This ugly building can be seen from anywhere in Manhattan, New Jersey, and on the way in from Connecticut. It dominates every view of Manhattan. Mr. Viñoly the architect of this building said “the square is the purest geometric form”. It may be square, but it surely is ugly. Originally I was told that it was to have some green around it. Well, the green turned out to be just another all glass commercial building,rectangular in shape and attached or just squatting next to the perfect square tower which is so tall that I can’t bend my head back far enough to see the top of it unless i’m several streets distance from it.
At 100 million dollars per apartment, it certainly contributes nothing to solve any housing problem in Manhattan, and as I have pointed out before, the tax abatement that these real estate mafia are able to squeeze out, contributes not a penny to the city and nothing for the tax payers, and nothing towards affordable housing. Buildings like this are in fact chasing the artists,the craftsmen, the young people and working people totally out of the city. Nobody will be able to live here, and the very wealthy people who buy these apartments are just parking their money there probably for future laundering.. Mr. Viñoly, the designer of this tall building who has made a commitment to design many civic initiatives which supposedly demonstrates his ability to creatively integrate buildings into urban sites has totally missed the mark on this one. This building is not integrated into any part of the city. It serves no purpose. It is an Icon to money and somehow it represents everything that is wrong in our society. Where are the beautiful buildings like the Chrysler building? Where is the symmetry of architectural style and balance that you can still see if you look North on Park Ave.and Riverside drive.Where are the beautiful old Town Houses on Fifth Ave?F ewer everyday.. It was this amazing mix of style and proportion that made New York a beautiful ,exciting and glamorous City It always had enough human elements to make it possible to live here. These new buildings have no style,no proportion no human scale and no architectural virtue.
Mr. Viñoly has many buildings credited to his name, I haven’t personally seen them. The only one I have seen is this one. The designer of this building, and who ever is the designer of the other tall buildings rising in Manhattan, have no sense of beauty, no sense of history, no sense of style, no sense of proportion, no sense at all. .
In Switzerland when someone wants to build a new edifice,they have to show what the dimensions will be and all the neighbors have the right to express their opinions .If the weight of evidence is against the construction it may be stopped. What can we do to give some second thought to what is happening to our town?. We the people should make our voices heard. Run the scoundrels out and reclaim our city.
This is a rendering which looks favorably upon the Manhattan of the future. Shadows have been excluded and sky included. As though you would ever be able to see the sky above the height of these buildings.
As the sun rises in the East and travels across the Southern part of Manhattan towards the West, these over-sized towers will cast deadly shadows over Central Park