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NYC Hotels |
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| | Last Updated: July 22,2009 3:44:30 pm |
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 Remember 2006? We were all so bright eyed and optimistic. And so were New York developers. All we were hearing was "boom", "thriving", and "goldmine". The dreaded "R" word was just a vague possibility, a slight uncertainty that we could all just pretend didn't exist. Welcome to 2009, where 56 Leonard, the once endlessly optimistic utopian skyscraper in Tribeca, now might not even be built. Construction has already started, but for now it's just a construction site.
Designed by acclaimed "it" Swiss developers, Herzog & de Mauron, 56 Leonard (confusingly located on 75 Leonard Street), the mixed hotel/residential building will certainly stand out if it's made. The building is planned to consist of glass residences, stacked on top of another this way and that, like a giant glass version of Jenga. Unfortunately, like Jenga, the status of the project is extremely fragile. The foundation has already been built and the plans have already been shown off, but the funding is still unsecured. It's possible they can raise the money, but it seems the original 2009 projection date is a pipe dream.
With specially-commissioned art and architecture from such giants as Anish Kapoor, the building is the kind of thing we would have eaten up a couple of years ago. Now it just seems like poor planning or bad fortune. We'd all love to live in a 57-story work of art with hanging gardens, custom fireplaces, and incredible New York City views, but who has the money?
The future is still uncertain for 56 Leonard, but New York City Council is considering legislation that will allow developers to extend building permits as long as they keep the sites safe and clean. The developers of 56 Leonard have stated that this is their plan until they can get the funding on board. It's still up in the air, but with bank accounts shrinking and developers uncertain, the fact that 56 Leonard is even a possibility makes it the most exciting property currently under development in New York. - R.T.
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