15 Penn Plaza

Last updated

PENN 15
15 Penn Plaza Photomontage.jpg
A rendering of the planned tower
15 Penn Plaza
General information
StatusProposed
TypeMixed
Location15 Penn Plaza
(401 7th Avenue) [1]
Coordinates 40°44′59″N73°59′26″W / 40.74972°N 73.99056°W / 40.74972; -73.99056
Construction startedTBD
Estimated completionTBD
OpeningTBD
Height
Roof1,270 ft (390 m) [2]
Technical details
Floor count61
Floor area2,050,000 sq ft (190,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Pelli Clarke Pelli
DeveloperVornado Realty Trust
Structural engineerSeverud Associates

15 Penn Plaza, also known as PENN15 and Vornado Tower, is a planned office tower to be constructed by Vornado Realty Trust on Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The building, designed by Foster and Partners, will contain 430 units on 61 floors and 2,050,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of floor space as well as passageways to the adjacent Pennsylvania Station, 34th Street–Herald Square station, and the 33rd Street terminal of the PATH. Despite only having 61 floors, it is planned to be 1,270 feet (390 m) tall, [2] [3] 20 feet (6.1 m) taller than the mooring mast or spire of the Empire State Building [3] [4] two blocks east. [5] The timing of construction will be dependent on market conditions. Vornado is currently exploring using the site for "fashion shows or other temporary uses" until market conditions warrant construction of the building. [6]

Contents

History

Zoning approval and controversy

Anthony and Peter L. Malkin, owners of the Empire State Building, had requested the creation of a 17-block exclusion zone that would prohibit large buildings from being built that would obstruct views of their historic structure and suggested that the proposed skyscraper be limited to 825 feet (251 m) in height. They embarked on what The New York Times described as "a fierce public relations, advertising and lobbying campaign" to derail the project. [7]

In August 2010, the Malkins asked the New York City Council to deny permission for the construction of the tower because it would alter the skyline and obscure the view of the western side of the Empire State Building. [5] The approvals were also contested by historic preservationists worried about the demolition of the Hotel Pennsylvania, which was on the site of the proposed building. [8]

On August 25, 2010, in a 47–1 vote, the City Council voted to approve construction of the building. [7] The Council's zoning and land use committees approved the project and the full council overwhelmingly voted to approve the plan, with the only dissenter, Brooklyn Councilmember Charles Barron, voting in the negative as a protest against the absence of a guarantee by Vornado to hire minority and female construction workers. [7] In December 2011, the building project was postponed due to low office market rents. [9]

On March 4, 2013, Vornado announced that it was abandoning plans to build the tower; instead it will "invest aggressively" into the Hotel Pennsylvania to make it into "a really profitable, really good hotel for our purposes." [10] [11] [12]

In August 2014, citing increased interest from tenants, the project was unshelved and the proposed renovation of Hotel Penn was put on hold indefinitely. [13]

Still, as of February 2015, Vornado Chairman & CEO Steve Roth was non-committal to the project: "The Hotel Penn is important, but not the main event. The main event is to get the office buildings so that they command higher market ranch than they do currently. And by the way, they are rising with the marketplace, quite smartly, currently. So we’re not prepared to commit to what our plan for the Hotel Pennsylvania is." [14]

Manhattan Community Board 5 voted against the proposed project in December 2017, citing a request for higher energy efficiency and more public and transit improvemenets. [15] The New York City Department of City Planning approved the plan, which would allow the building to be 56% larger than standard zoning rules provide under special regulations that encourage the development of high-density office space near transit hubs.

Henry Stern, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said the proposed building "could do irreparable harm" to the city. However, Daniel Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership joined union and construction officials in saying that "If there's anywhere a building of this size and bulk should be built, it's at Penn Station." [5]

As part of the approval process, Vornado agreed to undertake $100 million in transit-related improvements that would reopen the "Gimbels passageway", which was blocked off in 1986 and would reconnect Penn Station to Herald Square at Sixth Avenue and the 34th Street–Herald Square station ( B , D , F , <F> , M , N , Q , R , and W trains) and the 33rd Street terminal of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train, which provides access to Hoboken–33rd Street, Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken) and Journal Square–33rd Street trains. An updated passageway would be built to the standards of "the elegant and efficient passageways at Grand Central and Rockefeller Center" and would also have integrated access to the proposed New Jersey Transit terminal that would be constructed as part of the Access to the Region's Core tunnel that was to be constructed under the Hudson River. [16]

Site clearing

In April 2021, Vornado again announced plans to demolish the hotel to make way for the new skyscraper, [17] [18] known as Penn15. [19] Demolition of the hotel was underway by January 2022 [20] [21] and was completed by July 2023. [22] After the Hotel Pennsylvania was demolished, Vornado explored using the site for "fashion shows or other temporary uses" until market conditions warrant construction of the building. [6] Vornado briefly considered obtaining a gambling license for a building on the site in 2023, but the plan was dropped amid competition from other developers. [23] In February 2024, Vornado considered a temporary event venue for the site, which might include a 10-story billboard and tennis courts. [24] [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Penn Station</span> Major rail hub in New York City

Pennsylvania Station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers per weekday as of 2019. The station is located beneath Madison Square Garden in the block bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets and in the James A. Farley Building, with additional exits to nearby streets, in Midtown Manhattan. It is close to several popular Manhattan locations, including Herald Square, the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy's Herald Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">555 California Street</span> 52-story skyscraper in San Francisco

555 California Street, formerly Bank of America Center, is a 52-story 779 ft (237 m) skyscraper in San Francisco, California. It is the fourth tallest building in the city as of February 2021, and in 2013 was the largest by floor area. Completed in 1969, the tower was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until the completion of the Transamerica Pyramid in 1972, and the world headquarters of Bank of America until the 1998 merger with NationsBank, when the company moved its headquarters to the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is currently owned by Vornado Realty Trust and The Trump Organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Mall</span> Shopping mall in New York, United States

Manhattan Mall was an indoor shopping mall at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. There are entrances to the New York City Subway's 34th Street–Herald Square station and the PATH's 33rd Street station on the second basement level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Central–42nd Street station</span> New York City Subway station complex in Manhattan

The Grand Central–42nd Street station is a major station complex of the New York City Subway. Located in Midtown Manhattan at 42nd Street between Madison and Lexington Avenues, it serves trains on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, the IRT Flushing Line and the 42nd Street Shuttle. The complex is served by the 4, 6, and 7 trains at all times; the 5 and 42nd Street Shuttle (S) trains at all times except late nights; the <6> train during weekdays in the peak direction; and the <7> train during rush hours and early evenings in the peak direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

34th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs the width of Manhattan Island from West Side Highway on the West Side to the FDR Drive on the East Side. 34th Street is used as a crosstown artery between New Jersey to the west and Queens to the east, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey with the Queens–Midtown Tunnel to Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Penn Plaza</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

Penn 1 is a skyscraper in New York City, located between 33rd Street and 34th Street, west of Seventh Avenue, and adjacent to Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. It is the tallest building in the Pennsylvania Plaza complex of office buildings, hotels, and entertainment facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street–Herald Square station</span> New York City Subway station complex in Manhattan

The 34th Street–Herald Square station is an underground station complex on the BMT Broadway Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan where 34th Street, Broadway and Sixth Avenue intersect, and is served by the D, F, N, and Q trains at all times; the R train at all times except late nights; the B, M, and W trains on weekdays; and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Farley Building</span> Historic post office in Manhattan, New York

The James A. Farley Building is a mixed-use structure in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, which formerly served as the city's main United States Postal Service (USPS) branch. Designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Beaux-Arts style, the structure was built between 1911 and 1914, with an annex constructed between 1932 and 1935. The Farley Building, at 421 Eighth Avenue between 31st Street and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, faces Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street–Penn Station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

34th Street–Penn Station is an express station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 34th Street and Seventh Avenue, it is served by the 1 and 2 trains at all times, and the 3 train at all times except late nights. Connections are available to the LIRR, NJ Transit and Amtrak at Pennsylvania Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street–Penn Station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

34th Street–Penn Station is an express station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 34th Street and Eighth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is served by the A and E trains at all times, and by the C train at all times except late nights. The station is adjacent to Pennsylvania Station, the busiest railroad station in the United States as well as a major transfer point to Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the Long Island Rail Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cira Centre</span> Office high-rise in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Cira Centre is a 29-story, 437-foot (133 m) office high-rise in the University City section of Philadelphia, directly connected to Amtrak's 30th Street Station. Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust and designed by César Pelli, it was built in 2004-05 on a platform over rail tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 New York Place</span> Canceled skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

1 New York Place was a supertall skyscraper proposed in 2002 that would have risen 1,050 feet tall and had ninety floors, but the project was canceled. It was supposed to be located in New York City’s Financial District in Lower Manhattan. It would have taken up an entire block on Broadway where Fulton Street and John Street meet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Pennsylvania</span> Former hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Hotel Pennsylvania was a hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. It remained the fourth largest in New York City until it closed permanently on April 1, 2020. After years of unsuccessful preservation battles, it was demolished in 2023. The hotel is to be replaced by 15 Penn Plaza, a 68-story tower.

The Madison Square Garden Towers were the name of proposed twin 1,400 ft-tall (427 m) residential skyscrapers that were to be constructed north of Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The project featured a complex of seven buildings, including a stadium and a new Penn Station. The cost of the project was US$14 billion. The architects Norman Foster and David Childs, and the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill were designing the project. The owners were Stephen Ross of Related Cos. and Steven Roth of Vornado Realty Trust. The towers would have risen to be two of the tallest structures in the Midtown Manhattan skyline, with one rising higher than the Empire State Building, currently one of New York's tallest buildings at 1,250 feet and would also have been higher than the roof, though not the spire, of One World Trade Center. The towers are essentially canceled as Madison Square Garden went ahead with renovations of the current arena, rather than a relocation that would have made the towers possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">888 Seventh Avenue</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

888 Seventh Avenue is a 628 ft (191m) tall modern-style office skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan which was completed in 1969 and has 46 floors. Emery Roth & Sons designed the building. 888 Seventh Avenue is L-shaped in plan, with wings extending north to 57th Street and east to Seventh Avenue, around the adjacent Rodin Studios. It currently carries the Vornado Realty Trust corporate headquarters. Previously known as the Arlen Building, it had been named for the company responsible for its construction, Arlen Realty & Development Corporation. The Red Eye Grill is located in the building at street level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan is a hotel at 1601 Broadway, between 48th and 49th Streets, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The hotel is operated by third-party franchisee Highgate and is part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group's Crowne Plaza chain. It has 795 guestrooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)</span> Former train station in New York City

Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station in New York City that was built for, named after, and originally occupied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The station occupied an 8-acre (3.2 ha) plot bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. As the station shared its name with several stations in other cities, it was sometimes called New York Pennsylvania Station. Originally completed in 1910, the aboveground portions of the building were demolished in 1963, and the underground concourses and platforms were heavily renovated to form the current Pennsylvania Station within the same footprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Street Station District</span>

The 30th Street Station District, also referred to as the 30th Street District, is a master planned urban development centered around 30th Street Station located in West Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The area will be home to eight modern skyscrapers or high rises ranging in heights between 405 ft and1,200 ft with four other buildings. The property, if approved and built, will be owned by Amtrak and will be a major addition to the City of Philadelphia. The project is expected to cost between seven and eleven billion dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moynihan Train Hall</span> Expansion of New York Penn Station (opened 2021)

Moynihan Train Hall is an expansion of Pennsylvania Station, the main intercity and commuter rail station in New York City, into the city's former main post office building, the James A. Farley Building. Located between Eighth Avenue, Ninth Avenue, 31st Street, and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, the annex provides new access to most of Penn Station's platforms for Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road passengers, serving 17 of the station's 21 tracks. The hall is named after Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the U.S. senator who had originally championed the plan. The building's Beaux-Arts exterior resembles that of the original Penn Station; both buildings were designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White.

References

  1. "Property Profile Overview". New York City Department of Buildings . Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Penn 15 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "New renderings of Foster + Partners' PENN 15; Vornado-developed supertall to replace Pennsylvania Hotel". www.cityrealty.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  4. "Empire State Building - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Bagli, Charles V. (August 23, 2010). "A Fight on New York's Skyline" . The New York Times .
  6. 1 2 Barry, Dan (December 29, 2023). "Where You Can Still Glimpse the Glory of a Vanished Grand Hotel" . The New York Times .
  7. 1 2 3 Bagli, Charles V. (August 25, 2010). "New Skyscraper to Rival Empire State Building" . The New York Times .
  8. Satow, Julie (March 16, 2011). "Developers in New York Try to Ease Prickly Relations" . The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331.
  9. "Vornado considers renovating Hotel Pennsylvania instead of erecting massive skyscraper". The Real Deal New York. December 14, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. "Long Live Hotel Pennsylvania". The Wall Street Journal.
  11. "Hotel Pennsylvania to be renovated, not razed". Crain's New York Business.
  12. "Renderings don't always paint a pretty picture". The Real Deal Magazine.
  13. "Famed Hotel Pennsylvania facing wrecking ball again". New York Post.
  14. "Vornado's 4th Quarter call". Hotel Pennsylvania Preservation Society. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  15. N 150086 CMM and N 150087 CMM, 15 Penn Plaza, Application for the second and final renewal of two special permits (C100049 ZSM and C 100050 ZSM), Manhattan Community Board 5, December 2017. Accessed December 28, 2023. "Community Board Five recommends denial of the application for renewal of two special permits unless the applicant agrees to design and build to a standard 30-percent more efficient than the New York City energy code of 2015, and provide a more robust package of public realm and transit improvements consistent with those outlined in the Board's 2010 recommendation for denial."
  16. "Vornado plans $100 million on Penn Station transit upgrades". The Star-Ledger . Bloomberg News. August 23, 2010.
  17. Wong, Natalie (April 9, 2021). "NYC's Hotel Penn to Be Razed as Vornado Plans Stock Spinoff" . Bloomberg News .
  18. "Vornado Realty Trust Plans to Raze Hotel Pennsylvania" . The Real Deal . April 12, 2021.
  19. Price, Brian (April 4, 2021). "New York City's Next Empire State Building-Sized Tower Could Be 'PENN 15'". NBC New York .
  20. Scott, Max (January 31, 2022). "At NYC's Hotel Pennsylvania, Interior Demolition Has Begun". Untapped New York.
  21. Garber, Nick (February 7, 2022). "Fire Breaks Out In Hotel Pennsylvania With Demolition Underway". Patch Media .
  22. Young, Michael; PruznicK, Matt (December 30, 2022). "Demolition Progresses For 1,200-Foot PENN15 At 15 Penn Plaza In Midtown, Manhattan". New York YIMBY.
  23. Larsen, Keith (October 31, 2023). "Vornado Realty Trust Ditching NYC Casino Plan". The Real Deal. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  24. "Vornado Serves Up New Pitch at Hotel Pennsylvania Site". The Real Deal. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  25. Elstein, Aaron; Hughes, C. J. (February 14, 2024). "Vornado's latest Penn Station pivot calls for tennis courts, fashion shows and a 10-story billboard". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 20, 2024.