First official look at David Adjaye’s 800-foot Financial District condo tower

Nearly four years after wrapping up his first NYC project, Harlem’s Sugar Hill affordable housing development, renowned British architect David Adjaye is inching closer to completing his first skyscraper in the city. Preliminary plans for his Financial District condo tower surfaced in May, but developer Lightstone has shared the first official reveal of the tower, now known as 130 William. The height has increased from 750 to 800 feet, or 61 to 66 stories, and it will hold 244 residences. Adjaye says the “rich history” of one of “the city’s earliest streets” influenced the building’s unique concrete form. “I was inspired to craft a building that turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead celebrates New York’s heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan’s skyline,” he said.

As 6sqft previously reported, “Lightstone bought the site at 130 William Street for $60 million in 2014 and paid another $15 million the following year to buy additional air rights; it’s expected value is $701 million.”

Adjaye is working with Hill West architects on the building, whose facade will be constructed of hand-cast concrete with bronze detailing. According to a press release, “one of the building’s signature features is a unique silhouette of rhythmic, large-scale arched windows, which draw inspiration from the beloved lofts that once populated the area.”

At the top of the building will be penthouse loggias with double-height ceilings. In all, units will range from studios to five-bedrooms, the interiors of which will also be designed by Adjaye.

The long list of amenities includes a health club with spa, swimming pool, cold and hot plunge pools, a fitness center with a yoga studio and basketball court, private IMAX movie theater, golf simulator, lounge, game room, children’s playroom, pet spa, outdoor terraces, and rooftop observatory deck. In addition, the building will create a new public plaza park.

Adjaye was recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was named one of TIME’s 2017 most influential people. His most notable projects include the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC, the recently announced National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center in London, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. Here in NYC, he (somewhat surprisingly) designed a forthcoming spy museum in Midtown, and he’s already revealed designs for the Studio Museum in Harlem’s new space.

Construction of 130 William is expected to begin in spring 2018, with closings expected to commence in spring 2020.

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• David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

All renderings via Lightstone Group