Demolition Alley: Columbus Circle East, 225 W 57th + De-Contructing 220 CPS (Deal Reached?)

View from south side of 57th looking north to 225 W 57th (A Fine)

225 West 57th lot (A Fine)



Bobcat emerges from 58th Street side of 220 CPS

Demo of 221 W 58th, foreground, demo of north tower of 220 CPS background (A Fine)

Front of 220 CPS

At some point in the near future you will have an open view of Central Park from West 57th Street, just East of Broadway. No, not from the high floors at the Portzamparc tower, but simply from ground level. It will be a rare but short-lived view through two city blocks, but there is just that much demo work going on in the area right now. Currently there stands a large vacant lot where 225 West 57th once stood, future home to an Extell Development 50 story 1000-1400 foot tall (?) mixed use tower that is rumored to be the future home of the tallest Nordstrom in all the land. Extell has taken out a couple of adjoining buildings as well as the building just to the north on West 58th Street. Across the street on the north side of 58th Street the back tower of once and future 220 CPS has completed demolition, a couple of next door buildings are coming down (219 and 221 West 58th), and work has begun on the demolition of the front tower of 220 CPS that faces CPS. They are laying waste to the whole area! 220 CPS has been subject to a battle between Extell Development that owns (owned?) the garage space and Vornado that owns everything else. Last we heard from any source was that Extell was taking Vornado to court, but some settlement surely must have been worked out, as the only thing that is coming out of that garage at this point is a bobcat moving debris.

The  result here is an amazing demolition alley in some of the densest and most valuable property in the world! The pics I have here are from this week, and, yes, they are a bit gloomy, but then again, de-construction is a dirty business.
Extell Sues Vornado To Force It To Re-occupy 220 CPS (TRD 8/2012)
Curbed Files, 225 West 57th (Curbed)
Skyscraper Forum On 225 West 57th, the folks who pointed out the original error in the height of 225