The under-construction Central Park Tower apparently has taken the lead in the never-ending race to be the tallest building in New York City.
The website New York Yimby reports that Extell Development has tweaked its design plans and now will exclude a 245-foot spire at the top of Central Park Tower. Instead, the tower's roof height will gain 20 feet to 1,550 feet tall.
That would make the skinny, 99-floor, 1.3-million-sf Central Park Tower—located at 217 West 57th Street, whose completion is scheduled for 2019—182 feet taller than One World Trade Center’s roof level (One WTC also has a 408-foot-high beacon sitting atop its parapet.) Currently, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere is the 1,450-foot-tall Willis Tower in Chicago.
Gary Barnett of Extell told the New York Post last Spring that his firm never intended for Central Park Tower to exceed the total height of One WTC. Still, since the Chrysler Building rose to 1,048 feet—a height abetted by a late-inning addition of a 185-foot-spire—on October 16, 1929, to become the world’s tallest building at the time, developers have competed to see how high buildings could reach into the skies.
Right now, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai holds that honor, at 2,722 feet, or 700 feet taller than its nearest rival.
New York developers and their architects have been particularly susceptible to skyscraper envy, especially lately as the city’s residential real estate market has exploded with ever-taller luxury residential towers springing up and targeting ultra-rich buyers and tenants, many of whom seem to be looking for the latest trophy rather than someplace permanent to live.
On its website, the Skyscraper Museum shows how heights of buildings in New York have escalated over the years, and how dramatically taller buildings have risen recently. The graphic and information include the Central Park Tower, with its preliminary design that had included the spire. The base of this building will include a 200,000-sf Nordstrom department store.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | May 17, 2016
Foster + Partners-designed towers approved as part of massive neighborhood redevelopment in San Francisco
One of Oceanwide Center’s buildings will be the city’s second tallest.
Green | May 16, 2016
Development team picked for largest Passive House project in North America
The 24-story curved building would be 70% more efficient than comparable housing in New York City.
High-rise Construction | May 2, 2016
UPDATED* Construction to begin this summer in Chicago on Studio Gang’s Vista Tower
The 1,186-foot tower will be the third-tallest building in the city.
Wood | Apr 29, 2016
Anders Berensson Architects designs 40-story wooden skyscraper for Stockholm
The structure, which will be made entirely out of cross-laminated timber, will rise 436 feet into the air, making it Stockholm’s tallest building.
High-rise Construction | Apr 28, 2016
bKL Architecture proposes world’s third tallest tower for China
The mixed-use H700 Shenzhen Tower will have sky gardens, angled recesses, and an attached plaza. It will trail only the Burj Khalifa and the Jeddah Tower in terms of height.
Mixed-Use | Apr 24, 2016
Atlanta’s Tech Square is establishing The ATL’s Midtown district as a premier innovation center
A much anticipated, Portman-developed tower project will include collaborative office spaces, a data center, and a retail plaza.
High-rise Construction | Apr 21, 2016
Ingenhoven Architects unveils plans for two Tokyo towers
The Toranomon District will add a business and a residential high-rise, both of which feature green and energy-efficient design.
High-rise Construction | Apr 20, 2016
OMA reveals designs for its first Tokyo skyscraper
The goal is for the Toranomon Hills Station Tower to transform its neighborhood and serve as a hub for international business.
High-rise Construction | Apr 12, 2016
Santiago Calatrava tower in Dubai could be taller than the Burj Khalifa
The slender structure will have 10 observation platforms, two Hanging Gardens decks, and a illuminating flower bud at the top.
Virtual Reality | Apr 8, 2016
Skanska will use Microsoft HoloLens to lease planned Seattle high rise
The mixed reality headset will allow people to take a holographic tour of the building while keeping visual contact with the leasing representative.