Tall & Urban News

Permits have been filed for a 70-story mixed-use tower at 520 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Rabina Properties is listed as the owner behind the applications with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates as the architect of record.

In 2019, speculation arose that 520 Fifth Avenue would likely house the first skyscraper over 900 feet (274 meters) along Fifth Avenue, developed by Ceruzzi Properties and SMI USA. Renderings then by Handel Architects unveiled a glass-clad tower rising 76 stories, with a height of 920 feet (280 meters) at the pinnacle.

The new proposal calls for an 896-foot-tall (273-meter-tall) development yielding 523,188 square feet (48,605 square meters) with 169,992 square feet (15,792 square meters) designated for residential space and 353,196 square feet (32,812 square meters) for commercial space. The building will have 98 residences, most likely condos based on the average unit scope of 1,734 square feet (161 square meters). Although it is unclear what the commercial space will be used for, previous plans included retail space and a 208-room hotel. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar, three sub-cellars, and a 20-foot-long (6-meter-long) rear yard.

Located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, the cleared site is one street away from the eastern end of Bryant Park. Handel Architects’ design was expected to begin construction last year. No details have been released regarding a timeline for this new development.

For more on this story, go to YIMBY.