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The 30-storey, 1957-built office tower at 425 Park Avenue in New York City was once a symbol of Manhattan's modernist surge, but now a project by L&L Holdings and the architects at Foster + Partners aims to bring the property into the 21st century. The old structure's streamlined design vocabulary is being partially demolished to create its contemporary replacement, the first full-block office building to be constructed on Park Avenue in 50 years.
The 272-metre (893-foot) tower is split into three distinct volumes, each reflective of the building's function. A seven-story base anchors the 47-level building to the urban fabric of Park Avenue, while a recessed midsection and a column of premium offices shape the central and crowning portions of the development. Each volume is segregated by sweeping triple-height sky gardens that will host bars, cafes, meeting facilities, and lounging spaces. These rich amenity spaces also highlight the building's stunning structural workings, with diagonal columns and a horizontal grid of louvres defining the walls. The social cohesion of the development immediately begins at street level, where a triple-height atrium and a large art-filled public plaza greet tenants and visitors.
The building's series of setbacks evokes Manhattan's ubiquitous wedding-cake style of architecture. The unique profile of the steel-framed tower culminates with a trio of blades or fins, topping the building with a distinct and identifiable roof element. Frontage along Park Avenue is maximized by relegating the core to the rear of the building, where glass-walled stairwells offer vistas towards the East River.
Demolition of the building began in 2015, and it has been wrapped in protective black netting ever since. Over half of the structure has been dismantled so far, evidenced in new photos from the site by Forum contributor towerpower123. Hailed as the 21st century answer to the neighbouring Seagram Building, Foster's vision beat out Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, OMA, and Zaha Hadid Architects in a tough international design competition.
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
