My obsession, "One Madison Park," the super-skinny building that went up at the foot of Madison Ave. and 23rd Street, looming over Shake Shack, mostly full of full-floor apartments that we thought had been all bought up by rich Irish people (not rich any more!) and Arabs (some rich still!), has turned out to be a total shit-show in the finest New York tradition. This is a very bad scene. Now the co-builders are suing each other, the debt-holding bank is suing the builders for foreclosure, and there are also a dozen other lawsuits floating around. Some of the most fascinating stuff: when the builders couldn't sell units back in the glory days of 2007, the builders brought on an ad guy. His fee? Two apartments and $800,000. Ladies, we are all in the wrong business. Annnnnd here comes the punchline: now, "about a dozen of the building's 90 condos are occupied." Oof.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
30
A slice of Miami, right off the 6 train!
All that's missing here are a bunch of employed lawyers bitching about not getting paid.
I hope I didn't put this up too late.
The architecture industry's promotion of beauty as meaning super-skinny is damaging to young buildings' self image and to their health.
People don't realize those panes of glass flying off the New York Times building were stress-shingles.
If we start squatting today, it'll be ours by 2020.
Only good part of property law.
If for nothing else, this thing should be torn down for partially blocking the Metropolitan Life Tower--which on some nights I think is the finest building in all of Manhattan.
Let me amend that: not only should it be torn down, we should get a bunch of dogs to defile every last brick, window, and marble countertop.
I'm not disagreeing, but that reminds me of this comment from a wonderfully hilarious thread in the Times on which New York buildings readers would have demolished.
It should be the obsession of anyone taking in the city on Broadway or Fifth Avenue stroll. Perhaps we can topple it this year with the psychic powers of a few parades.
About once a year I'll develop an inexplicable & super strong lusting for fast food hamburgers ... that wendy's was my go-to spot. And this urge is rare enough that even though that tower's been going up for something approaching half a decade, I still head down that way and get confused when I can't find the junkie-filled pit. This happened yesterday. So eff that place, getting in the way of instant gratification of my sad/disgusting/shameful cravings.
Err that was meant to be in response to the "tearing down of the junkie-filled-wendy's" comment, obvs.
It really makes you miss the junkie-filled Wendy's that was torn down for this mess.
i believe they've relocated to the nearby mcdonald's, but you can tell they're not happy about it
@28th and Park! It's totally extra blocks from the methadone center.
At least the ad guy did a great job.
When that thing was going up, every time I walked down Madison I stared at it, prepared to run. Because BOY HOWDY did that thing look unstable!
Just WAIT until the Euro crumbles! Hahahahahahaha
"By his own account, Mr. Lipman delivered."
I hope to one day be as talented an advertiser as Mr. Lipman. That sentence got by a whole newsroom staff without anybody batting an eye, in a story about the catastrophic failure of the project he was advertising. Wow!
He's referring to his side gig as a midwife
I really like this building. Why must you be the destroyer of dreams Mr. Sicha?
No building better represents the "Eff you, we are building this!" attitude of the boom better than this. Fugly arrogant piece of crap that screws with the skyline, gives nothing back to to the neighborhood. And the only image that pops in my head is that thing slowly leaning Northwards until it falls over Madison Square Park. Who designs this stuff?
Maybe this is a non-New-Yorker thing, but the only difference I can see between that and pretty much every other skyscraper is the little gaps every couple of floors.
When these get turned into subsidized housing I will laugh and laugh and laugh.
And when you're done laughing I'm sure you'll put your name in the lottery to get an apartment...
I think I will offer to take over their marketing in exchange for 10 apartments.
Opportunity knocking: Offer to blog from your free apartment for free! Use the term 'win-win'! Mumble stuff about Silicon Alley and shake shack! Do it! It will work, I guarantee!
I *told* you that was a shit building and Bad News for Everyone.
I would not want to live there. I greatly enjoy throwing stones.
I worked for a while in the Flatiron Building a long time ago, and the last time I was in New York was 2005, when, apparently, this monstrosity hadn't yet been whelped. Now I haz a sad just knowing about it.