With all the hoopla over Renzo Piano's soaring New York Times Tower on Eighth Avenue just below Times Square hardly any attention has been paid to another extra-ordinary bit of construction going up one block south and across the Avenue at 305 West 39th Street. The prolific Sam Chang and his McSam Hotel empire is erecting a new Comfort Inn on a plot overlooking the Port Authority Bus Terminal. This comparatively little inn-to-be, designed by architect Peter Poon, is only 20-stories tall and will contain just 79 rooms. Yet despite its compact size, the Poon tower has taken nearly as long to put up as Piano's much larger rod-a-palooza across the way. The eastern facade facing towards the Times Tower is currently a checkerboard of mismatched dryvit-filled squares and rectangles. Which does create a rather playful dialog with the oh-so-serious Gray Lady. Chinese checkers, anyone?
· Renzo's Symphony Update: Diapha-huh? [Curbed]
· Rumblings & Bumblings Responses: More McSam [Curbed]
· Hotel 373 Sneaks Into SoFi [Curbed]
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