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Rising from the footprint of a former complex of nineteenth-century red-brick warehouses that once occupied the site, 509 West 38th Street is nearly complete. The 30-storey residential tower was designed by BKSK Architects for Imperial Properties, and will soon become part and parcel of the ongoing transformation of Midtown Manhattan's Hudson Yards District.
Resting above the Lincoln Tunnel, the new development will bring a mix of 225 market rate and affordable housing units to the area, along with space set aside for a community centre and other community-oriented amenities. With roughly 20 percent of the tower's residential area given over to affordable housing, the project will have a decidedly community feel. The 46 affordable housing units will be reserved for those earning less than 60 percent of the national average income.
In an effort to reflect the industrial heritage of the Hudson Yards District, the new development will incorporate traditional building materials, such as brick and cast iron girders, into the multi-storey podium level, along with era-appropriate grid-style windows that will help the tower blend into its surroundings.
Podium floors three to five will serve as the community centre and gym, for a total of 29,000 square feet of community services. The first two floors will be leased to the Fencers Club, a not-for-profit athletic club established in 1883 that is dedicated to the art of fencing. Rising above the podium, a notably more modern residential tower will climb an additional 20-plus storeys, containing the aforementioned mix of market rate and affordable units.
While more contemporary in appearance, the tower portion will continue some of the traditional design elements from the podium, including brick cladding accents and grid-style windows. This marks a major break from the much more common glass curtain wall effect that has become a standard for condo towers around the world.
Seen above, the new tower fits somewhere between the modern steel and glass architecture of its neighbouring modern condo towers, and the more traditional Art Deco warehouse (recently painted canary yellow) sitting below. Once complete, the new development will become a central component of the neighbourhood, part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Hudson Yards District.
SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. 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.
