270 Park Avenue in New York, NY

[tolbs17]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

[hotdogPi]

There are thousands of 270 Park Avenues across the country...

[tolbs17]

There are thousands of 270 Park Avenues across the country...

renamed the thread so it can be more specific.

[SkyPesos]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

[tolbs17]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

[Mapmikey]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

Because "they" don't own a piece of property that meets this criteria.  The demolished building was opened in 1960.  It is often cheaper/easier to replace a building that old than to remodel it to modern codes and standards.

This site wasn't an open lot when the 1960 building was constructed in the late 1950s.  Manhattan has been renewing itself like this back to the turn of the 20th century.

[Scott5114]

It was previously the headquarters of a bank. The bank had twice as many people working there as the building was designed to hold. So they're replacing it with a building that's twice as tall.

[tolbs17]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

Because "they" don't own a piece of property that meets this criteria.  The demolished building was opened in 1960.  It is often cheaper/easier to replace a building that old than to remodel it to modern codes and standards.

This site wasn't an open lot when the 1960 building was constructed in the late 1950s.  Manhattan has been renewing itself like this back to the turn of the 20th century.

I was gonna ask why can't they replace 20 Exchange Place or 500 5th Ave. Those are older and more substandard compared to  270 Park Ave.

[bing101]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

Because "they" don't own a piece of property that meets this criteria.  The demolished building was opened in 1960.  It is often cheaper/easier to replace a building that old than to remodel it to modern codes and standards.

This site wasn't an open lot when the 1960 building was constructed in the late 1950s.  Manhattan has been renewing itself like this back to the turn of the 20th century.

I was gonna ask why can't they replace 20 Exchange Place or 500 5th Ave. Those are older and more substandard compared to  270 Park Ave.

$$$ by the investment group that owns the buildings and the permits process to build a new building.

[Scott5114]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

Because "they" don't own a piece of property that meets this criteria.  The demolished building was opened in 1960.  It is often cheaper/easier to replace a building that old than to remodel it to modern codes and standards.

This site wasn't an open lot when the 1960 building was constructed in the late 1950s.  Manhattan has been renewing itself like this back to the turn of the 20th century.

I was gonna ask why can't they replace 20 Exchange Place or 500 5th Ave. Those are older and more substandard compared to  270 Park Ave.

Those are owned by different people. Why can't they replace your house with a skyscraper? Because the people that need to build a skyscraper don't own your house.

[tolbs17]

Why did they demolish that huge building that looks modern and fine? I feel like it seems a waste to just demolish it instead of finding an open area to build another building. 

"NYC" (specifically Manhattan) and "open area" don't belong in the same sentence.

What I mean by that, is the demolished buildings from the 9/11 attacks that did not get rebuilt, or buildings that are more rundown and uninteresting.

Because "they" don't own a piece of property that meets this criteria.  The demolished building was opened in 1960.  It is often cheaper/easier to replace a building that old than to remodel it to modern codes and standards.

This site wasn't an open lot when the 1960 building was constructed in the late 1950s.  Manhattan has been renewing itself like this back to the turn of the 20th century.

I was gonna ask why can't they replace 20 Exchange Place or 500 5th Ave. Those are older and more substandard compared to  270 Park Ave.

Those are owned by different people. Why can't they replace your house with a skyscraper? Because the people that need to build a skyscraper don't own your house.

Well, I do remember when Greenville's downtown was a neighborhood before and downtown expanded... It was a shame! Historic Aerials can give you a nice view of how it looked like.

I'm talking about Greenville, North Carolina btw.

[tolbs17]

This looked beautiful inside tbh. Better than some buildings at ECU.

This link shows progress on  the new building.

https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/08/270-park-avenues-massive-steel-base-takes-shape-in-midtown-east-manhattan.html

[SkyPesos]

This looked beautiful inside tbh. Better than some buildings at ECU.

This link shows progress on  the new building.

https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/08/270-park-avenues-massive-steel-base-takes-shape-in-midtown-east-manhattan.html

You're comparing the largest city in the US to a college town...

[tolbs17]

This looked beautiful inside tbh. Better than some buildings at ECU.

This link shows progress on  the new building.

https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/08/270-park-avenues-massive-steel-base-takes-shape-in-midtown-east-manhattan.html

You're comparing the largest city in the US to a college town...

I'm talking about the interior of the building...

[Scott5114]

The interior of that building is kind of bland. I've seen nicer gas stations.

[tolbs17]

The interior of that building is kind of bland. I've seen nicer gas stations.

Looks like a renovated hospital.

[Bruce]

It looks like every mid-60s skyscraper I've been inside (which is a handful).

It's funnier when a high-rise gets demolished so that a shorter/smaller building can replace it, as was the case for the CPF Building in Singapore.

Vancouver demolished its tallest hotel to make way for two shorter condo towers.

[empirestate]

I was just noticing this the other day and trying to remember what was being built there. (I always pas by on the Madison Ave. side, so I hadn't even registered that this was 270 Park Ave.) The steelwork is quite imposing and impressive.

Since we're talking about largest voluntarily demolished buildings, did anyone else as a kid read the David Macaulay book Unbuilding? It was the story of a fictional future deconstruction of the Empire State Building, which was just a creative way of describing its construction.

[abefroman329]

Didn't he also write The Way Things Work?  I loved that book.

[kkt]

Didn't he also write The Way Things Work?  I loved that book.

He wrote a lot of books like that.  I like Cathedral.

[tolbs17]

To add to this thread: this building looks similar to the one they tore down.

https://goo.gl/maps/5xUdRtW5zvf8A4Wa8

Btw, here's the latest construction that's happening there: https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/12/jpmorgan-chases-supertall-headquarters-continues-construction-at-270-park-avenue-in-midtown-east-manhattan.html