But if you squint a little, ignore the disrepair and look past the grime… These days, I can’t imagine that many people take the time to look at the sad little building next door to the Empire State Building. Here’s a look at the curve’s windows:Ībout the only other remnants can be found in the stairwell – love the flowerburst pattern on the steps:Īlso in the stairwell, a stray bit of detail no one would ever be foolish enough to include nowadays:įinally, I must say: the rooftop view is quite unique when this is your neighbor: Very little remains from the original interior. Then the 34th Street Partnership filed a complaint due to it violating the maximum size of advertising in the area, and it was painted over. For a period, the blank portion of the wall featured a mural of a giant guy wearing jeans for the County Seat clothing store within. …and during its demolition in 1937 for the new building:įrom the late-1950s on, the interior was chopped up and gutted for additional stores and offices. You can see 22 West 34th below left, with a Spear’s ad… It appears that Spear’s had operated a store at the location prior to this structure. …it would have looked as cutting-edge modern as you could imagine.Ģ2 West 34th Street was once the home to Spear & Company, a furniture store based out of Pittsburgh, built in 1938 and described by the AIA as “startling modern work for Midtown when completed during the Great Depression.” From the Museum of the City of New York – Click here to view their incredible historic NYC photography collection and consider purchasing a print!ĭesigned by DeYoung & Moscowitz, the facade was designed with an inset so that passersby heading east from various train and subway stations would easily see the Spear’s sign. But had you been on this spot in the 1930s… OK, maybe my argument is not particularly convincing. One final set of window boxes graces the right side: …and features an unusual contrast between the rounded edge and the angular window boxes set into it:Īnd though it’s impossible to tell now due to too many layers of paint, the left side is actually made of limestone, while the rest is tan-colored brick. For example, far more than just a boring modern box, the eastern edge extends out in a rather graceful curve… How did this incredibly strange little structure come to be the neighbor of the most famous skyscraper in the world?Īnd yet, though it’s sort of ugly on first glance, there are actually some really interesting design elements at work if you take the time to look. within walking distance to some of new york’s most noted points of interest such as carnegie hall, radio city music hall, the museum of modern art, fifth avenue and 57th street shopping districts, the SHoP-designed high rise will join new york city’s already rapidly growing luxury apartment boom.Last week, I was scouting around midtown when I happened to notice the building at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue…Įr, make that the building next to the building at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue:įor the longest time, 22 West 34th Street has confused the hell out of me. SHoP sustains the integrity of the adjacent steinway property by setting back their thin structure from the street so that it maintains visibility to the front edifice of the historic landmark, preserving the rotunda space of its main showroom. Street front to the tower nestled between existing historic buildings the east and west building fronts will be clad in terra cotta, offering a visual play of shadow and light while the north façade will take advantage of the skyscraper’s close proximity to central park, by offering expansive views of the urban green space via a glass curtain wall. With frontage on both 57th and 58th streets, the façade is conceived to be read at multiple scales and vantage points. this will be immediately visible from the narrowness and height of the structure, in addition to the technical and material boundaries the tower explores. The design of 111 west 57th street has been conceived to bring back the essence of historic new york city towers, while employing the latest technology to push the limits in engineering and fabrication. The skinny skyscraper standing tall among the new york city skyline with the site estimated to be j ust shy of 45 feet (about 13 meters) wide, the slim condominium–set to soar approximately 100 feet (30 meters) above the empire state building–will provide recreation spaces, lobby areas, as well as a large retail component. working together with JDS development group, the project will see the realization of a slim residential tower and conversion of the city’s midtown landmark, the steinway building. SHoP architects has been given approval by the landmarks preservation commission for their 1,350-foot residential tower at 111west 57th street west in new york.
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