New renderings of One Vanderbilt—a glassy office tower slotted to loom more than 1,000 feet over Grand Central by 2021—reveal just how unquestionably the building's tiered facade will conquer the Midtown East skyline.
As if to reinforce its dominance, these latest renderings by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox, acquired by YIMBY, show the Chrysler Building reflected in One Vanderbilt's flank, diminutive in comparison.
YIMBY points out that One Vanderbilt will be the first tower in the neighborhood to exceed the Chrysler Building in height; its roof will top that of One World Trade Center.
This spring, the City Council approved a rezoning proposal for the so-called Vanderbilt Corridor—a small five-block stretch between East 42nd and East 47th Streets. As part of the rezoning, developer SL Green got permission to build One Vanderbilt on the block between 42nd and 43rd. Part of the deal was an agreement, on SL Green's part, to pay $220 million in improvements to Grand Central's subway platforms.
According to SL Green spokesman Jeremy Soffin, two thirds of the $220 million will go towards "enhancing connections and circulation spaces" along the 4/5/6 line. The rest will go towards new underground connections between the subway, LIRR, and Metro North; a public plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue next to the terminal; and two new subway entrances at the base of the tower.
Last month, miffed at losing the right to sell 1.2 million square feet of airspace that he paid $60 per sq/ft to acquire, Grand Central Terminal owner Andrew Penson filed a lawsuit against SL Green, claiming that the developer violated the Fifth Amendment by taking "the property of a private citizen for the benefit of another private citizen without any public purpose."
While the city countered that Grand Central improvements fit the bill for "public service," Penson's attorney says that subway improvements were a stipulation under the original zoning, and the new zoning simply waves the cost of airspace. The suit claims that the airspace is currently worth $880 per square foot.
Granted, this projection of the Manhattan skyline in 2018 suggests that, when it comes to tall buildings, developers get what they want.
