How much dazzling European-bred starchitecture can one small swath of Tribeca handle? We're about to find out! On tiny Franklin Place, between Broadway and Church Street, Dutch wonderboy Ben van Berkel's black and bendy 5 Franklin Place is set to rise 20 stories. Just one block over, at 56 Leonard Street (at Church), Swiss misters Herzog and de Meuron will go even bigger?a fact that 56 Leonard developer Alexico Group has finally acknowledged (though they've hinted at it, and there's nothing really secret about the Street View image seen above). In a press release just sent out, Alexico announced the hiring of the 40 Bond architects to drum up something special for the site, though the designs have been under wraps for months. The renderings will not be revealed until the fall. But Alexico, now having to compete with Berkel's burka for luxury bucks, has an ace up its sleeve. Alexico has also commissioned artist Anish Kapoor (of Sky Mirror fame) to create a sculpture that will have a permanent home on the ground floor of 56 Leonard. What's up now, Benny boy?
· Exclusive: Herzog and de Meuron Go 57 Stories in Tribeca [Curbed]
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