1) New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff finally got around to checking out the Hudson Yards plans, and woo boy, he is not happy. Ouroussoff drops the hammer on the whole process, writing that the proposals are "not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City." Wham! The Related bid is "disturbing," the Vornado/Durst bid is "slightly less disturbing." The "only one worth serious consideration" is Extell's proposal (right), which didn't fare so well in the people's vote. Interesting. ['In Plans for Railyards, a Mix of Towers and Parks'/Nicolai Ouroussoff]
2) The latest regarding One Madison Park and its increasingly notorious $45 million penthouse. A "European Pritzker Prize-winning architect" will be brought in to design just the 22nd Street entrance (because 23rd Street is yucky) and the penthouse will come with a private butler, paid for by the condominium, who will live in a one-bedroom unit on a lower floor. There is a debate going on about whether or not that is possible, however. You know Tim Robbins ain't gonna be pleased about paying for somebody else's manservant. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]
3) Joyce Cohen finally figured out who would buy in the Simone in Windsor Terrace, a building that immediately puts you one foot in the grave upon purchase: people whose only other option is the Bronx. Makes sense. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]
4) Surveying the endangered New York architectural legacy of Arnold Ledner, designer of that building everyone loves to hate. [Streetscapes/Christopher Gray]
5) An update on how the Battery Maritime Building redesign is going doesn't offer any new intel on what changes the developer would make to the glass rooftop hotel addition proposal, but there is this cagey statement: "We are working hard to make design modifications consistent with the Landmarks Preservation Commission and public comments, and are hopeful that the design will be even more successful than our previous submission.” [The City/Jake Mooney]
6) What's better, a burned-out warehouse on an overgrown lot or another Finger Building courtesy of Mendel Brach? According to the residents of Borough Park, it's the warehouse. [The City/Jake Mooney]
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