Extell Development is getting ready to build a 25-story residential building on the former site of Congregation Habonim on 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. There will be 160 residential units and Congregation Habonim will get space will get space in the new building.
The site, at 36-44 West 66th Street, was actually home to three buildings and the synagogue, notes CityRealty, which got ahold of the rendering above from Extell.
Extell and Megalith Capital Management pieced together the parcel in the last few years, catching the eye of preservationists who were wary of another megatower on the site. There are multiple large building projects underway in Lincoln Square, including two others on the site of buildings formerly used for religious purposes: the former Lincoln Square Synagogue on 69th and the former American Bible Society building on 61st.
But CityRealty notes that this new tower is relatively short by comparison. In fact, residents might not even get views of the park.
“The renderings show a surprisingly conventional design composed of a tower covered in glass set back upon a two-story base. The project will top out at 292 feet, not high enough to eclipse the Europa next door and secure its residents with direct Central Park views. The floor schedule reveals its lower two levels will have space for a new synagogue and ground-floor retail. Amenities will include a pool and spa, bike storage and tenant storage.”
A building permit for the site indicates there will be low-income housing, but it’s not clear how many units.
The old buildings have been demolished. Here’s what the synagogue looked like before.
And here were the other buildings:
Can we stop with the glass already . Looks like Charlotte NC.
Days of masonry (brick, concrete, limestone, etc…) façade buildings in NYC, especially Manhattan are slowly dying if not over.
Glass curtain wall construction goes up faster and in general is less expensive. The latter figures heavily in NYC where land and construction costs are very high.
The push by NYC and federal government towards more energy efficient buildings is doing away with the steam or hot water heating most us know. Instead you are getting various HVAC systems from geothermal to PTAC with greater attention to tenants having control of their own heat. Glass curtain buildings are easier to “seal tight” which cuts energy losses.
In this current market developers want to get their new buildings up and marketed soon as possible, the better to bring in revenue from sales or rentals, and take advantage of market timing.
Sadly outside of perhaps some high end/luxury the days of anything remotely like “pre-war” construction are largely gone. This is unless developer has purchased an existing structure and is converting rather than tearing it down.
Charlotte is a beautiful city, we should be so lucky!
When are you moving?
The images suggest this will be a very boring building, adding to the surplus of such structures below 72nd Street on the west side. Too bad.
agree–ugleeeee
wish it would keep with the gothic vibe around here.
Oh, Ha-Boring! I think some of these architects are competing to kill us with banality.
What a boring building.
I though we built this one allready
Remember what happened with the Tower of Babel…
Should be noted that the site of the Guild for the Blind on 65th Street, directly behind this 66th Street site, has reportedly been sold and the Guild building will be replaced with one that tenants on the block have been informed will be 40-60 stories in height.
Considering the M66 crosstown bus currently goes west on 66th and east on 65th Streets. Considering bus stops, TV and commercial interests, and Bed Bath & Beyond’s loading area, it’s safe to say that street traffic will come to a standstill often during the day during these lengthy constructions. West 66th between CPW and Columbus is already regularly at a crawl because of lane closures and street light changes, and these construction projects haven’t even started.
Looks like a Holiday Inn or Marriott maybe?
Following up on Neighbor65’s comment…this will mean gridlock for the M66 bus which is already impacted by traffic.
West Side Rag – Would you have any info?
My suspect is: too mny lies to hide the truth. The new building will be another mega tower of more than 80 stories, like others on 57th St. The same company is working on this area.
Look at the link:
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=109656
The current picture is too generic, a big glass box without any sign of architectural genius. It seems a mask to leave the real intentions of the developer completely secret.
The value of hundreds units of the buildings around the actual hole risks to collapse, without any view at their windows
Welcome to the UWS, where design aethestic goes to die.