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The never-ending contest to fill New York City's skyline with generic, shiny, super-tall buildings took a new turn this week when new renderings of Central Park Tower were released.
The new building, which will reach 1,550 feet when it tops off in 2019, is located at 217 West 57th Street on Billionaires Row, an area of midtown that has seen a rush of new skyscrapers over the past decade. From One57 to 432 Park, developers have been jockeying for the prestige of constructing massive, phallic buildings that leave a mark on the city's skyline. The trend has been parodied by several architects, including one who drew up a faux-proposal for the “longest building in the world.”
When Central Park Tower is completed, it will be the second-tallest building in the country (after One World Trade) and the tallest residential building on the whole damn planet. The new renderings of the place (which were first surfaced by real estate blog 6sqft) show a reflective tower that overlooks the southern end of New York's most iconic park.
The new building will house a seven-floor Nordstrom at its base and will include a private dining room and grand ballroom on its 100th floor. Alas, what with the building being primarily residential, most hand-to-mouth New Yorkers will never be able to take in the view of the park from such great heights. Instead, we'll continue to slog along at the street level, wondering what it's like to live among the clouds.