45 Park Place: Tribeca’s Latest Condo Tower Could be an Architectural Stunner
New images have been uncovered of an upcoming 39-story condominium tower poised to rise from a storied site in Tribeca. Curbed first broke the rendering reveal back in July and a representative of the developers noted that tower depicted in renderings are not quite final. Nevertheless new images posted on of SOMA Architects’ website give us additional glimpses of what the project could be.
Simply known as 45 Park Place (for now), the development is comprised of a 665-foot tower luxury tower and an Islamic museum, is being developed by a consortium led by Soho Properties, headed by Sharif El-Gamal. The tower is being crafted by Michel Abboud of SOMA Architects, with Ismael Leyva serving as the architect of record. Renderings posted on SOMA’s website convey a light, airy tower composed of stem-like volumes bundled by delicate bands of lattice-like mullions. The ground-level view gives us our first glimpse of the adjacent Islamic museum and prayer space reportedly designed by Pritzker Prize–winning French architect Jean Nouvel. A small plaza fronting the museum will expose a vegetated side wall of the neighboring building that houses popular downtown grocer Amish Market.
Demolition permits filed this past spring will seal the fate of a small cast-iron structure and an Italian Renaissance styled building that housed a Burlington Coat Factory prior to 9/11. Construction permits call for a 120,000-square-foot tower containing 46 units. Just last month, a press release announced that the development secured $33 million in first mortgage financing, and construction of the tower is expected to begin next year with a completion date anticipated sometime in 2017.
An article from The Real Deal detailing the project’s long history hinted at El-Gamal’s high design ambitions with the developer stating, “Our city is far behind the rest of the world. We still have this mentality of building a rectangle, a cube, a square. It was important for me to provide spaces that are not these cookie-cutters typically brought to market.”
Tribeca may seem like an unfitting host for the city’s most daring skyscrapers. After all, the neighborhood is well-regarded for its human scale: cobblestone streets lined with 19th century loft buildings.
Aside from 45 Park Place, Silverstein’s 82-story 30 Park Place is racing skyward one block east; Witkoff is prepping a site nearby at 101 Murray that may become downtown’s tallest residence; and a few blocks north, Alexico Group/Hines’ tower at 56 Leonard is already making its mark on the skyline. Generous zoning along Tribeca’s fringes and development-rights transfers have allowed these handful of towers to rise. However, the neighborhood is largely protected by several historic districts and less skyscraper friendly zoning, so the future owners of these towers will enjoy unimpeded views for a long time coming.
[Related: Sharif El-Gamal Commissions Jean Nouvel to Design Islam Museum Next to WTC]
Renderings via SOMA Architects
