Extell, the developer behind some of the most prominent projects in New York City such as Central Park Tower, One57, Brooklyn Point, and One Manhattan Square, recently filed demolition permits for two four-story structures at 724 and 726 Eighth Avenue. Located at the busy corner of West 45th Street and Eighth Avenue, the block-wide development stirred interest in early 2018 when a concept proposal was release. YIMBY last reported on the Midtown West site when it was addressed as 265 West 45th Street.

Both buildings are now vacant, while a couple of small businesses to the north are still operating. Below are some of the previous concept proposals and renderings, each with its own unique architectural style. While Extell did not commission the renderings by RB Systems, the project’s square footage should be similar in scope.

The above photos are a proposal from RB Systems, which debuted last March as a super-slender, cylindrical 1,312-foot-tall office building with a software-controlled tuned mass damper. There would be sky lobbies on the eighth, 28th, 49th, 71st, and 81st floors of the chrome-clad structure, offices on floors 81-93, an observation deck on the 96th floor, and underground parking. This vision would incorporate a width-to-height ratio of 13.4:1.

Boston Properties and Related also released a previous concept for a more traditional glass skyscraper that would more closely match the height and style of the surrounding buildings.

The involvement of Extell, with its history of building large skyscrapers, suggests a strong likelihood that a supertall will eventually rise from the site. While the tentative use has not been confirmed, the previous concepts for the site suggest an office supertall is a decent guess for the eventual occupant.

The A, C, and E trains and the buses at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are a short walking distance to the south. There are also connections to the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and shuttle to Grand Central via 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal. The heart of Times Square is to the east, while a plethora of dining, retail, nightlife, theaters, and other entertainment options surround 724-726 Eighth Avenue.

A start date to the demolition and completion of the project has not been announced yet.

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