NEW YORK | 250 W. 55th St | 592 FT/ 180 M | 40 FLOORS

[yankeesfan1000]

I'm really excited about this tower, and not because it's design is cutting edge or jaw dropping, I do think it is elegant in a very simplistic way though, or because of the height, but because this will only further push Midtown westward and bring something new to 8th Ave.

My only complaint is that for such a massive lot, I wish we could have got something taller. But again, this will only continue a recent trend of Midtown extending westward, so hopefully this will just strengthen developers optimism in the neighborhood.

[jackster99]

Wow that is a massive site. Does anyone know what was there previously? To me it looks like it may have been a parking lot.

[John Q. Public]

The Northwest corner was a parking lot owned by Hearst, and to the east of that was a Hearst office building.

The rest of Eighth Avenue was small restaurants, mostly Asian, with an inexpensive Italian eatery on the 54th Street corner. East of that was the Triple Inn, a great showbiz hangout and cop bar, and east of that a NY State Employment Office.

Now, what's coming, and when, on the ground level? With law firms, they'll keep it upscale, and there has been talk about a department store. Although it will take 2 1/2 years to finish and open the tower, they could quickly finish the podium and lease it out.

[NYguy]

I've always said this building looks more Park Avenue than 8th Avenue, but they could use a little "Park Avenue" over there, even with the Hearst building not that far off.

[jackster99]

Hey John Q. Public,

Thanks for the very informative answer

[NYC4Life]

My first thought of this tower was WTC 4. Not the typical boring box. Can't wait to see 8th Avenue's newest gem to rise.

[John Q. Public]

This past Friday evening, for the first time looking through the glass windows on the site, I found it lit up with newly installed floodlights around the interior walls. If Boston properties are paying extra attention, they must be getting very close to resuming construction.

[NYguy]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...the-1980s.html

Manhattan Developers Plan Biggest Decade for Skyscrapers Since the 1980s

By David M. Levitt
May 20, 2011

...Boston Properties, the largest U.S. office REIT, may be the first to start building, with construction of a stalled project poised to start in the fourth quarter. The Boston-based company is in the final stages of negotiations with law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP to anchor the planned 1 million-square-foot tower at Eighth Avenue and West 55th Street, said a person with knowledge of the discussions. An agreement may be reached within weeks, said the person, who asked not to be named because the talks are private.

“We are working on the marshalling of resources to be in a position to start the project,” Boston Properties President Douglas Linde said in a telephone interview. “There’s been a fundamental shift in people’s outlooks on where they’re going and where they want to be, and the city of New York’s availability of high-quality real estate.”

Linde declined to comment on discussions with Morrison or any other potential tenant. On a May 3 conference call, he said the company was in “active” negotiations with an unnamed tenant who would take about 20 percent of the building.

The company said it has invested about $480 million in the roughly $1 billion project, which was suspended in 2009 after another law firm withdrew as an anchor tenant. Foundations and below-the-street concourse floors are already in place, Linde said in the interview. The steel is sitting in a yard in South Carolina, and the makings of metal frames for the curtain wall are in storage outside of Boston, he said.

[yankeesfan1000]

The Wall St Journal, and CurbedNY have reported that law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP has officially signed on to lease 180,000 square feet here. It did say that most landlords/banks want more than 20% of a tower leased before construction, but I'm sure Morrison agreed to anchor this tower with the intent of moving in sooner rather than later.

Another good note, was that a Morrison partner was quoted as saying the deal was negotiated and closed in less than 60 days, which means large blocks of new space are starting to be gobbled up. So hopefully we'll start to see some movement on some of the other office buildings here in the city.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011...d/?mod=WSJBlog

[bam63]

Originally Posted by NYguy

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...the-1980s.html

Manhattan Developers Plan Biggest Decade for Skyscrapers Since the 1980s

By David M. Levitt
May 20, 2011

All the curtain wall, aluminum panels, stainless steel and material already fabbed required to complete the building has been in storage since 2009 up on the east coast of Canada where the original plan was to have the frames assembled up here. I know because I personally put it in storage and tagged it " Property of Boston Properties"

[John Q. Public]

This item appeared in the Post on May 25th:

Law firm Morrison Foerster has just signed a lease for 180,000 square-feet to become the anchor tenant for Boston Properties' upcoming tower at 250 W. 55 St.
The firm is leasing seven floors from 17 to 23 plus the cellar. It also has the option to add another 50,000 square-feet prior to completion in 2014 along with more space in the future.
Boston Properties now says it will resume construction this fall on the 39-story, 1-million-square-foot building designed by Skidmore Ownings Merrill.
On March 8, we exclusively reported that the law firm had signed a letter of intent to move to the new tower, breathing life into the stalled development.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1NQQb3GQR

[John Q. Public]

Recently, surveyors have been seen around the property, taking their measurements (did it move?). Then, the following appeared in Steve Cuozzo's column in the NY Post this week:

The W. 50s are ready to rumble
By STEVE COUZZO
Last Updated: 11:34 PM, July 25, 2011
Posted: 11:19 PM, July 25, 2011
TWO sets of Buildings Dept. approvals issued yesterday paved the way for full-bore work on two big projects on the block bounded by Broadway and Eighth Avenue and West 54th and 55th Streets -- soon to be Manhattan's noisiest construction site except for the World Trade Center.

At 250 W. 55th St., Boston Properties' 900,000 square-foot office tower is set to rise after a two-year hiatus. The DOB approved plans for a "heavy-duty," 712-foot-long sidewalk shed to wrap the L-shaped site on three sides.

Law firm Morrison Foerster recently signed on for 200,000 square feet, reviving the project that Boston froze at the foundation two years ago.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1TPulGTbc

[NYguy]

It will be a pleasure to watch this one rise. No doubt it will go up overnight, like the long stalled then built 11 Times Square. Nobody remembers when that one was just a "lake".

[Loqy Lion]

Originally Posted by NYguy

It will be a pleasure to watch this one rise. No doubt it will go up overnight, like the long stalled then built 11 Times Square. Nobody remembers when that one was just a "lake".

Speaking of which, when are the billboards/Globe/fish tank going to be completed?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Loqy Lion

Speaking of which, when are the billboards/Globe/fish tank going to be completed?

I remember that aquarium being put on hold or something...

[Brian Dino Vabec]

August 16th, RoldanTTLB, WNY..


http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showth...t=8287&page=45

[yankeesfan1000]

There's a crane on site and more than a dozen guys on site working. Looks like this one is back from the dead as well. Midtown is on a roll!

[Dac150]

Fantastic! I've been waiting for this one to resume; should be a great addition.

[hunser]

it's officially u/c, CTBUH
also, the height seems to be reduced to 168m.

Facts
Official Name 250 West 55th Street
Type building
Status under construction
Country United States
City New York City
Street Address 250 West 55th Street
Building Function office
Start of Construction 2008
Completion 2015
Companies Involved
Owner Boston Properties, Inc.
Developer Boston Properties, Inc.
Design Architect Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Figures
Height: Architectural 167.6 meter / 550 feet
Height: To Tip 167.6 meter / 550 feet
Floors Above Ground 40
Tower GFA 680,000 m² / 7,319,459 ft²

[fimiak]

This building reminds me of Mad Men and smoke-gray suits. I love the international style 1950s look. This building is like a modern Seagram's. Most international towers in the 1970s and 80s only got cheaper and more plain.