EDIT: Iliad Developers are no longer behind 509 West 38th Street, and Imperial Companies is now the developer.

The New York Post covered designer Ken Fulk’s recent career moves in a piece last week, and buried in the body of the article was an image of one of his new buildings, though it did not have an address attached. A quick glance at the photo shows Related’s MiMA lurking in the background and TF Cornerstone’s 505 West 37th Street at right, which means that the rendering is actually a new look for Iliad Development’s 509 West 38th Street, a 30-story rental tower that was previously revealed by the New York Times.

While the building’s appearance has seen significant changes, its overall massing has stayed relatively consistent, and appears to match diagrams revealed by The Real Deal earlier this year. BKSK Architects is designing the tower while Ismael Leyva is the architect of record, and when it comes to the exterior, the new look is a definite improvement.

Perhaps the most significant additions to the new tower are the gridded windows that will define the building’s western facade (and potentially other faces as well, pending additional renderings). While these kinds of windows have become popular amongst smaller-scale developments, they have yet to pop up in larger projects, besides the Roman & Williams-designed Viceroy Hotel, as well as Toll Brothers’ 959 First Avenue.

While The Sutton is not yet complete, The Viceroy — located at 120 West 57th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues — blends perfectly into its surrounds, and most people walking by would have no idea that it was actually completed in 2013. 509 West 38th Street looks to offer a similar exercise in restraint and also draws from mid-century aesthetics, and if the sole rendering of the latest design is any indication, it will offer a more residential-friendly take on 330 West 42nd Street.

509 West 38th Street will be situated just west of the intersection of Tenth Avenue and 38th Street, adjacent to the new Hudson Boulevard, which is also depicted in the rendering. Excavation permits were filed this past July, and per the DOB, the tower will span 220,879 square feet and hold 225 residences as well as 29,661 square feet of community facility space and 13,636 square feet of ground floor retail.

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