A building that could claim the title of the thinnest, tallest building in New York (and maybe the world) got a bit more real this week, after the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the proposed 60-foot-wide design.


When it tops out in roughly three years, 107 West 57th will rise 1,350 feet above Central Park (next to several other new supertalls). It’ll also tower over the 88-year-old Steinway Hall—yes, the piano showroom—which occupies the site next door. Compared to the staid stone facade of Steinway, 107 will look like a shard of glass. In fact, it’ll be the thinnest tower in the city by far, as well as the second tallest (not counting spire height).


According to Gregg Pasquarelli, a principal at SHoP Architects who spoke to the NY Daily News' Matt Chaban about the project, its height to width ratio adds up to roughly 25:1. “It may be the skinniest building ever,” he said. When we contacted SHoP for details on the building’s structure a few weeks ago, though, they were unable to comment (likely because the design isn’t finalized).

How did you get a building like this approved without so much as a whimper? By knowing your audience, it seems. After buying Steinway Hall for $46.3 million, JDS Development played a pivotal role in the push to make it the city's 116th “indoor landmark,” a campaign that succeeded last month. And when the Landmarks Preservation Commission questioned details about the decision to remove parts of the old building to make room for the new one, they came back with an altered design that includes a massive glass curtain wall, showing off the interior of the Steinway Hall.

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What’s really interesting, though, is the fact that each floor of the building will hold only one gigantic apartment, making this, in essence, a layer cake of super-luxury residences. That means that the second-tallest building in the city will be accessible to only the 100 or so buyers who snag a floor. [NY Daily New; Curbed]


Image via Curbed.