The planned tower 175 Park Avenue threatens to irreversibly alter the skyline of Midtown Manhattan. The 1,575-foot high planned tower is taller than the Empire State Building and more than 500 feet higher than the Chrysler Building that it directly faces. It will upstage both Grand Central (which it faces on the other side) and the Chrysler Building—making a mockery of two of the most iconic buildings in all of New York City. Even the most flattering renderings released by the developers cannot disguise its monstrous scale that would forever change the appearance of the city we love.

This development not only disrupts the city's architectural harmony, casting an ugly shadow over cherished landmarks and public spaces, but it also will create 2.1 million square feet of office space at a time when there is already (as of May 2023) about 75 million square feet of empty office space—enough to fill more than 26 Empire State Buildings. This new tower, designed only to enrich the developers, offers more office space at a time when there is far too much office space. 

We must prioritize preserving our city's unique character and heritage. Sign this petition to urge elected officials to work to halt this project and protect our city for future generations.

As Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said when fighting to save Grand Central from the wrecking ball: "If we don’t care about our past we can’t have very much hope for our future." We imagine that she would roll in her grave at the thought of this massive tower rising like a cancerous growth next to the icon she helped save.

We are not against new construction in general. Indeed, New York desperately needs hundreds of thousands of new housing units, and more affordable ones. However, 175 Park Avenue does nothing to address New York City's housing crisis. It is simply a shiny new trophy for its well-heeled developers. While we would still find this tower unattractive in any location, its presence directly in-between Grand Central and the Chrysler Building is what we cannot abide.

Great architecture ennobles city-dwellers, gives us pride and brings dignity to the most ordinary daily tasks. Bad architecture, like this, can wow us through engineering or sheer size, but it can never move us. 

The tower has managed to stay mostly under the radar since it was unveiled. Most New Yorkers have no idea it is going to be built. Yet they will surely notice it if it is built, and they will ask: Why didn't anyone do anything to stop it? We would prefer that they not have to ask that question.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can the tower be stopped?

At this point, the development seems to be moving ahead without impediment. Little can stop the building except market forces and the potential actions of local elected officials motivated by public opposition. But the recent slowdown in commercial real estate and elevated interest rates make its construction less economically viable than previously, and gives us a glimmer of hope. A vocal display of public opposition to the tower may help weaken support for the tower and lead the building's developer to abandon, or at least scale back, their plans.

Lessons from history show us that great public efforts can stop acts of vandalism even at the last minute, when all hope seems lost. Just look at the history of Grand Central Terminal itself.

About 175 Park Avenue

The planned tower of 175 Park Avenue would replace the current Grand Hyatt, at 42nd Street between Grand Central (and the raised Park Avenue viaduct) and Lexington Avenue.  

Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (a well-regarded architectural firm that with this design commits professional malpractice), the building would have a shocking 2.1 million square feet of Class A office space, 453,000 square feet of hotel space, and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The design seems intended to pay homage to some of its distinguished neighbors with futuristic neo-Gothic elements at the top and base of the tower—unsuccessfully. As Martin Filler wrote in the New York Review of Books, these ornaments "suggest[] a colossal nest of robotic boa constrictors as imagined by some coked-up sci-fi fanboy."

The building is being developed by RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone. Its scale is only made possible do to a controversial East Midtown rezoning law from 2017. In exchange for building at previously forbidden heights, the developers must make public improvements, for example, the construction of public plazas. We do not believe these public "benefits"—dubious to begin with—outweigh the harm that this building causes.

About us

We are New Yorkers who believe that the architecture of New York is a resource and treasure for all to enjoy. 

The city must of course change and develop over time, but we believe that major new developments, and especially those that are in extreme proximity to the city's most famous landmarks, must be historically sensitive and enhance, rather than detract from, our existing built environment.