Rafael Viñoly reveals new renderings of ‘Auto Row’ office addition
Historically, Auto Row, the stretch of eleventh in the 50s, has been somewhat a no-man’s land to most, save for those rare New Yorkers who own a car. But with Hudson Yards pushing development westward, it’s now coming out of the shadows. One of these projects is Rafael Viñoly Architects‘ addition to 787 Eleventh Avenue, an Art Deco industrial building that was originally home to the Packard Motor Company when it opened in 1927 to the designs of Albert Kahn. Viñoly’s $100 million commission is adding two stories off office space to the top of the eight-story building, converting the other floors to commercial space, and retaining the current auto dealerships on the lower five levels. It’s been more than two years since the first renderings were revealed, and now the firm has released an additional batch that show aerial views of the addition, more office views, and a closer look at the 12,000-square-foot roof deck.
The project was first announced in February 2016, when Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management and Adam Flatto of Georgetown Company tapped Viñoly to add nearly 86,000 square feet of space to the existing 460,000-square-foot building that they had bought the previous July for $255 million. Vinoly said previously in a statement, “The opportunity to combine the building’s historic architecture with a sleek and modern design is one I could not pass up.”
As the architects describe:
A main feature of the structure is its one-acre floors and wide column spacing, which afford open layouts that allow tenants to fit more employees per floor. Viñoly’s design removes the existing seventh floor slab to create a double-height office space there. Oversize windows provide ample natural light to the large floor plans.
The new ninth and tenth floors were set back from the perimeter to create the recreational roof deck. These glass-wrapped floors have direct access to the terrace, which will be available to all employees on floors six through ten. These office tenants will also be able to utilize a private subway shuttle service. Though not shown in the renderings, most reports up to this point have said that the roof will hold a tennis court, as Ackman is an avid fan of the sport.
Pershing Square is relocating its headquarters to the penthouse. It was announced last month that a group of celebrities including LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger, music mogul Jimmy Iovine, and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner invested in the building, though the value is not known.
Renderings by Neoscape, courtesy of Rafael Viñoly Architects
