After watching his plan for a tower at 980 Madison get smacked down, architect Norman Foster tries again to put his stamp on midtown Manhattan. What we see above are two Foster schemes for a hotel/condo tower to be built at 610 Lexington Avenue (at 52nd Street) by developer Aby Rosen. Per the Slatin Report, to build out the tower, Rosen plans to transfer unused development rights from the nearby Seagram Building and Lever House to his hotel site, and has also purchased air rights from another nearby building. Rosen has just struck a deal with Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts to brand this baby Shangri-La.
As for the site itself, it currently holds a 1915-era YWCA building, which will be demolished to make way for this fresh glowing paradise. The crowd at Wired New York has been tracking the imminent demise of the YWCA, which saw ominous scaffolding rise around it earlier this year. Last rites this-a-way.
· Shangri-La Luxe Headed for Lex [Slatin Report]
· 610 Lexington Avenue (Foster) 61-Story Tower [Wired New York]