Up until last week, there hadn't been a lot of news to report on the status of the proposed supertall at 45 Broad Street in Lower Manhattan. Numerous photos in our Forum chronicled the story, or lack thereof, of a site remaining idle for many months. But a joint venture comprised of Madison Equities, Chinese real estate company Gemdale, and Italian real estate firm Pizzarotti Group recently celebrated the start of the 340-metre-tall tower's construction. 

45 Broad Street, image via CetraRuddy

A previous scheme for the property would have produced the Robert de Niro-backed Nobu Hotel, which was proposed in 2008, but the blueprints were never put into motion. The current development group would purchase the Financial District site in 2015 for $86 million and appointed CetraRuddy as the lead architect. Renderings would then emerge in early 2016, with the interior program set to house 245 apartments over an 86-storey volume. Adjustments to the scope and scale of the project were made shortly thereafter, with current plans calling for 206 condominiums spanning 66 levels. Potential homebuyers itching for a slice of the Manhattan sky will need to deposit around $1 million to $6 million.

The first eight storeys of the tower will contain office space, with solar collectors fastened to the south facade supplying power to these millennial-focused workplaces. Poised to become the tallest residential tower in Lower Manhattan, the glass tower will be accented with rich bronze fins that highlight the skyscraper's massive height and reference the tone of the limestone-clad skyscrapers that proliferate the area. Intricate patterns along the spine and at the mechanical levels and crown harken back to the days of Art Deco architecture.

45 Broad Street prior to groundbreaking, image by Forum contributor towerpower123

In response to a widely recognized and criticized dearth in accessibility of the city's extensive subway network, Broad Street station will receive two new elevators courtesy of the development group. The arrangement acknowledges the city-building responsibility that developers are bequeathed; beyond that, the building will take a prominent position in many postcard-worthy photos of the skyline.

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