We might not even recognize New York City’s skyline soon. A proposed 2,400-foot-tall building would be the city’s largest, and the Madison Square Garden redevelopment would add more skyscrapers to midtown. And now, it could change even more with the addition of 175 Park Avenue.
The proposed building by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill would take over the 26-story Grand Hyatt, adding over a thousand more feet to its height. Soaring 1,646 feet high, it would eclipse the iconic Grand Central Terminal next door and the nearby Chrysler Building. And this is also right near the new 1,500-foot tower One Vanderbilt.
Aside from its size, the design is striking as well. It will feature latticework at the top and Art Deco-esque stepped-back details. At ground level, passersby will view a tall glass facade with massive angular columns evoking a genuinely modern vibe. But it’s designed so that the entrance of Grand Central is still visible from the 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue side. And there’s a large green space just above street level to ensure a natural element to an otherwise industrial block.
Practically speaking, the building will hold up to 500 hotel rooms and 2.1 million square feet of new office space. Plus, it will connect to the Grand Central concourse to allow for easy access to the shops, commuter rails, and more.
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Part of this redevelopment will include a new transit hall and subway entrance to help with overcrowding. In the 5,400 square feet hall, there will be more signage with ticketing and turnstiles being relocated to street level. The Lexington Avenue entrance will also have five more feet of sidewalk. Three interconnected public terraces will wrap around the building to give pedestrians a new perspective on the historic neighborhood.
One thing is for sure: an iconic block in New York City will change forever.
