June 24, 20204 yr Author no, the “burnt out area” you were awed by next to ps1 was definately 5pointz. it was right across the street and highly unusual looking. it was called fun factory in the 90s but it was the same place. it definately was famous and was very well known then as it was later on, but it did get way more popular as the end drew near. there was nothing else anything like that around there or anywhere. the rest of lic is and always was basically intact neighborhood strips, a ton of warehouses and court square. the only thing remarkable was that there was a ton of it and many of the large warehouse type buildings are pretty epic. the waterfront was cool to explore before it was all redeveloped, when it was decrepit, but interesting. i have friends that had ps1 shows and one who lived next to vernon jackson station, so i spent a lot of time there in the 1990s. it was never a bad place at all, just strangely underpopulated if anything. it always had a lot of cabbie lots and buildings, but there was a sort of interesting time then in the late 90s-early 2000s when the cabbie joints just exploded over there after they got chased out of chelsea because the soho art galleries started moving in. as for brooklyn/queens being far away, no. the hipster era was still peaking in w’burg by 2000 and the diy era had died off as rents were rising with the popularity. it was basically what bushwick is today and the east village & tribeca was before it.
June 24, 20204 yr Being only 31, I do wish I could have at the very least seen some of the pre-boom era NYC. I recently watched the classic Scorsese film After Hours and a lot of it takes place on the corner by the only bougie brunch place I'm okay with going to haha. It's so interesting to see SoHo when it was still a thriving artist community and still had the layers of grime on it from the post-war fallout of the city. Alas, nothing I can do about when I was born haha. All I can hope for is that with a seeming leveling off of population and housing prices the last few years, some of the culture that left when they got priced out. But that's very much to be seen if that'll play out or not.
June 24, 20204 yr 9 hours ago, mrnyc said: the rest of lic What's surprising about the transformation is that it doesn't appear that they did any major street widenings or street reconfigurations, so we now have a crowding of hi-rises along narrow streets that meet at odd angles. It's one of the only places in the United States where this sort of situation arose, and the other examples are all downtowns (Boston, Wall St., Pittsburgh, etc.).
June 24, 20204 yr That's actually one of the reasons I like LIC in spite of the new towers being mostly uninteresting. The number of towers built in the last 15 years is impressive, but feels even more dense than it actually is because they terminate sightlines in a way you don't get much of in NYC outside of Lower Manhattan and to a lesser extent, looking at Downtown Brooklyn from some adjacent neighborhoods. There is something nice about views being terminated by towers rather than extending to the horizon in a street grid. It makes it feel a little more intimate and human scaled than, say, looking north or south on on one of Manhattan's avenues. For a primarily residential neighborhood, I think it works well. In terms of streets, I've never actually seen any sort of major traffic gridlock in LIC other than leading to the bridge. it's actually a fairly quiet neighborhood despite the 20,000+ units added since the turn of the century. The bigger issue is, apparently, the 7 train. I personally don't see it since the 7 train is super efficient these days (most efficient in the city) and my commute has never become uncomfortably crowded when we get to LIC on the 7. A lot of people switch at Queensboro Plaza and Court Square, but next to nobody gets on or off at Hunters Point Ave or Vernon/Jackson Blvd. The "7 train is so overcrowded already, no more development!" brand of NIMYism seems to be based on past years when the 7 train had major reliability issues, but these days it doesn't really seem to make much of a difference.
June 24, 20204 yr Author ^ yes, that is so interesting that lic remains relatively super quiet still, even with all the development. in fact, a very interesting thing is the only area of lic that was ever really busy, queensboro plaza, used to be much more chaotic with traffic, but among all the development the traffic was actually calmed around there and its much smoother and quieter than it used to be. i almost can't believe it still has the quiet vibe everywhere, but its great and i dont think that will change. i would not hesitate to live there, so good neighborhood to go for someday. 2 hours ago, jmecklenborg said: What's surprising about the transformation is that it doesn't appear that they did any major street widenings or street reconfigurations, so we now have a crowding of hi-rises along narrow streets that meet at odd angles. It's one of the only places in the United States where this sort of situation arose, and the other examples are all downtowns (Boston, Wall St., Pittsburgh, etc.). actually it's the same all over queens, not just lic. that's because queens is a collection of stitched together very old towns and later fill in developments. the streets are rather bizarre and can be all but impenetrable to outsiders trying to find addresses, even with gps and maps. that's because you will run into confusing street situations like 21st av, 21st rd and 21st drive, etc., all next to each other. this is known locally as queens logic lol. however, actually there is a method to the madness, somewhat, if it's worth your time lol: https://stevemorse.org/census/changes/QueensFormat.htm
June 24, 20204 yr Author here is a great view from 6/20 of the bulky, dueling 50 hy and spiral towers going up on the north end of the hudson yards neighborhood. i dk what the pit is is the foreground on the left - i thought more park, but being a pit seems like another building? the javits convention center is on the right, i think the architect took this pic from the roof there.
June 24, 20204 yr Author 2 manhattan west is also well underway and out of the ground nearby. it will be a twin to the other tower to its north. when completed, these two very handsome and lux new towers will be the most reminiscent of the old wtc twins.
June 24, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, mrnyc said: here is a great view from 6/20 of the bulky, dueling 50 hy and spiral towers going up on the north end of the hudson yards neighborhood. i dk what the pit is is the foreground on the left - i thought more park, but being a pit seems like another building? the javits convention center is on the right, i think the architect took this pic from the roof there. That pit is two things. Closer to the Javitz Center is this. https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/foundation-walls-being-formed-at-450-eleventh-avenue-while-excavation-continues-in-hudson-yards.html Further back will be additional park space for Hudson Boulevard Park which will eventually extend all the way to 39th with a possible future landbridge extending it to 42nd.
June 24, 20204 yr It's certainly interesting. I just hope the glazing is high enough quality for the faceted twisting to look good. Being a hotel though...I have concerns but will reserve judgment until I see it in person.
June 24, 20204 yr Author exactly. high potential for cost cutting unfortunately. this even happened to the high end tower next to the shed, where the corset design got tossed out. so i hope it goes as inspired, because that bland dystopian area could really use a post-post modern/deconstructivist looking building like this.
June 24, 20204 yr The Corset with the pool up against the glazing at the central bulge was such a cool concept. Watching the video of them tying string around a rectangular building, pulling it tight, then scanning it in to come up with the general form was really unique way to approach high rise design. What got built has its moments, but they're mostly a result of the Shed. I actually think in general some of the best residential development and proposals have been in Lower Manhattan. My personal favorite citywide is 130 Williams. I mean, look at how sexy this pool is.
June 24, 20204 yr 130 Williams always reminded me of a more modern take of Génova 33 in CDMX before, ya know...the earthquake took it out. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 24, 20204 yr Author oh right - la zona rosa - i might have a pic of that bldg somewhere. it does resemble 130 williams for sure. in the same way tj maxx is a retail store just like bergdorf goodman is lol.
June 24, 20204 yr 36 minutes ago, jmicha said: The Corset with the pool up against the glazing at the central bulge was such a cool concept. Watching the video of them tying string around a rectangular building, pulling it tight, then scanning it in to come up with the general form was really unique way to approach high rise design. What got built has its moments, but they're mostly a result of the Shed. I actually think in general some of the best residential development and proposals have been in Lower Manhattan. My personal favorite citywide is 130 Williams. I mean, look at how sexy this pool is. Oh my.
June 24, 20204 yr 45 minutes ago, mrnyc said: oh right - la zona rosa - i might have a pic of that bldg somewhere. it does resemble 130 williams for sure. in the same way tj maxx is a retail store just like bergdorf goodman is lol. 1 hour ago, jmicha said: Not sure I should laugh or feel offended...haha. Well, it's gone now so 130 wins! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 4, 20204 yr Author i took this yesterday -- it's the spiral and 50 hy under construction w/30 hy.
July 6, 20204 yr Hudson Yards is definitely coming along. It's sort of insane how much it has taken off. Also you can tell you work in the Financial District and take the 2/3 to Wall Street when you see that 130 William is referred to as 130 Williams ?
July 8, 20204 yr Author ^ yeah williams is short for william street lol. *** this is a big one. a $2B development in southern astoria, queens. the developers are wtc larry silverstein and kaufman astoria studios and the architect is oda. 2700 apts and 400k+ office/retail. the site in nothing but a bunch of low rise warehouses: Proposed $2 Billion Mixed-Use Complex Revealed In Astoria, Queens Rendering of Innovation QNS - ODA New York BY: SEBASTIAN MORRIS 8:00 AM ON JULY 8, 2020 A preliminary action statement will be filed with the Department of City Planning in July, with the full public review process slated to begin in late 2020 or early 2021. more: https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/proposed-2-billion-mixed-use-complex-revealed-in-astoria-queens.html
July 9, 20204 yr This is from last fall, but nevertheless very much worth the read: https://nypost.com/2019/11/05/why-are-new-yorkers-losing-their-s-t-over-wegmans-in-brooklyn/
July 9, 20204 yr Author the disneyfication of manhattan continues: Demolition Complete For Disney’s Headquarters At Four Hudson Square, In Hudson Square 8:00 AM ON JULY 7, 2020 BY MICHAEL YOUNG Demolition is finished and excavation work is now in full swing for Disney’s new 1.2-million-square-foot headquarters at 137 Varick Street, aka Four Hudson Square. Since YIMBY’s last update in late February, the final remaining building at 304 Hudson Street has been cleared from the property, which Disney purchased from Trinity Church Real Estate for $650 million. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed in partnership with Silverstein Properties, the upcoming 22-story building will eventually top out at 320 feet tall. Skanska oversaw the demolition process for the Hudson Squarecomplex, which involved the razing of four structures. ... the symmetrical pair of 320-foot-tall towers that will rise from a full-block podium. Multiple setbacks will provide outdoor terraces for occupants. The exterior envelope is planned to be composed of pale green terracotta panels, bronze finishes, and floor-to-ceiling glass. The materials were selected in order to contextually blend with the surrounding Hudson Square neighborhood. The property will include multiple film and production studios, office space, and ground-floor retail. more: https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/demolition-complete-for-disneys-headquarters-at-four-hudson-square-in-hudson-square.html
July 12, 20204 yr Author massive new development for lic queens on the former amazon annable basin area site: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-edit-lic-20200712-wcvj23masvd33o2ntwcp36ekfm-story.html
July 15, 20204 yr Author news from the neo gothic 9 dekalb tower in downtown brooklyn -- the structure is up over the adjacent bank dome now and it should continue rising fast. for now -- here are a few facade mockups via the developer: please tell me this is some sort of lighting for it ? !!!
July 15, 20204 yr Author news on three of the bigger current nyc developments, which include: - rezoning the gowanus area - a supertall in midtown in place of the hyatt next to grand central - and the anable basin in lic, queens noted above more: https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/7/12/21321886/nyc-developers-construction-inequality-coronavirus re the grand central hyatt: The second major project involves tearing down Donald Trump’s original claim to real estate fame, the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central, and replacing it with a smaller Hyatt hotel, modern Class A office space and a major retail component at a likely cost of $3 billion. The project is in what is called a scoping process, but developers hope it will be certified for ULURP next year and approved before de Blasio leaves office. The deal is expected to pay for critical subway upgrades at Grand Central and create open space and wider sidewalks. and here the lic, queens anable basin study -- fka amazon hq2 Edited July 15, 20204 yr by mrnyc
July 16, 20204 yr Author lets not forget the other side of the coin in developments! this marriot is downtown. Construction Resumes On Marriott High-Rise At 215 Pearl Street In The Financial District more: https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/construction-resumes-on-marriott-high-rise-at-215-pearl-street-in-the-financial-district.html also, michael kimmelman, the architecture critic for the ny times reviewed this building yesterday. in the print version, it was really strange because there was column space for a full article and perhaps 1200-1500 words, but he only wrote two. under his byline he wrote: "sh*t box" and that's it. ?
July 17, 20204 yr How dare you post that rendering here. For real though, one silver lining to the tourist industry dying and likely staying that way until 2023 at the earliest is that all these craptastic hotels will stop being built for awhile. Midtown is a mess of setback, cheaply designed, even cheaper built midrise hotels. It's a shame how many continuous streetwalls were ruined because of the zoning code's love of sky exposure planes but no recourse for forcing building up to the sidewalk below the sky exposure plane. Dumb all around.
July 27, 20204 yr Author yesterday --- more google ny underway below houston and the west side highway
July 27, 20204 yr Author this is the fascinating and crazy new pier park aka the little park that barry diller is paying for. the foreground pier is the future gansevoort plaza park pier it's cleared and prepped, but nothing happening lately
July 27, 20204 yr Author i see today they are just about done with the crown facade on one vanderbilt tower next door to grand central and they put the spire back up. https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/one-vanderbilts-spire-reinstalled-atop-midtown-east.html the 49 story 18 sixth is halfway done. its next to the barclays arena in brooklyn. china's greenland is the developer -- it was fka the forest city ratner atlantic yards development. https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/18-sixth-avenue-surpasses-the-barclays-center-roof-in-prospect-heights-brooklyn.html feast your eyes on this classly gray 20 story robt a.m. stern render for 1228 madison ave. https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/robert-a-m-stern-architects-unveils-boutique-residential-tower-at-1228-madison-avenue-in-manhattan.html and speaking of madison ave, last, but not least, is another 1000'er in the works for the old midtown mta hq building https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/07/supertall-plans-for-343-madison-avenue-reveal-new-55-story-and-1050-foot-tall-office-tower-in-midtown-east.html
August 4, 20204 yr Author here is a render of 9 dekalb in downtown brooklyn from what looks like the statue of liberty area. gives quite a sense of the scale of it.
August 4, 20204 yr Author looks like a new office bldg is on the menu for ibm. a new tower for the one madison site on madison sq park is in the lead: The move would restore some confidence in the office sector, which has nosedived. Just 8.3 million square feet has been leased in Manhattan this year, down from almost 15 million at this point last year, CBRE reported. more: https://therealdeal.com/2020/07/31/ibm-narrows-search-for-big-manhattan-office/
August 5, 20204 yr Author one of the hunters point south buildings on the queens waterfront topped out. it all should be done by winter 2022. more: https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/08/odas-52-41-center-boulevard-tops-out-over-hunters-point-queens.html
August 10, 20204 yr Author finally -- the crown was taking forever -- but one vanderbilt facade is now complete!
August 19, 20204 yr Author a summer roundup and push for movement on these projects: https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/7/12/21321886/nyc-developers-construction-inequality-coronavirus
September 1, 20204 yr ^Has there ever been a weekend where one couldn’t find four moving trucks on the UWS??? My hovercraft is full of eels
September 9, 20204 yr Yeah, the ACTUAL stats show this is all just rhetoric and nothing more. A lot of people move this time of year. It's not abnormal for August/September to have streets filled with moving trucks. From what the stats show, Manhattan has seen a decent drop in demand, but the people aren't fleeing for the suburbs, they're just fleeing to the other boroughs. Wanting more room doesn't require a monumental lifestyle shift like these articles suggest.
September 9, 20204 yr August/September moves are left over from people being in school when they were younger.
September 15, 20204 yr Author 9 dekalb today via dtbkfan --- it's leaping up there pretty quickly now --- now hopefully we get some facade soon!
September 21, 20204 yr Author downtown in front of city hall park 45 park place and 23 park row are turning out better than i had thought they would.
September 21, 20204 yr Author some sort of redevelopment for gov's island? i doubt it will happen, but having just been there recently i see they at least they stuffed the new bldgs into the right places. See the ambitious proposal for a climate change research center on Governors Island SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 BY DEVIN GANNON Plans to bring a climate change research center on Governors Island are moving ahead. The Trust for Governors Island on Thursday unveiled a proposal for a new research center that would be dedicated to studying the impacts of climate change and serve as a platform for environmental justice organizations and solutions-based public programs. The project involves rezoning the southern end of the island to make space for up to about 4 million square feet of development. The rezoning proposal is expected to enter the city’s formal public land-use review process next month. “As a city of islands with 520 miles of coastline, the devastating impacts of climate change remain one of the most urgent issues facing our communities,” Alicia Glen, Trust for Governors Island Chair, said. “This exciting plan for Governors Island will bring a tremendous resource that not only represents an important step forward for the City’s recovery but also acknowledges and builds upon our history as the global center for innovation and progress.” more: https://www.6sqft.com/see-the-ambitious-proposal-for-a-climate-change-research-center-on-governors-island/
September 30, 20204 yr Author omg my stomach flipped with vertigo over this insta video clip lol. watch them put up the lightning rod in 111 w57st:
October 1, 20204 yr Author this is very interesting. the hudson river park, the ribbon of former piers turned into parkland along the westside of manhattan, opened a new pier park yesterday. it has an innovative eco-tidal feature. its's pier 26 downtown in tribeca (what? did you think the poors get this stuff? ? ). maybe i am misremembering, but i think originally they were originally talking about making part of this a beach? i guess they backed out on that. Tribeca’s eco-friendly Pier 26 opens with innovative man-made tidal marsh A new eco-friendly public pier opened in Tribeca on Wednesday, the first to open at the four-mile-long Hudson River Park in 10 years. Designed by landscape architecture firm OLIN, Pier 26 spans 2.5 acres, features indigenous plants and trees, and boasts multi-use recreation fields. But the most unique element of the new $37.7 million pier is a man-made rocky tidal marsh and the cantilevered walkway that hangs above it, providing an ecological experience and incredible water and Statue of Liberty views at the same time. more + pics: https://www.6sqft.com/tribecas-eco-friendly-pier-26-opens-with-innovative-man-made-tidal-marsh/
October 1, 20204 yr Has anyone seen or discussed this yet? This is crazy! I don't think it'll ever be built, though: https://www.6sqft.com/roosevelt-island-mandragore-carbon-sink-tower-rescubika/
October 1, 20204 yr ^Speaking of islands, I don't know if it was posted on this thread but there is a legit proposal back in 2017 or 2018 to extend one of the subway lines that terminates in lower Manhattan (probably the #1) under the harbor to Governor's Island and Red Hook. There would be a single station at Governor's Island and 1-3 stations in Red Hook. I messed around and tried to figure out a way to extend that extension into Brooklyn or (gasp!) Staten Island but nothing really stood out as a possibility, especially since most of the Brooklyn lines are letters and so incompatible with the #1.
October 1, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, Zyrokai said: Has anyone seen or discussed this yet? This is crazy! I don't think it'll ever be built, though: https://www.6sqft.com/roosevelt-island-mandragore-carbon-sink-tower-rescubika/ So this shares space with the recently completed aspects of the Cornell Tech campus so it's simply a vision and not a real proposal attached to any real possible development project. Thankfully...
October 1, 20204 yr Author 1 hour ago, jmecklenborg said: ^Speaking of islands, I don't know if it was posted on this thread but there is a legit proposal back in 2017 or 2018 to extend one of the subway lines that terminates in lower Manhattan (probably the #1) under the harbor to Governor's Island and Red Hook. There would be a single station at Governor's Island and 1-3 stations in Red Hook. I messed around and tried to figure out a way to extend that extension into Brooklyn or (gasp!) Staten Island but nothing really stood out as a possibility, especially since most of the Brooklyn lines are letters and so incompatible with the #1. there was zero chance of that one ever happening. the tri-boro rx is the big priority transit dream project for the boros. oh yeah and diblasio's waterfront light rail, which isn't going to happen either. but ... there is some actual good mta news, there is movement on the 2nd avenue subway, if you can believe it. they are identifying and buying up properties along the route so its shovel ready.
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