NEW YORK | 56 Leonard | 821 FT / 250 M | 57 FLOORS

NYguy · #1 Posted **Oct 9, 2007, 9:08 PM**

Looks like this one is being built. Not sure about the current height.

curbed.com/wirednewyork.com

Exclusive: Herzog and de Meuron Go 57 Stories in Tribeca

October 9, 2007
by Joey

The celebrated Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron made a huge splash in New York with Ian Schrager's Noho Coke bottle at 40 Bond, but for their second act, Curbed has learned that those wily Europeans have planned something much, much bigger. Developer Izak Senbahar's Alexico company planned on building a Costas Kondylis-designed 58-story, 140-unit tower at 56 Leonard Street, on land bought from the New York Law School. NYLS is using the money to finance a new library building on the same block. But according to the DOB website, the Kondylis plan was disapproved in June, and that's where Herzog and de Meuron come in.

The 56 Leonard Street/Law Library stories have been hot topics on the Wired New York boards, and one user pointed out that the LowerManhattan.info site says that a 57-story tower is currently under construction at 56 Leonard. In comes a Curbed source with firsthand information of the project, who confirms the height, while adding that the building will be around 410,000 square feet. Kondylis' plan called for 480,000sf. Our source says Kondylis is off the project, and the new architects are, drumroll, Herzog and de Meuron.

So what are they up to? Oh, just a skyscraper made up of stacked glass cubes. There will be only two units per floor, and Corcoran Sunshine will market the project. Louise Sunshine, who put the Sunshine in Corcoran Sunshine, now works as the development director for Alexico, so there's the connection. Alexico is also developing the Remy in Chelsea, which also happens to be made of stacked glass cubes in a design by—wouldn't you know it—Costas Kondylis. But our source has seen the model for 56 Leonard Street, and it bares only "a very small likeness" to the Remy, and "looks nothing like" Santiago Calatrava's glass boxes at 80 South Street. Oh, did we mention this tower is going up completely as-of-right? Brace yourself, Tribeca, because the Swiss are coming.

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http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/Jo...8&requestid=11

_____________________________________

http://lowermanhattan.info/construct...eet_39943.aspx

56 Leonard Street
The 57-story tower is under construction

A new 57-story residential tower is on the rise in Tribeca. Construction at 56 Leonard Street began in mid-2007 by developer Alexico Group. The site is located at the corner of Church Street, on the east side of the block shared by New York Law School where a new library is being built. The developer expects the high rise to open by April 2010.

Work currently taking place includes

-Foundation construction

-Pile driving from September 15th through early November 2007, from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m

____________________________________

Don't know what the exact height is, but listed as probably above 800 ft on wirednewyork.com

ZZ-II · #2 Posted **Oct 9, 2007, 9:55 PM**

fantastic new project, hope we'll see some renders soon

R@ptor · #3 Posted **Oct 9, 2007, 10:34 PM**

Sounds great...can't wait to see a rendering. Herzog & de Meuron are one of my favorite architects.

Also, almost 800ft in Tribeca? Looks indeed like the Downtown skyline will be extended northwards.

NYguy · #4 Posted **Oct 9, 2007, 10:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by R@ptor

Also, almost 800ft in Tribeca? Looks indeed like the Downtown skyline will be extended northwards.

Yeah, it would be as close to Canal St as it is to Chambers, which I personally consider to be the northern boundary of the Downtown skyscrapers. It will be north of Manhattan's civic center.

Dac150 · #5 Posted **Oct 10, 2007, 4:43 PM**

Manhattan is without a doubt the global capital of 700-799ft skyscrapers. I like the expansion that is occuring with developments in the city. It's not just limited to down and midtown anymore, highrises are going up everywhere.

NYguy · #6 Posted **Oct 10, 2007, 6:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dac150

Manhattan is without a doubt the global capital of 700-799ft skyscrapers. I like the expansion that is occuring with developments in the city. It's not just limited to down and midtown anymore, highrises are going up everywhere.

Higher buildings slowly creep north Downtown, and slowly creep south in Midtown (Gehry's planned 900 ft tower).

Antares41 · #7 Posted **Oct 10, 2007, 7:45 PM**

That gap between midtown and downtown is getting narrower by the year.

antinimby · #8 Posted **Oct 10, 2007, 8:23 PM**

Actually, NIMBYs are trying their best to make sure that doesn't happen.

As it is, it is already very difficult to build too high (> than 500 ft.) in those areas because the current zoning just doesn't allow for it.

If the NIMBYs have their way, then it would be impossible to even get above 200 ft. as they would then put height limits in addition to lower FAR's

NYguy · #9 Posted **Oct 10, 2007, 8:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by antinimby

If the NIMBYs have their way, then it would be impossible to even get above 200 ft. as they would then put height limits in addition to lower FAR's

That would translate to 20 stories in some areas. And as we can see with various buildings of that height in some of the neighborhoods, they are outraged.

CoolCzech · #10 Posted **Nov 28, 2007, 11:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy

Higher buildings slowly creep north Downtown, and slowly creep south in Midtown (Gehry's planned 900 ft tower).

900? I thought it was planned for 800... not that anything appears to be built anytime too soon...

NYguy · #11 Posted **Nov 29, 2007, 5:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolCzech

900? I thought it was planned for 800... not that anything appears to be built anytime too soon...

Final height of Gehry's tower is said to be above 900.

Scruffy · #12 Posted **Nov 29, 2007, 7:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolCzech

900? I thought it was planned for 800... not that anything appears to be built anytime too soon...

Gehry' 900 footer? Or do you mean Libeskind's 900 footer

Gehry's downtown is solid at 800 and something feet.

NYguy · #13 Posted **Nov 29, 2007, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scruffy

Gehry's downtown is solid at 800 and something feet.

The final height of Gehry's tower hasn't been given. The 876 height figure came from the DOB application, which doesn't list the final height.

A quote from an older article posted at wirednewyork.com gave a different height, but Gehry is always open to design changes...

Quote:

Ratner Scrambles for Funding for Gehry-Designed Tower

Forest City Ratner is looking to compete for some of New York’s scarce tax-exempt bonds to finance a Frank Gehry–designed tower in lower Manhattan.

The 950-foot-tall tower, to be built on a parking lot between Spruce and Beekman streets, promises to be one of the flashiest—and most expensive—new buildings south of midtown: some 920 titanium-and-glass-clad apartments shooting up from a low-slung base just off the Brooklyn Bridge’s entrance ramps. But first, Bruce Ratner, Forest City’s C.E.O. and president, has to find the money to build it. Forest City was also promised $190 million in Liberty Bonds—granted by the federal government after Sept. 11 to stimulate construction—to finance a mix of rentals and condominiums above the school. But since then, Forest City has indicated that it is planning an all-rental building, according to documents on file at the city’s Housing Development Corporation.

Rough designs filed with the housing agency show that the tower would have a large five-story base, on top of which a narrow column would rise to 950 feet—the second-tallest building downtown—with small setbacks on the 37th and 49th stories. Public plazas would border the tower on two sides.

—Matthew Schuerman

NYguy · #14 Posted **Nov 28, 2007, 9:56 PM**

Another for the NY forum.

BuildCTPlace · #15 Posted **Nov 28, 2007, 9:59 PM**

construction appears to have started, sort of:
http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=...&yr=2007&mt=11

Scruffy · #16 Posted **Feb 29, 2008, 7:21 PM**

ive been wondering about this site for months. i stumbed upon it one night in november and thought it to be something small until i saw it on emporis. near 800 feet at that location that far north of downtown will be HUGE! forget trump's condo. this will be the focal point of that area.

hunser · #17 Posted **Jun 13, 2012, 9:07 PM**

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/re...ref=realestate

The 30-Minute Interview
Kelly Kennedy Mack
By VIVIAN MARINO
Published: June 12, 2012

Quote:

Q. Let’s talk about some of the coming developments.

A. Another exciting thing to watch is the relaunch of 56 Leonard in TriBeCa. It opened for sales at the end of 2008, then the market turned. The developers made a decision to wait until the market returned; we’re hoping to get that open as soon as possible.

antinimby · #18 Posted **Mar 1, 2008, 2:11 AM**

That area is NIMBY central, too. Go figure.

Dac150 · #19 Posted **Mar 1, 2008, 2:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by antinimby

That area is NIMBY central, too. Go figure.

They've ventured out all over the city to end skyscrapers everywhere, but they have left their home front un-protected. Serves them right, now they get a big 800 footer to wake up to in the morning.

NYguy · #20 Posted **Mar 1, 2008, 12:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by antinimby

That area is NIMBY central, too. Go figure.

They're too busy fighting Trump to focus on anything else. He's the big fish. A victory against him would last them a lifetime. Meanwhile, this much taller tower forms in the background.