As this Saturday gets underway, check out a selection of some of the top stories on Curbed this week.
1) LES: The Thompson LES finally opened and the amenity rundown was spotty. The pool was very unfinished, but the mini-bars were (thank God) "fully stocked."
4) Williamsburg: There are many new renderings of buildings going up in the Burg like 210 N. 12 St. and two friend of 80 Metropolitan, 268 Wythe and 50 N. 1.
When is a pile of dirt not just a pile of dirt? When it's dumped onto Manhattan's future park-in-the-sky, of course. According to the High Line Blog, this layer of subsoil has just been delivered to the section of track above 19th Street. The subsoil goes under the more refined topsoil, which will get planted in the fall. Of course, all this horticultural madness will eventually yield this, the most spectacular public project in the history of the city no the history of the world and you cannot convince us otherwise because why can't you just let us have this one special thing in our lives instead of shooting us down and ruining our dreams like you ruin everything else, mom!
Novac Noury, inventor of such oddities as the 'wireless, arrow-shaped keyboard' (huh?), has a dream: "Noury plans to transform his dilapidated building at 51 Little W. 12th St., previously Astor’s horse stable, into a 10-story “mini-mansion-inn” with a “history and mystery museum” to inform visitors about the Carpathia, Titanic and Pier 54. He wants to build a cabaret with eating, drinking, dancing and no restriction for live music on the first floor, an outdoor patio, cafe and spa with a view of the Hudson River and the historic High Line rail structure on the second floor, and rooms and offices on every other floor...“Instead of buying condos out in the Hamptons, people are going to be riding their bicycles or taking the train to the Pier 54 Beach,” he said." [The Villager]
The shell for Jean Nouvel's new Vision Machinecontinues to rise on Eleventh Avenue, and it has now reached the top of its neighbor to the north. That one is an 8-story deco-adorned pile of bricks better known as the Bayview Correctional Facility, and it houses a hundred or so of our less-fortunate female citizens. Some folks might not be aware that this medium security prison sits cheek by jowl with Jean's vision in glass, whose glitzy condos will soon tower above Bayview's roof-top "recreation" areas where both inmates and staff go to smoke a cig, smell the flowers and enjoy the views of the High Line and Chelsea Piers. But apparently somebody has taken notice. Perhaps the proximity of money and misery made them nervous and so they ordered up a whole new set of bars and cages. Or maybe it's just time for a bit of remodeling, now that the neighborhood is getting so posh. Either way, this is yet another example of what makes NYC so great: citizens of all stripes living close and getting along. And how grand it is to see that Knox Martin's mural "Venus" hasn't been fully eclipsed and can still be seen where Nouvel's fantastic Vision meets the reality of Bayview Correctional. A bit of new and old side by side, and both the better for it.
· Jean Nouvel's Vision Rises on West 19th Street [Curbed]
· Will Nouvel's 100 Eleventh Eclipse Venus? [Curbed]
· Bayview prison:A Chelsea neighbor often unnoticed [Chelsea Now]
As Saturday gets underway, check out a selection of some of the top stories on Curbed this week.
1) Four Different Places: Olafur Eliasson freakin' waterfalls were finally turned on. Some people loved them. Some disliked them. A bunch said, "meh." A lot of Curbed readers think they look like "glorified fountains."
2) Chelsea: Finally, a set of new High Line renderings, especially these really cool ones of Phase II of everybody's favorite elevated park.
3) Chelesa: Will the 18th Street Plaza on the High Line be built? Well, the money has to be found, but it sure looks cool.
4) Williamsburg: The architects made some tweaks here and there, shaved the glass box on the roof and got a thumbs up on the modifications to the landmarked Domino plant on Kent Avenue. What do you mean the 40 story towers around it aren't in the renderings? Really?
5) Prospect Heights: The Atlantic Yards development moved a step closer to reality when the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on the eminent domain issue.
6) Coney Island: When was the last time you saw a city Scoping Hearing that wouldn't put people into a deep coma? The one about the Coney plan this week was one for the record books.
There are two sides to this big West Chelsea loft. On one hand, it's mere steps away from Phase 2 of the High Line, coming at you in mind-blowing fashion ~2009. On the other hand, it's on 23rd Street, nobody's favorite thoroughfare. Take a little from Column A, a little from Column B, mix it together, and you get a price that comes out to about $1,000/sqft. Simple, right? Many guesses went high, banking on the promising future of the High Line District. The one correct answer came from a High Line hater, who said, ""I don't care what anyone says, this area won't be that great in a few years. Therefore I predict it is overpriced and will take a cut before it sells: $2.25 million but it will sell for $1.9." And a couple others referenced Carlos Mencia, for which there is no excuse.
· Listing: 521 West 23rd Street [Elliman]
· Curbed PriceSpotter: Hi, High Line [Curbed]
PriceSpotter is Curbed's asking price guessing game. We provide you with some details and pictures from an apartment listing, and you take a crack at the price in the comments. Tomorrow we reveal the answer. And hey, no cheating!
What/Where: 2BR, 2BA condo on 23rd Street btwn Tenth/Eleventh Square Feet: 2,126 Maintenance: $788 The Skinny: With the release of the new High Line renderings, West Chelsea is on our brains. Specifically, it's the newly revealed Phase 2 illustrations that have us so fired up. Want. To. Live. There. And we want a loft, because that's how real West Chelsea peeps get down. Wouldn't you know it, one just popped up. High Line view, 14' ceilings, exposed brick, laundry room in apartment. Yum. Only a part-time doorman, however, which kind of deflates the feeling of superiority. Still, how much?
· Curbed PriceSpotter archives [Curbed]
This morning, for the first time since 2005, we were blessed with new images of The High Line. Coming at you now in a series of three posts, a look at what's arriving soon to West Chelsea's elevated rail tracks. Brace, as they say.
It's not part of the official press materials, but a new book distributed at today's High Line press event contains a tantalizing glimpse of something called the 18th Street Plaza. Set between Tenth Avenue and the High Line itself—and currently a parking lot—the plaza features a broad stairwell, open space on ground level, and, most excellently, a cantilevered snack bar straight out of The Jetsons. Per official word, the 18th Street Plaza would be built subsequent to Phase One, pending funding and approvals. Cross your fingers.
This morning, for the first time since 2005, we were blessed with new images of The High Line. Coming at you now in a series of three posts, a look at what's arriving soon to West Chelsea's elevated rail tracks. Brace, as they say.
Phase Two is the highlight of today's High Line rendering release, and not just because the public has basically seen nothing from this stretch since it was wild fields. To situate you, Phase Two picks up where Phase One leaves off at 20th Street, runs straight as an arrow to 30th Street, where it turns to circle the railyards in a portion of the segment insiders like to call Phase Three. This section won't open to the public until 2009 at the earliest, but oh, is it going to be worth the wait.
Where to begin? Uh, how about with these two words: Woodland Flyover, seen above in all its insane glory. Oh, and did we mention the 26th Street viewing spur, where High Line pedestrians become commodified elements of a faux-billboard, or the 30th Street cut-out, which really has to be seen to be understood? It's all in the photogallery above, with helpful captions to aid in reading comprehension. Note that for this segment of the High Line, existing architecture hugs the rails more closely, which the architects considered in crafting the various microclimates. Function follows form, or somesuch.
This morning, for the first time since 2005, we were blessed with new images of The High Line. Coming at you now in a series of three posts, a look at what's arriving soon to West Chelsea's elevated rail tracks. Brace, as they say.
Phase One of The High Line runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 20th Street. We've seen some renderings from this stretch before (particularly the Gansevoort-to-15th bit), but nothing like what came to light today. Above, for instance, we have the new sundeck water feature at the 14th Street bend, which features half an inch of running water for barefoot frolicking (and, when the weather's cold, becomes just part of the planking). Click into the photogallery above for the full Phase One overview, including images that make André Balazs' Standard Hotel seem suddenly, dare we say it, passé.
At today's announcement, by the way, Friends of the High Line honcho Robert Hammond re-asserted that Phase One is "on schedule and on budget to open by the end of this year." Be that as it may, it does represent an evolution from the initially expected Fall '08 opening, and leads one to wonder if they might be better served waiting until the tender young blossoms of Spring '09 to cue the masses. Time will tell.
Tomorrow morning, Friends of the High Line, Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro will unveil some new design renderings of the High Line, the first release of images since 2005. The entire High Line design will be laid bare, including the Tenth Avenue Square, Woodland Flyover and 30th Street Cut-out. But until then, here's something to whet your appetite: the first High Line bench has been installed. Sure, it doesn't carry the same drama as the reveal of The Chair, but it still has us daydreaming about spending long afternoons on the High Line hanging out with Renzo and André. No, not Piano and Balazs—Renzo and Andre is what we named our poodles.
· First Bench [Flickr/Logan Antill]
· High Line Construction Chronicles: Rendering/Reality [Curbed]
· High Line Construction Chronicles: Way Ahead of the Whitney [Curbed]
The developers behind Highline 519, the 14-story Lindy Roy-designed condo building at 519 West 23rd Street, have responded to fellow developer Alf Naman's lawsuit against them with some legal maneuvering of their own. Quick catch-up: Naman, building the Neil Denari-designed HL23 next door, needs Highline 519's permission to begin serious construction following a little stop work order spat. That permission has been slow to come, and after the developers allegedly tried to get some money out of him, Naman sued them, the building's condo association and the Buildings Department. Naman claims the construction delays are jeopardizing the much-hyped project, endorsed by entities such as the Museum of the City of New York and Kanye West. At a court hearing last week, developers Sleepy Hudson and Highline Park said the placement of HL23's mobile construction crane would endanger Highline 519's residents and harm the building financially. They are seeking to block construction unless the crane can be operated safely, with Highline 519's contractor saying in court documents, "Neither the Department of Buildings nor the courts should permit an admitted law breaker to go forward with his project as if nothing has happened merely because the developer claims that he performed his illegal act in a safe manner." Snippy! The Real Deal got Naman's response: "The crane is entirely on our property. We are not using a tower crane. Basically, there is no reason they should be concerned."
· HL23's High Line neighbors object to crane [TRD]
· High Line Drama: HL23 Developer Sues Over Alleged Shakedown [Curbed]
To all those who wondered how the highly anticipated HL23—developer Alf Naman's collabo with architect Neil Denari on 14 stories of luxurious glassy living just five feet from the High Line—would co-exist with its West 23rd Street neighbor, architect Lindy Roy's Highline 519, the answer is ... not well! The Real Deal reports that Naman is suing the Buildings Department, Highline 519 developers Highline Park and Sleepy Hudson and the building's condo association over a partial stop work order that has lingered at HL23 and prevents everything but foundation work. The stop work order, in place since April 30, was slapped on HL23 for performing shoring work under Highline 519 without permission. The DOB said it would be lifted when the neighbors give the green light, but Naman now alleges in the suit that at a meeting in April, a rep from Highline Park asked for $850,000 in exchange for permission. The president of the general contractor that worked on Highline 519 was at the meeting, and tells The Real Deal, "The truth is there was no request made or demand made for money." The lawsuit also alleges that the stoppage has endangered construction financing for HL23. Whoa. The next court date is set for tomorrow. Folks, we have entered the wild wild West Chelsea!
· HL23 developer sues DOB over stop work order [TRD]
· HL23 coverage [Curbed]
The hottest starchitect in the universe, this year's Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel and creator of the jaw droppingly awesome Tower Verre on West 53rd, has another killer project on the rise at 100 Eleventh Avenue in West Chelsea. The first couple of floors of the futuristic Vision Machine (or Mashine for our ruble-spending friends) have been poured and the concrete is beginning to pile up on West 19th Street between the High Line and the Hudson River. The 23-story tower will be the shining beacon at the end of this project-filled block, which promises to be the frontrunner for Block of the Year for 2008. Across the street is a groundbreaker from fellow starchy Frank Gehry, the billowing IAC headquarters. The same block will soon house condo-ites aplenty in the 26-unit big 'n boxy 520 West Chelsea from Selldorf Architects and the now-it's-a-big-hole but one-day-will-be a stack o' metal boxes from Shigeru Ban. Smart kids have already started saving their pennies.
· Starchitect Power! Nouvel's MoMA Tower Wins Over LPC [Curbed]
· On Art and Starchitecture in Far West Chelsea [Curbed]
· Development Du Jour: 520 West Chelsea [Curbed]
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The developers behind Highline 519, the 14-story Lindy Roy-designed condo building at 519 West 23rd Street, have responded to fellow developer Alf Naman's 
To all those who wondered how the highly anticipated HL23—developer Alf Naman's collabo with architect Neil Denari on 14 stories of 
