SHoP Architects’ Controversial Seaport Tower Won’t Move Ahead
Rendering of the proposed 494-foot tower via SHoP Architects
The long-plagued condo tower designed by SHoP Architects for the Fulton Fish Market site at the South Street Seaport has been nixed, according to statements made by the Howard Hughes Corporation at a community board meeting last night. DNAinfo, who first reported on the fate of the 494-foot tower, says that the developer will instead construct a “not tall” commercial building at what’s now known as the New Market Building site.
SHoP’s first incarnation of the tower appeared in 2013, when they proposed a 650-foot, 52-story building. But after major concerns about its appropriateness were brought up by neighborhood residents and elected officials, the firm scaled the tower back to 494 feet and 42 stories, also agreeing to incorporate a middle school and waterfront esplanade. Many were still not satisfied, especially since the historic (though not landmarked) New Market Building would have been replaced as part of the plan and the tower would have blocked views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The overall redevelopment of the Seaport by Howard Hughes was expected to cost $1.5 billion. A spokesperson for the corporation said:
We continue to work on a revised mixed-use development plan taking into account feedback from the community and elected officials which requests the omission of a residential tower. We are steadfast in our commitment to the revitalization of the storied Seaport District, making it once again one of New York’s premier destinations and a much needed anchor for the people of Lower Manhattan.
[Via DNAinfo]
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