Known today as EŌS (formerly 855 6th Avenue), the 42-storey, 375-unit, mixed-use tower designed by COOKFOX Architects for the Durst Organization, has now completed construction in Midtown Manhattan, with residents, office workers, and retail tenants ready to begin occupation. Built to a height of exactly 500 feet, EŌS qualifies as the shortest modern skyscraper in New York. The mixed-use tower will soon become home to approximately 500-600 residents, 20 percent of whom will live in affordable housing units, along with up to 1000 daily workers spread across 170,000 square feet of office space, all of which will be set above a large, 20,000-square-foot retail space to be anchored by a Nike Store. 

EŌS, as it appeared in September, image by Forum contributor towerpower123

Envisioned from the start as a mixed-use tower, EŌS represents a shift currently underway in Manhattan to include more and more affordable housing in new developments, while simultaneously aiming for a more mixed-use approach to city-building which will hopefully see an increase in this type of development moving forward. Especially relevant within this relatively sleepy corner of south Midtown, the addition of EŌS into the neighbourhood will bring a renewed urban vibrancy to an area that has traditionally been overlooked. 

EŌS, future home of a flagship Nike Store, as viewed this month, image by Forum contributor towerpower123

Of the total available 375 rental units included in the residential portion of the tower, 75 units, or roughly 20 percent, will be reserved as affordable housing, which will be priced between $566 and $930 per month. As per local NYC mandates, 50 percent will go to local residents, while the rest will be divided among low-income city workers, disabled persons, and others, in a lottery system. Meanwhile, the remaining 300 market rate units will reportedly be listed for anywhere between $3,655 and $21,000 per month, reflecting the staggeringly high housing prices that have become the new normal. 

EŌS, on the Midtown Manhattan skyline, image by Forum contributor towerpower123

Now complete, EŌS has already begun to redefine the local landscape, and soon the building's residents, office workers, and shoppers will bring a healthy mix of urban life to the street, thus setting the tone for things to come. Well served by transit, and central to many well-known landmarks and destinations, EŌS will be an easy sell, the new development a welcome addition to the area. 

For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.