NEW YORK | 53W53 (Tower Verre) | 1,050 FT / 320 M | 73 FLOORS

[nygirl1]

I think for this particular site their bitching is mostly stemmed from the fact that this project is mid-block

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by nygirl1

I think for this particular site their bitching is mostly stemmed from the fact that this project is mid-block

It's not really mid-block. That was some sort of excuse that came up during the approvals process, and even then that idea was knocked down. They didn't like the height, and because the project was up for approvals, saw an oppurtunity to chime in with predictable NIMBYism. They even made a video at one point. They weren't even satisfied with the reduced height at 1,050 ft. However, the as of right tower was 1,083 ft.

[JayPro]

Originally Posted by gramsjdg

Oh, I just meant that with the much taller buildings going up in midtown, that they might now be okay with the 1250 ft height instead of the current 1050 ft height. Just wishful thinking

I understood your concern. Allow me to demonstrate what I perceive our mutual problem with NIMBYism consists of.

Suppose that you relocate a NIMBY--or any standing member of the NYC Planning Department, for that matter--to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Well...that person will no doubt raise holy hell if but one overly tall bloom at the far end of their neighbor's 50-acre sunflower patch casts an unwanted shadow.

Worse yet, said person might lodge an official complaint--nay--threaten litigation against the Mayor and City Council over the placement of an apple tree that just might sully his/her view of Sioux Falls, South Dakota's landmark highrises.

[miesian]

OMG! A shadow has fallen over me!

[Chicago Shawn]

I am amazed this thing only has an FAR of 4.01. So slender and elegant, it's less of a building and more a artistic sculpture. I will be joyfully watching it rise.

[NOPA]

Matthew Yglesias explained tha assholery of NIBYSM very well when talking about a Minneapolis development said, "One thing Corrick's neighborhood group could do is look at the land they don't want to see developed and buy it, thus leaving them free to do what they want with it. But they don't want to do that, presumably because eventhough there's "a value" in getting their way it's less than the value of using the land for higher-density construction. What they want to do instead is get the city government to block the high-density construction, because that way the cost is spread across the entire population of Minneapolis in the form of foregone tax revenue. And it's very natural for them to want to do that. That's why Erica Christ also wants to do it. But if each NIMBY group gets its way, then the "push the costs onto other people" plan becomes self-defeating. Others bear the costs of your NIMBY actions, but you bear the costs of their NIMBY actions. What's needed is a citywide institutional framework that leads to a less-dysfunctional outcome where valuable projects are allowed to go forward."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/...will_bear.html

[xnyr]

Originally Posted by NYguy

I love this building, and it is my favorite of the new developments. But I don't think it works everywhere. It's the perfect building for the canyons of Manhattan, because it's so New York. I can't think of another building that so defines a character and feel of a city than this one. It screams, "I am New York!" It has to be where it is, in the density of Manhattan, not surrounded by some mall or open plaza. I think in that regard, it is the best of the new. It's up there with the Chrysler Building, another building that works best on the Manhattan skyline, though imitated often elsewhere.

Originally Posted by NYguy

Well, I'm talking about the tower as a whole. There's no other city this fits better than New York. Pieces of anything can fit anywhere of course, but this tower is as much a "caricature" of the New York skyline as perceived around the world. Part of that has to do with New York being the grandfather of skylines, but it's pure Gotham. I can't name one other city it "belongs" in, and that's special.

Your statement got me thinking ... and I now know why this tower resonates with me on a deep level as well.

It brings to life Hugh Ferriss's famous studies of the effects of New York's 1916 zoning law changes...




1916 Zoning Envelope studies

[JayPro]

Might I ask what the two lines above the 1,050' marker on the sketch mean? I *think* I see a miniscule projection/vertical something-or-other rising from the pinnacle. It seems to stop where the lower of the aforementioned lines intersects with it. Matter of fact, there looks to be a fuzzy dot where this projection stops.

If someone could produce a clear blow-up of the sketch at a magnification sufficient for me to read the words, I'll prolly be able to answer my own question.

Thx.

[scalziand]

Lol, that's just the dimension line. Sorry, no surprise spire.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by xnyr

Your statement got me thinking ... and I now know why this tower resonates with me on a deep level as well.

It brings to life Hugh Ferriss's famous studies of the effects of New York's 1916 zoning law changes...

1916 Zoning Envelope studies

Good call. I think One57 fits in there as well, just with a curved top, less angular.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by JayPro

If someone could produce a clear blow-up of the sketch at a magnification sufficient for me to read the words, I'll prolly be able to answer my own question.

A better look, but not much to read...

[Guiltyspark]

I can't stop thinking about how good this tower is going to look in movies.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Guiltyspark

I can't stop thinking about how good this tower is going to look in movies.

Yeah, now that we are nearing construction, I'm all excited again. I'm still very disappointed that the height was cut, but it will at least have the scale of One57, a pretty significant tower. It will still be an eyefull of beauty...

[JayPro]

I've absolutely fallen in love with how these two just *scream* the "Yin and Yang" principal.

Running with that ball, cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or even Hong Kong could have built both of these as one legitimately supertall complex; but thank God they didn't.

[MolsonExport]

This building has every potential to be as positively prototypical of NYC as the Chrysler, ESB, Woolworth, Flatiron, and a handful of other Financial District gems.

[aquablue]

Does one57 have an art-deco influence?

To me, Verre has a gothic influence somewhere in there.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by JayPro

I've absolutely fallen in love with how these two just *scream* the "Yin and Yang" principal.

Yeah, we'll get used to seeing and associating both, the way we do with 40 Wall and 70 Pine.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

This building has every potential to be as positively prototypical of NYC as the Chrysler, ESB, Woolworth, Flatiron, and a handful of other Financial District gems.

If you think of skylines as physical representations of the cities they belong to, I think this building could very well be the heart and soul of New York.

[NYguy]

Another "disapproved" status, which means nothing really. But we like to keep up with these things...
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/Jo...ssdocnumber=01

[Design-mind]

Looking at the application they have corner lot as the lot type under zoning characteristics. Not sure how this is a corner lot when it is sandwiched between two buildings??

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Design-mind

Looking at the application they have corner lot as the lot type under zoning characteristics. Not sure how this is a corner lot when it is sandwiched between two buildings??

That's just for zoning purposes. It could also have qualified as a "through" lot...