New looks at Manhattan West and Empire Station developments show the future Midtown West

Imagine a future Midtown West with state-of-the-art retail and office towers, an abundance of open green space and an attractive, efficient transit station. While plans to bring all of that is in the works, it could be years away from becoming reality. As CityRealty learned, one of the neighborhood’s busiest developers, Brookfield Properties, is giving us a preview of what the area will eventually look like, with new renderings for its expansive, six-building Manhattan West project. Plus, the developer also created a CGI video that provides a virtual tour of the Empire Station, the hall currently undergoing renovations at Penn Station.

After decades of delays, construction finally began in June on the $1.6 billion plan to revamp Penn Station, starting with the transformation of the James A. Farley Post Office into the Moynihan Train Hall. As the renderings reveal, the new station will bring natural light into the space and make it easier to navigate, both things which are totally lacking in the current space.

Left to Right, One Manhattan West, The Eugene and Five Manhattan West

Manhattan West’s public space looking south

Brookfield’s seven million-square-foot Manhattan West development is the second largest master plan in the area. Currently under construction, the office tower at One Manhattan West will rise 67 stories and reach just under 1,000 feet. The other supertall planned for the development includes Two Manhattan West, a 56-story office tower with multiple lobbies and a black car drop-off.

Designed by REX and nearing completion, Five Manhattan West is considered the focal point of the new community. It recently underwent a $350 million renovation, which included a re-cladding of the exterior curtain wall and new elevators. Amazon will set up shop in the new building and a Whole Foods will occupy 60,000 square feet on its ground floor.

Other projects include The Lofts, a 13-story boutique office building measuring 200,000 square feet, and a 30-story hotel with 164 rooms. The 62-story residential building dubbed The Eugene is the only site open so far, which made its debut last year. The building, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merill (SOM), includes amenities like a rock climbing wall, arcade and private resident lounges.

In the center of Manhattan West, a two-acre public park designed by James Corner Field Operations (the mastermind behind the High Line’s design) is planned. More than 240,000 square feet of curated food, retail and other pop-up events are expected.

Watch the video from Brookfield below for a tour of the ambitious project taking shape on Manhattan’s West side:

[Via CityRealty]

RELATED:

• Construction to finally begin on the new Penn Station – see new renderings!
• Huge Whole Foods coming to Brookfield’s Manhattan West
• SOM Architects Reveal New Renderings of Hudson Yards-Adjacent Manhattan West Towers

Renderings via VisualHouse