Tall & Urban News

A new batch of renderings were released about Project Commodore, Skidmore Owings & Merrill‘s upcoming mixed-use supertall at 175 Park Avenue in Midtown East. The 85-story behemoth is slated to rise at the corner of East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, on the site of the Grand Hyatt between the 108-year old Beaux Arts Grand Central Terminal and the 91-year-old Art Deco Chrysler Building. RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone are developing the massive structure, which also appears to have gotten a height reduction to 1,486 feet tall (452 meters tall) as opposed to the 1,646-foot-tall (501-meter-tall) architectural height previously announced. Inside will be 500 Hyatt hotel rooms on the upper floors spanning 453,000 square feet (42,085 square meters); 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of retail space on the ground, cellar, and second levels; new elevated, publicly accessible plaza space overlooking the surrounding Midtown neighborhood; and 2.1 million square feet (195,096 square meters) of Class A office space.

Aerial renderings show Project Commodore making a dramatic presence over Midtown, despite a slight chop in the final height of the superstructure. Also added to the future skyline perspective is J.P. Morgan’s new supertall office headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, while Kohn Pedersen Fox’s One Vanderbilt, the Chrysler Building, and Rafael Viñoly Architects' 432 Park Avenue are also prominently seen in comparison with SOM’s future project. Each of the renderings and diagrams were from a slide presentation that Global Strategy Group presented to the Public Design Commission at last month’s public meeting as part of the conceptual review for Project Commodore, which received a large amount of positive reviews and feedback from the commissioners.

The intricate lattice crown would easily distinguish it from the rest of the nearby supertall rooftop parapets.

175 Park Avenue’s floor plates are substantially devoted to office space, while the hotel portion will be placed on the upper levels.

An updated rendering showcasing the base of the southern elevation provides more details on the symmetrical façade and its components.

Steps would lead from the sidewalk to a wraparound elevated public terraces divided into three spaces: the Chrysler terrace, the Graybar terrace, and the Grand Central terrace. These three areas would then have a number of different aspects like reflecting pools, cafes, seating, landscaping and gardens, art sculptures, and overlooks.

For more on this story, go YIMBY.