Midtown West

October 28, 2024

Fifth Avenue’s tallest condo tower, 520 Fifth Avenue, tops out at 1,002 feet

The tallest residential tower on Fifth Avenue has officially topped out. Developed by Rabina and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 88-story mixed-use tower at 520 Fifth Avenue has topped out at 1,002 feet, making it the second tallest structure on the iconic corridor after the Empire State Building. Slated for completion in 2025, the elegant skyscraper will feature boutique office floors on the lower levels, with luxury condos beginning on the 42nd floor.
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October 17, 2024

Dinosaur has landed: Meet the giant pigeon sculpture sitting on the High Line

A giant pigeon sculpture now gazes down upon bustling 10th Avenue. The High Line this week installed Iván Argote’s "Dinosaur" above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street as part of its High Line Plinth program. The 16-foot-tall, hyper-realistic sculpture, cast in aluminum, aims to challenge the typical power dynamic between humans and birds by elevating the pigeon above car-filled streets and High Line visitors. The sculpture will be on view for 18 months.
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October 17, 2024

$10B Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement project moves forward

The $10 billion project to replace the decrepit Port Authority Bus Terminal is moving forward. The City Planning Commission (CPC) on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve the Midtown bus terminal's revamp project, which replaces the dreary, aging 74-year-old facility with a vibrant, modern transit hub featuring ground-floor retail space and a public park. Plans to replace the terminal first surfaced more than 10 years ago to account for the expected growth in ridership. The plan now heads to the City Council for a vote.
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October 8, 2024

Primark opening first Manhattan store in Herald Square

Primark, the international clothing retailer known for its affordable prices, is opening its first store in Manhattan. The company announced on Tuesday plans to open a flagship location in Herald Square at 150 West 34th Street, between 7th Avenue and Broadway and across from the iconic Macy's store and Penn Station. The new storefront will replace an Old Navy store that has been there since 1999.
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October 3, 2024

Penn Station needs expansion to boost train capacity, new report concludes

The only way to increase train capacity at Penn Station is to expand the Midtown Manhattan transit hub, a new report concludes. This week Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and NJ Transit released "Doubling Trans-Hudson Train Capacity at New York Penn Station," an engineering feasibility study exploring four concepts to double train capacity without expanding the station's size. Ultimately, none of these proposals were found feasible, marking a shift in focus towards options that would increase Penn Station's footprint.
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September 24, 2024

The corner terrace at this $4.4M Stella Tower condo puts the city skyline at your feet

Stella Tower at 425 West 50th Street was designed in 1927 by renowned Deco-era architect Ralph Walker for the New York Telephone Company. The landmarked 17-story building, redesigned as a 21st-century condominium residence, retains its pre-war charm while offering an elevated level of modern luxury. This split two-bedroom home, asking $4,400,000, spans 1,763 square feet, offering the rare perk of a private corner terrace with one of the world's most dazzling city skylines just beyond.
step out and behold the view
September 13, 2024

Pedestrian plaza, two-way bike lane now on Broadway near Union Square

Broadway is gradually becoming a safer, more welcoming space for pedestrians and cyclists. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Thursday announced the completion of the latest phase of "Broadway Vision," bringing a new pedestrian plaza, two-way bike connections, and other safety upgrades between East 17th and East 21st Streets. The Union Square Partnership and the Flatiron NoMad Partnership will maintain the new spaces.
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July 31, 2024

A colossal pigeon will soon perch above the High Line

A giant pigeon sculpture will soon tower over 10th Avenue from its perch on the High Line. The High Line on Wednesday revealed its selection of artist Iván Argote’s "Dinosaur," a 16-foot-tall, hyper-realistic sculpture of a pigeon cast in aluminum, as its next High Line Plinth commission. The monumental bird will be installed above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street this October and remain on view for 18 months.
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July 15, 2024

Colorful lanterns sparkle over Broadway in the Garment District

A series of colorful lanterns are now sparkling above Broadway as part of a new public art installation in Midtown. The Garment District Alliance last week unveiled "New Start, New Hope," an exhibition featuring 135 colorful lanterns illuminating three plazas between 36th and 39th Streets. Created by local artist Xin Song, the installation adds brightness and a sense of calm to one of the city's busiest areas.
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July 11, 2024

Tracks Bar is reopening in Penn Station

As Penn Station continues its much-needed makeover, a beloved mainstay from its past is returning. Tracks Raw Bar & Grill will reopen at the Long Island Rail Road Concourse in Penn Station, five years after its iconic underground location closed to make way for a new entrance to the station. Expected to open by the end of the year, Tracks will occupy a 3,150-square-foot space that will recreate the restaurant's original "train-themed" decor and celebrate the history of the Long Island Rail Road with vintage prints and murals.
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July 9, 2024

Roberta’s Pizza opens next to Penn Station

Roberta's Pizza has opened its first standalone location in Manhattan. The renowned restaurant, which opened in Bushwick in 2008 and quickly became a foodie favorite for its wood-fired Neapolitan-style pies, can be found between 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, next to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, within Vornado's mixed-use Penn District campus. The two-story restaurant combines a ground-floor to-go slice shop, a full-service restaurant, and a roof deck with a Tiki bar, the latter of which will open later this month.
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June 17, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse closes for $115M

A penthouse at Central Park Tower closed for $115 million, becoming New York City's fourth priciest apartment sale on record. Taking up the 107th and 108th floors of the tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere, the duplex condo on Billionaires' Row was first listed for $175 million last March and entered contract early this year.
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June 13, 2024

The High Line celebrates 15 years as a public park

Fifteen years have passed since the High Line opened to the public, transforming a crumbling rail line into an urban oasis. Since opening in June 2009, more than 75 million people have visited the elevated public park. Its construction has generated over $2 billion in private investment and economic activity, creating a booming neighborhood with new residential and cultural developments centered around the park. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the High Line will host new public art installations, 15 free special events through the summer and fall, and temporarily reopen the interim walkway at the Western Rail Yards for the first time since 2022. The Western Rail Yards segment, the last of the original High Line structure to be rehabilitated, offers stunning 360-degree views of the Hudson River and cityscape.
happy birthday high line
May 30, 2024

Jessica Chastain’s lavish Osborne co-op lists for $7.45M

In 2015, actress Jessica Chastain made celebrity real estate news when she purchased a sprawling, opulent home in the venerable Osborne building at 205 West 57th Street for just over $5 million. Since then, the stunning four-bedroom, 3,200-square-foot home that once belonged to Leonard Bernstein has been impressively renovated and is back on the market, asking $7.45 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The iconic Midtown apartment has been featured in Architectural Digest and other design publications; historic architectural details like Tiffany glass and oak parquet floors have stood the test of time to frame a thoroughly star-worthy home.
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May 22, 2024

This $5M co-op at The Osborne has old-world glamour, Tiffany glass, and a bonus studio

This beautifully preserved co-op in The Osborne at 205 West 57th Street is a prime example of Billionaires' Row the way it used to be. Gilded Age grandeur is present in architectural details like carved mahogany moldings, leaded-glass windows, and Tiffany glass transoms, and rooms are large and gracious, with plenty of built-in storage. Asking $4,950,000, the three-bedroom property has the unique option of an adjacent studio unit, perfect for office space, guest or staff quarters, or to add to the main space as an additional bedroom.
osborne elegance, this way
May 8, 2024

A giant, confetti-shooting hot dog is now on view in Times Square

A confetti-shooting, 65-foot-long hot dog now sits in the heart of Times Square. Created by artists Jen Carton and Paul Outlaw, the animatronic sausage sculpture "Hot Dog in the City" seeks to celebrate the American hot dog while delving into the interconnected themes of consumption, capitalism, class, and culture within the context of the iconic New York City fast food. Located in Duffy Square, the installation, accompanied by programs and talks, is on view to the public through June 13.
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April 10, 2024

Fifth Avenue’s tallest residential tower launches sales, from $1.7M

Sales launched this week at 520 Fifth Avenue, the tallest residential tower on Fifth Avenue. Developed by Rabina and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 88-story skyscraper soars 1,000 feet above Midtown and features boutique office floors on the lower levels, a luxury members-only hospitality club, and 100 condos starting on the 42nd floor. Residences range from one to four bedrooms, with prices starting at $1.7 million.
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March 18, 2024

William Kentridge’s video animation of historical figures on view at Moynihan Train Hall

A cast of historical figures is watching travelers as they bustle through the waiting area of Moynihan Train Hall. Created by South African artist William Kentridge, "We Will Make Shoes from the Sky" is a multi-panel video animation featuring characters based on famous people from history, including several Black leaders like James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, and Aimé and Suzanne Césaire. The installation is currently on view on the digital screens in the main waiting area of Moynihan Train Hall.
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March 13, 2024

Focus on 57th Street: Manhattan real estate insiders Leslie Hirsch and Howard Morrel chart the rise of Billionaires’ Row

New York City’s most successful real estate agents make it their business to know the city’s highlights, hot spots, secrets, and specialties; many are NYC natives or longtime residents whose love for the city’s streets and avenues adds indisputable value to their career of choice. We’ve asked a few top agents to tell us about their favorite neighborhoods and share their views on what the city's future may hold. Read on for insights from Leslie Hirsch, an insider with an enviable view from Billionaires' Row.
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February 21, 2024

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 83 mixed-income apartments at a new rental in Midtown West. Located at 312 West 43rd Street on the border of Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, the 33-story building offers 330 luxury apartments with high-end finishes, state-of-the-art amenities, and a central location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income, or between $32,023 for a single person and $183,000 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $934/month studios to $3,813/month two bedrooms.
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February 16, 2024

Vornado floats temporary outdoor event space at site of demolished Hotel Pennsylvania

Vornado Realty Trust may bring an outdoor event space to the site of the former Hotel Pennsylvania as it delays constructing a 56-story office tower there. As first reported by Crain's, the developer has floated the idea of "Penn Platform," an 80,000-square-foot space for U.S. Open tennis matches, New York Fashion Week shows, concerts, soccer matches, and other events, in addition to giant billboards, as seen in conceptual renderings published in a marketing brochure. Located on 7th Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets, the site sits across from Penn Station and was once home to a 100-year-old hotel, which was demolished last year.
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February 2, 2024

Port Authority unveils revised design for $10B Midtown bus terminal

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Thursday unveiled an updated design for the project to build a new modern Midtown bus terminal and announced the publication of the draft environmental impact statement. Plans to replace the rundown 73-year-old bus terminal--the world's busiest--originated over 10 years ago to accommodate expected ridership growth. The terminal will cost $10 billion and take eight years to build, with construction potentially starting as early as this year.
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January 31, 2024

Major mixed-use development Manhattan West is officially complete

After several decades in the making, the mixed-use campus Manhattan West is officially complete. Brookfield Properties and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) on Tuesday announced the opening of Two Manhattan West, a 58-story skyscraper with two million square feet of office space. Located on the corner of Ninth Avenue and West 31st Street, Two Manhattan West is the final piece of the seven-million-square-foot Manhattan West, marking the completion of the new neighborhood.
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January 29, 2024

Rico Gatson’s colorful geometric art brings sense of peace to Penn Station

Penn Station's Amtrak concourse has been transformed with colorful geometric designs. Created by New York City-based artist Rico Gatson, the installation "Untitled (Collective Light Transfer)" covers the Amtrak concourse at New York Penn Station with captivating geometric compositions that fill the otherwise bland space with a "pulsating energy," representing the rhythm of constant movement as travelers bustle through the station. The art installation will be on view in the upper-level rotunda between the 8th Avenue Amtrak departure concourse and the 7th Avenue NJ Transit concourse through the summer.
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January 26, 2024

Roberta’s new location next to Penn Station will open this spring

Roberta's, one of New York's most well-known pizzerias, will finally open its new location next to Madison Square Garden this year. As first reported by Eater New York, the Bushwick-born restaurant signed a lease in November 2022 for a 5,200-square-foot space within the Vornado Realty Trust-developed Penn District, a new mixed-use campus around Penn Station, with plans to open last fall. New signage on the building, located at Penn 1 East between 33rd and 34th Streets says Roberta's will now open this spring.
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January 18, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse last listed for $149.5M finds buyer

Only two weeks into 2024 and New York City is already seeing record real estate deals. A 12,557-square-foot penthouse in Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street has entered contract, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The duplex condo at the Billionaires’ Row tower, considered the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere, was first listed in March for $175 million and most recently asked $149.5 million, according to CityRealty. The final deal turned out to be closer to $115 million, according to the Journal. The buyer has not been named.
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