100 Varick Street, you little tease! It was way back in 2007 when we got a look at what you had planned for the pocket of Hudson Square surrounding the mouth of the Holland Tunnel. Replacing some historic homes would be 10 stories of modern, glassy living, but apparently that's no longer the case. The Observer reveals the new plans for 100 Varick, a 26-story hotel covered in "amorphous thin film glass" that will harness solar energy to generate some of the building's electricity. Check out the handy rendering that helps explain the concept to those of us who flunked Environmental Science. Oooh, sun beams! The design comes from green-loving architect Anthony Morali of MStudio, and according to the developer the hotel is still six months out from getting the necessary approvals. A hotel makes a bit more sense for the location, but we hate to see a good rendering go to waste. One last time, please join us for a glimpse at the 100 Varick Street not to be:
Meanwhile, Wired New York has a sad postmortem on what was torn down to make way for all this wheeling and dealing.
· Sun Rise! New Hudson Square Hotel to Use Solar Technology Rare for New York [NYO]
· Hudson Square Heat at 100 Varick Too [Curbed]