, Koenig's sphere и Survivor tree.

Central Park Tower

Central Park Tower, also known as Nordstrom Tower, is located at 225 West 57th Street in downtown Manhattan, along Billionaires Street. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the building rises 472 meters and has 98 floors above ground and three basements. Central Park Tower is the second tallest skyscraper in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. The tower is also the tallest residential building in the world. There is a large Nordstrom store in the basement and on the first five floors above ground. Above ground construction began in early 2015. Despite some controversy during the construction of the building, the frame was completed in September 2019. The construction was fully completed in July 2021.

Construction of the tower was postponed after two buildings at 225 West 57th Street and 1780 Broadway were recognized as New York City landmarks. Ironically, the east end of the tower has a console above the Art Students League of New York City, 215 West 57th Street. It was built to maximize the view of the Central Park... This led to a number of lawsuits and disputes over the sale of airspace rights.

There have also been several construction incidents, such as the death of a security guard when a truck driver accidentally hit a 1360-pound glass panel on the ground floor, which then toppled over. The $ 3 billion building now has outdoor terraces, an indoor pool, steam rooms and a three-story private club.

111 57th West Street

111 57th West Street, also known as Steinway Tower, is located along Billionaires Street at 57th Street. The main body of this New York skyscraper is an 84-story tower 435 meters high. The building was designed by SHoP Architects, and the 16-story Steinway Hall, a former Steinway & Sons store, is preserved at the base of the skyscraper. 111 West 57th Street has 60 luxury condominiums. It is the thinnest skyscraper in the world with a width-to-height ratio of about 1:24.

The Steinway & Sons store opened in 1925 in Steinway Hall and has served as a store, concert hall and office building for nearly ninety years. The facade of Steinway Hall is made of brick, limestone and terracotta. It has been renovated as part of a residential development. A number of problems arose while working on the tower. For example, financial difficulties, lawsuits and employment disputes. 111 West 57th Street, with a façade of large glass curtain walls and narrow windows between vertical glazed terracotta pillars, has an expansive outdoor deck, sheltered portico and indoor pool.

One vanderbilt

One vanderbilt - 77-story New York skyscraper at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. The roof of the skyscraper is 396 meters high and its spire is 427 meters above the ground. Cohn Pedersen Fox designed the building to blend in with nearby Grand Central Station. Its façade consists mainly of glass panels with terracotta lintels. The tower narrows as it rises, and there is a wedge-shaped void at its base. Although most of the building is office space, the second floor houses Daniel Boulux's new Le Pavillon restaurant. Its observation deck, called Summit, opened on October 21, 2021. Five buildings, including a popular coffee shop, were demolished to build One Vanderbilt.

New York City's zoning rules are based on FAR (Floor Area Ratio), and the Midtown regulations at the time of planning allowed a maximum mass reaching only about 182 meters in height for One Vanderbilt. However, the developer S.L. Greene owned the Bowery savings bank on 42nd Street, where Cipriani lived. The Landmarks Conservation Act of 1961 allows the transfer of airspace rights not only near a building, but also up to several blocks away. This means that Vanderbilt gained 30 meters through the transfer of airspace rights from the famous Bowery savings bank about half a block away. In 2015, Mayor Bill De Blasio's administration agreed to change the five-block zone on Vanderbilt Avenue. This allowed SL Green to add another 213 meters to the giant tower. The agreement required SL Green to help the MTA by spending $ 220 million to improve transportation around One Vanderbilt and Grand Central Terminal, including rebuilding a long-closed passageway.

432 Park Avenue

432 Park Avenue Is a residential skyscraper on 57th Street and Park Avenue overlooking Central Park. The 425-meter tower was designed by the CIM Group and Harry B. McLough. The building was designed by the Uruguayan architect Rafael Vignoli. It includes 125 condominiums and a private restaurant for residents only. Some of the most expensive condos on the NYC market are located here. Completed in 2015, the building is divided into 12-story blocks, separated by two-story mechanical spaces that allow gusts of wind to pass through the building. Its design even required FAA approval with a 15: 1 height-to-width ratio. The building's height was permitted by zoning regulations in part because a quarter of the building's area is dedicated to structural and mechanical equipment.

432 Park Avenue stands on the site of the former Drake Hotel, which was sold in 2006. It was built in 1926 by Bing & Bing and included 495 rooms. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin members, Judy Garland and Muhammad Ali have stayed here. After buying the hotel for $ 418 million, Maclow paid French gourmet food company Fauchon $ 4 million to shorten the lease on the first floor of the Drake Hotel, freeing it nine years earlier than expected. Soon the building was demolished, and in 2011 plans were approved for the construction of 432 Park Avenue. The Pencil Tower now boasts 3,5-meter ceilings, a golf driving range, a fitness center with a pool, and a private terrace.

30 Hudson yards

30 Hudson yards adjacent to Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea tower over other new skyscrapers in Hudson Yards, 387 meters high and 103 stories high. The building is part of the Hudson Yards redevelopment project that redecorated the MTA's West Side Dockyard. The neo-futuristic building houses the offices of WarnerMedia, Wells Fargo, Facebook and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 4 December 2012. The opening of the building took place on March 15, 2019.

Kohn Pedersen Fox, the firm behind One Vanderbilt, was selected to design 30 Hudson Yards. The building was supposed to be even higher - 407 meters. In the lobby of the building you can see “Голоса»By the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, which consist of 11 steel balls of different sizes suspended from the ceiling. 30 Hudson Yards is also known for its 'The Edge' outdoor observation deck located on the 100th and 101st floors. The Edge Terrace protrudes 24 meters south of the building and is fenced with clear glass barricades around the perimeter. This is the second tallest observation deck in New York after the One World Observatory.

Empire State Building

Empire State Building, built on the roof of the first of Waldorf-Astoria, opened on March 31, 1931. It took only one year and 45 days to build. The building was erected 4,5 floors per week. In 1931, tickets to the observatory cost $ 1 (or about $ 17,50 in today's dollars), which was the most expensive observation deck in the city at the time. When the Empire State Building was built, it had the fastest elevators in the world. They moved at a speed of 243 meters per minute up and down the seven-mile elevator shafts.

Law in New York at the time stipulated that elevator speeds could not exceed 182 meters per minute, so this rule had to be canceled only for the Empire State Building. You can still see the last original elevator, an abandoned bank vault, wind tunnels and a river below the basement, and a steam power station on site. New renovations to the 102nd Floor Observation Deck, 80th Floor and Lobby, which include museum-style exhibits, have rejuvenated the Empire State Building experience in the 21st century.