YIMBY previously brought you preliminary plans for the Witkoff-led redevelopment of the Helmsley Park Lane, at 36 Central Park South, and followed up with a post indicating that Richard Rodgers would be the architect. We have now obtained the first official renderings of the project, showing its exteriors, and while YIMBY has been unable to obtain confirmation regarding the architect, we strongly suspect it is now Rafael Vinoly. Documents also indicate the building will stand 1,200 feet tall, making it one of the tallest in the city.

The 57th Street boom is now reaching for the stratosphere, in a trend that started with One57. 432 Park Avenue took things to new heights at 1,397 feet, but things will rise higher at the 1,421-foot tall 111 West 57th Street, and then higher still, at 217 West 57th Street (which will likely brush the 1,800 foot mark).

Through the 2000s, architecture and demand combined to give Midtown a blocky and chunky skyline that plateaus at approximately 750 feet, but spokes have already risen at One57 and 432 Park. Rather than ruining the view, the new buildings will return Manhattan’s skyline to its natural state, where spindles and spires dominate. The profile of 2020s Midtown won’t be so aesthetically different from how Lower Manhattan looked in the 1920s.

At 1,210 feet, 1 Park Lane will rank as the fourth tallest residential tower in New York City, and the ninth tallest overall building. It will also help bridge the gap in the skyline between the larger towers of 57th Street, and buildings like 53 West 53rd Street, One57, and 220 Central Park South, which will all stand within 50 feet of the 1,000-foot mark.

Unfortunately for 53 West 53rd Street, 1 Park Lane will block a substantial portion of the tower’s Central Park views, though the impact of Witkoff’s building on other planned or completed projects should be relatively minimal (besides 31 West 57th Street, which could have its Park views mostly obstructed, though that tower is still in preliminary planning stages).

Documents indicate the project’s scope will measure 350,000 square feet with a total cost of $1.7 billion and expected revenue of $2.3 billion, for a profit of $600 million. The building will have a tentative total of 88 condominiums, though a floor count has not been decided on, and the project is shooting for a sellout in excess of $8,500 per square foot, with prices ranging from $7,000 to $13,000 per square foot.

Windows will measure 10×14 feet, while ceilings on every floor will stand 15’5″ tall. It appears the developers will maximize views by gutting the vast majority of the existing Helmsley Building and turning it into an enormous foyer, which will allow them to stack the extra floorspace up top.

Per the documents, upon “completion in 2020, the condominium will be the finest, most elegant and luxurious condominium apartment building in both New York City and the world. It will be the most desired address for the world’s rich and powerful.”

Amenities will span 40,000 square feet, including a library, playroom, 100-foot swimming pool, a branded spa, and a private restaurant. The tower will also have a private port-cochere (hence the address 1 Park Lane, as the assemblage spans through the block from 58th to 59th Streets). Every residence will also have an outdoor terrace.

Renderings also include depictions of the terraced outdoor space from one of the mid-levels.

No architect is specified in the documents, but YIMBY strongly suspects Vinoly is designing, based on the overall aesthetic. The design appears to be similar to 432 Park Avenue, with cut-outs every dozen or so floors, though in this case they appear to contain usable terraces. Windows are similarly enormous, as well.

Additional modifications are always possible before construction begins, and no permits have been filed for the alterations to the old Helmsley yet.

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