Council refused Hines’s request to restore the 200 feet cut from the proposed MoMA tower. On October 14, 2009, the City Council approved a modified version of Hines Interests’ proposal to build a mixed-use tower adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art complex at 53 West 53rd Street in Midtown, Manhattan. The original proposal called for an 85-story, 1,250-foot tower that would include 51,949 sq.ft. of additional gallery space for MoMA, a 147,965 sq.ft. hotel, and 458,412 sq.ft. of residential floor area. In order to build the project, Hines requested approval to transfer a combined 411,000 sq.ft. of development rights from the landmarked University Club and St. Thomas Church.

At the City Planning Commission’s July 22 hearing, opponents expressed concerns about the project’s impact on the neighborhood, arguing the tower was inappropriate for the site’s mid-block location. The Commission approved the project, but it reduced the tower’s height by 200 feet, noting that the building did not merit reaching the height of the Empire State Building, the City’s tallest building. 6 CityLand 138 (Oct. 15, 2009). (read more…)

Hines Interests’ proposed tower at 53 West 53rd Street. Image: Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

Commission expressed doubts about whether Jean Nouvel-designed tower should equal Empire State Building. On September 9, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved a modified version of Hines Interests’ proposal to build an 85-story, 1,250-foot tall mixed-used building, which would reach the Empire State Building’s height below its antenna, adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art complex at 53 West 53rd Street in Midtown, Manhattan. The 19,615 sq.ft. through-block site is located in the Special Midtown District, and portions of its zoning lot are within four zoning districts: the C5-2.5, C5-3, C5-P, and C6-6 districts. The MoMA complex, the landmarked St. Thomas Church, the American Folk Art Museum, and the Museum Tower condominiums are all located on the project’s zoning lot.

Hines’ proposal called for a 658,306 sq.ft. tower that would include museum, hotel, and residential uses. MoMA would create a 51,949 sq.ft. gallery and exhibition space on the second through fifth floor that would connect internally to its neighboring building. A hotel would occupy floors eight through 17, providing 147,945 sq.ft. of space for approximately 167 rooms, and floors 19 through 81 would provide 458,412 sq.ft. of residential space. The hotel’s lobby would occupy the ground floor, and it would use the cellar-space as a restaurant. Hines would build a residential entrance on West 54th Street. (read more…)