Vote for NYC’s best building of 2019!

Every year, Curbed NY’s editors look back at the year that was—the priciest sales, the best buildings, the most beautiful homes, you get the idea—during the Curbed Awards, which run for most of December.

But before we kick off the latest edition in the next couple of weeks, we want to hear from you—specifically on the best building to debut in New York City in 2019.

For this, we looked at developments that were completed (an important distinction!) this year, and narrowed the pool down to six buildings. Cast your vote below, and if we’ve left a project off that you think deserves a mention, take to the comments.

Max Touhey

Amid the gleaming new structures of the Hudson Yards megaproject, The Shed is a standout. That’s largely because of the building itself, which is unique not just for the complex, but for a cultural center in the city. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which acted as the lead architect, and Rockwell Group as the collaborating architect, the building is covered in ETFE panels, which are lightweight, durable, and weatherproof, and gives the whole thing a puffy look (not unlike a Chanel handbag).

Max Touhey

Studio Gang’s 40 Tenth Avenue—once known as “Solar Carve”—wrapped up in 2019 and is a striking new addition to the collection of glassy towers that hug the High Line. It’s designed in such a way so that the structure will not cast shadows on the adjacent park, and the glass facade—which includes some three-dimensional pieces—will have less of the glare and solar heat issues typically found in those buildings. (The glass pieces are even angled in such a way to reduce bird strikes—how thoughtful.)

Max Touhey

Jean Nouvel’s MoMA-adjacent skyscraper, 53 West 53, is among the most elegant of the supertall skyscrapers to rise in the general Billionaires’ Row area. The structure itself is a slender, pointy tower rising from a thicker base; the diagrid pattern along the facade provides visual interest.

The TWA Hotel isn’t a new building, of course, but the refurbishment and reopening of Eero Saarinen’s circa-1962 TWA Terminal was one major reason to cheer this year. The Saarinen building now functions as the lobby of the 500-room hotel behind it, and holds an incredible collection of midcentury treasures, including work by Isamu Noguchi, Charles Eames, Warren Platner, and Raymond Loewy.

Max Touhey

After decades of planning and delays (and $41 million), the Hunters Point South Library finally debuted on the Queens waterfront. The new building is a striking addition to the urban fabric, but it has also come under fire for its lack of accessibility. A lawsuit alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act was recently filed against the city and the Queens Public Library.

Max Touhey

The new Statue of Liberty Museum isn’t the flashiest building on this list, but it serves an important purpose: adding much-needed public space (that happens to be free!) to one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. The structure, designed by FXCollaborative, blends into the landscape while also providing heretofore unseen vantage points of Lady Liberty.