When completed, 111 West 57th Street will tower over New York City’s Central Park. At a height of 1,421 feet and a height-to-width ratio of 24:1, the SHoP Architects-designed residential building will hold the title of world’s skinniest skyscraper.
However, it may no longer be a matter of when the tower is completed, but if it is completed. After rising just 20 stories, construction on 111 West 57th Street has ground to a halt due to ballooning costs.
As the New York Post reports, the skyscraper is already $50 million over budget and a legal battle may be brewing. In an effort to save what is left of its $70 million investment, AmBase, a real estate investment corporation, is suing the project sponsors Kevin Maloney and Michael Stern and lender Spruce Capital Partners.
AmBase’s attorney, Stephen Meister, told the New York Post Maloney and Stern “omitted some very significant items in their budget including cranes, which are very expensive in New York and can run into the millions of dollars.” Currently less than one-quarter complete, the latest Billionaires’ Row project is facing imminent foreclosure.
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| Aug 11, 2010
New data shows low construction prices may soon be coming to an end
New federal data released recently shows sharp increases in the prices of key construction materials like diesel, copper and brass mill shapes likely foreshadow future increases in construction costs, the Associated General Contractors of America said. The new November producer price index (PPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provide the strongest indication yet that construction prices are heading up, the association noted.
