The gang at Durst Fetner have finally started to dig down into their mega-site at 625 West 57th Street, but the highly anticipated pyramid scheme from Bjarke Ingels Group, first made public over a year ago, still hasn't gotten the go ahead. Filings at the Department of Buildings show what's initially planned just south of the grand old IRT Powerhouse is a 5-story stump, rather than BIG's 450 foot slope of residences with great river views. Zoning diagrams for this comparatively puny 80-foot plateau showed up in mid-April, and what they reveal are plans for a big rectangular box.
Durst reps announced in December that this spring would bring the start of construction, and they've made good on their promise. The developers also acknowledged that this site, given the zoning complexities, could possibly see something more conventional than Bjarke's BIG metal mountain rising above Joltin' Joe's stretch of riverfront roadway. But with money moving once again, we're ever hopeful that the pyramid will come to pass. This weekend a watchful sleuth at Wired New York posted the first shots of Durst's big dig out, showing a bevy of heavy equipment doing some dirty deeds on site. Right now the expanse of land at 625 West 57th is a big blank slate, with only the first markings being made, a time when everyone can be optimistic about what's to come.
· New Durst-Fetner Building @ W 57th & 11th Ave [WIred New York]
· 625 West 57th Street coverage [Curbed]
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