SL Green breaks ground on One Vanderbilt, NYC’s second tallest tower – see new renderings
Yesterday 6sqft brought you a time-lapse video showing an entire Midtown block being demolished to make way for the 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt. Now with a cleared site—plus $1.5 billion in construction financing secured—SL Green is ready to build anew, and Tuesday morning the developer held an official groundbreaking ceremony to mark the momentous occasion.
To mark the construction milestone, SL Green Chief Executive Officer, Marc Holliday, was joined by elected officials and partners, including New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, Congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney, Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer and Councilmember, Dan Garodnick. Images by 6sqft
Designed by the tall tower pros at Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects, One Vanderbilt will rise to become the second tallest tower in NYC and the tallest tower in Midtown. However, unlike the city’s other skyscraper additions noted for their slim silhouettes, this tower will be a behemoth occupying a full block between Vanderbilt and Madison avenues and East 42nd and East 43rd streets; the site is also directly adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. According to SL Green, the tower will not only add 1.6 million square feet of modern office space to Midtown East, but additionally host the city’s largest floor-to-ceiling windows (it is only 58 stories) and completely column-free floorplates. The project is also bringing with it $220 million worth of infrastructure improvements, including direct subway access from the building, new transit entrances, and public spaces.
Given the scale and cost of the project ($3 billion total), One Vanderbilt is being pegged as the catalyst needed for Midtown East’s renaissance. Though located in the heart of Manhattan, outdated spaces have made it difficult to bring new office and commercial tenants to the area. The hope is that the tower will pressure other building owners in the area to undertake renovations. Moreover, in August, the city released their Midtown East rezoning proposal, a plan that could bring another 16 towers to the area.
“It’s gratifying to be breaking ground not just on this building, but on what it represents: a massive investment in our transit and pedestrian infrastructure, and a first step toward the future of East Midtown,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “When development is done carefully, collaboratively, and produces real investments in the public realm that improve the neighborhood, everyone wins.”
Ground work on the site will continue into next year and construction on the tower itself is slated for the third quarter of 2017. The project is expected to wrap in 2020, and tenants will be allowed to move in once transit infrastructure is complete—a condition put in place by the city.
You can see even more newly released renderings in our gallery below.
[The official One Vanderbilt site]
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