126-504: One Worldwide Plaza is the largest tower of Worldwide Plaza, a three-building commercial and residential complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), One Worldwide Plaza is an office building measuring 778 feet (237 m) tall, with an alternative address of 825 Eighth Avenue . It
252-576: A coal mining business. It bought Redland 's brick manufacturing business in 1996. CRH bought a majority stake in the business in 1998 and the balance of the shares in October 2011. The business was then acquired by Bain Capital as part of a management buyout in February 2015, and was the subject of an initial public offering in October 2015. This article about a manufacturing company in
378-501: A "pointless circular arcade" and said that, like the Hearst Tower several blocks north, the building had a "strained relationship to the streets below". Brendan Gill , writing for The New Yorker in 1990, criticized the project as having "cool reasonableness", which he saw as "a defect that its designers and builders must have seen as a virtue". Gill also disliked the fact that the complex's largest structure (One Worldwide Plaza)
504-407: A $ 600 million mortgage loan on Worldwide Plaza. In the wake of Black Monday, the developers were barely able to make mortgage payments as long as the building's original tenants continued to pay rent. By 1996, Deutsche Bank was looking to sell its mortgage. Zeckendorf's syndicate wished to find a partner to help buy the mortgage from Deutsche Bank, with little success. At the time, One Worldwide Plaza
630-463: A 32-story office tower would be built. Hotels, apartment buildings, and a Madison Square Garden would be built over the tracks west of Pennsylvania Station . North of the Javits Center, a "Television City" would be developed by Larry Silverstein in conjunction with NBC . One impediment to development was the lack of mass transit in the area, which is far from Penn Station, and none of
756-519: A Building to complement the PBS miniseries. Goldberger wrote that the series was focused largely on the process of actually constructing Worldwide Plaza, rather than "the majesty and ambition of the American skyscraper", as Childs had intended for One Worldwide Plaza to be. Explanatory notes Inflation figures Hell%27s Kitchen, Manhattan Hell's Kitchen , formerly also known as Clinton ,
882-523: A German restaurant in the area known as Heil's Kitchen, after its proprietors. But the most common version traces it to the story of "Dutch Fred the Cop", a veteran policeman, who with his rookie partner, was watching a small riot on West 39th Street near Tenth Avenue. The rookie is supposed to have said, "This place is hell itself", to which Fred replied, "Hell's a mild climate. This is Hell's Kitchen." The 1929 book Manna-Hatin: The Story of New York states that
1008-458: A beam that was then lifted to the roof. Work on the interior finishes began that month. The interior fit-out of Ogilvy's offices, originally slated to begin in April 1988, did not begin until that November. The completion of Worldwide Plaza was ultimately delayed by four months and exceeded the original budget by 10 percent. Most of the space at One Worldwide Plaza was leased even before the building
1134-457: A bond issue that would have funded a 48th Street "people mover", the City first abandoned the rest of the 1969–70 master plan and then gave the neighborhood a special zoning district to restrict further redevelopment. Since then, limited new development has filled in the many empty lots and rejuvenated existing buildings. Later, in 1978, when the city could not afford the higher cost of constructing
1260-605: A brick midsection with setbacks , and a pyramidal copper roof with a glass lantern. Inside, there are storefronts and entrances to the New York City Subway 's 50th Street station , while three double-height lobbies lead to different sets of office floors. Worldwide Plaza was developed in the late 1980s by a syndicate led by William Zeckendorf Jr. Upon opening, One Worldwide Plaza was nearly fully occupied, with two anchor tenants: advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather and law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore . During
1386-461: A controlling ownership stake in 2017, selling off a non-controlling stake to RXR Realty and SL Green Realty . One Worldwide Plaza is part of Worldwide Plaza, which occupies the entire city block bounded by Eighth Avenue, Ninth Avenue , 49th Street , and 50th Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . Worldwide Plaza was developed in the late 1980s by a syndicate led by William Zeckendorf Jr. One Worldwide Plaza,
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#17327935057361512-435: A day-care center sponsored by Cravath, Swaine & Moore for its employees' children. Northwest of the lobbies is a truck elevator on 50th Street. The building contains a steel superstructure weighing 19,000 short tons (17,000 long tons; 17,000 t). Each floor slab is made of concrete, which is poured onto a metal deck. The floor slabs measure 165 by 165 feet (50 by 50 m). The maximum structural load on each column
1638-402: A garage. According to Zeckendorf, Worldwide Plaza was intended to be "a self-contained community and also a destination point for other people in the city". The Worldwide Plaza complex is built on the site of New York City's third Madison Square Garden (MSG). Following the opening of the current Madison Square Garden arena at 34th Street, the former arena was closed in 1968 and demolished. By
1764-718: A glittering island of corporate luxury." He did describe One Worldwide Plaza's lower stories as resembling "stone wallpaper" because the cladding was so thin. Herbert Muschamp , also of the Times , regarded the building as one of the city's "Art Deco retreads". Jonathan Yardley of The Washington Post wrote: "Worldwide within its single city block thus epitomizes the transformation from commercial to residential, and it does so in buildings of singular handsomeness and distinction." The architect Robert A. M. Stern described One Worldwide Plaza as "the first office building of any importance to be built west of Eighth Avenue" since 330 West 42nd Street
1890-510: A health club measuring 35,000 square feet (3,300 m). The health club was originally operated by Bally Health and Tennis. Beneath the plaza is a 450-spot parking garage with 450 or 473 parking spaces. Beneath the public plaza, there was originally a multiplex cinema with six screens, operated by the Cineplex Odeon Corporation . The multiplex's lobby was just below ground level, while the auditoriums themselves were in
2016-554: A home to fledgling and working actors; it is the home of the Actors Studio training school and sits near Broadway theatres . Hell's Kitchen is part of Manhattan Community District 4 . It is patrolled by the 10th and Midtown North Precincts of the New York City Police Department . The area provides transport, medical, and warehouse-infrastructure support to the business district of Manhattan. It
2142-518: A lack of funding. In 1966, a "Cinema City" with two office towers, two Broadway theaters, four movie theaters, and several film and recording studios was proposed for the site. Three years later, New York City Center proposed developing a four-theater complex, a film production center, and a new home for the American Film Institute on the site. In 1973, Cushman & Wakefield and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill were hired to study
2268-491: A much larger floor area than older Art Deco skyscrapers in New York City , which had deeper setbacks and consequently less interior space. The tower is topped by a pyramidal copper roof with round dormer windows. The pyramid has eight sides and measures 150 feet (46 m) tall. The design of the roof was inspired by the pyramidal roofs of several other New York City office buildings in the early 20th century, such as
2394-418: A multiple murder there. He referred to a particularly infamous tenement at 39th Street and Tenth Avenue as "Hell's Kitchen" and said that the entire section was "probably the lowest and filthiest in the city." According to this version, 39th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues became known as Hell's Kitchen and the name was later expanded to the surrounding streets. Another version ascribes the name's origins to
2520-422: A narrow court behind 422 West 46th Street. From 1811 until it was officially de-mapped in 1857, the diminutive Bloomingdale Square was part of the city's intended future. It extended from 53rd to 57th Streets between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. It was eliminated after the establishment of Central Park, and the name shifted to the junction of Broadway, West End Avenue , and 106th Street, now Straus Park . In 1825,
2646-476: A quarter of the retail space was still empty in 1996. Although the offices were fully occupied in the mid-1990s, the office space was not as profitable as Zeckendorf had originally projected. Three of One Worldwide Plaza's largest tenants had only agreed to rent space in exchange for equity, while other tenants such as PolyGram, Microsoft , and Roberts & Holland paid less rent per square foot compared to other Midtown buildings. In addition, Deutsche Bank held
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#17327935057362772-489: A real-estate building boom on Eighth Avenue, including the Hearst Tower at 56th Street and Eighth Avenue. An indication of how fast real estate prices rose in the neighborhood was a 2004 transaction involving the Howard Johnson's Motel at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue. In June, Vikram Chatwal's Hampshire Hotel Group bought the motel and adjoining Studio Instrument Rental building for $ 9 million. In August, they sold
2898-540: A result, most of the buildings are older, and are often walk-up apartments . For the most part, the neighborhood encompasses the ZIP Codes 10019 and 10036. The post office for 10019 is called Radio City Station, the original name for Rockefeller Center on Sixth Avenue . The neighborhood overlaps Times Square and the Theater District to the east at Eighth Avenue. On its southeast border, it overlaps
3024-405: A variety of rides, restaurants, and films. The structure would have been enclosed in glass, which would have allowed the park to operate year-round; it would also have contained a 500-seat parking lot in the basement. The City of New York was supportive of the project as part of its initiative to clean up nearby Times Square . Ultimately, the developers chose not to spend $ 12 million on an option for
3150-474: A year. In November 2019, West Monroe Partners leased one floor. By 2023, Nomura sought to downsize its space at One Worldwide Plaza, while Cravath, Swaine & Moore planned to relocate to Hudson Yards. These two tenants collectively occupied 70 percent of the building, prompting concerns that a $ 940 million loan on the Worldwide Plaza complex could not be paid off. By January 2024, One Worldwide Plaza
3276-599: Is Chelsea . The Hudson Yards neighborhood overlaps with Hell's Kitchen, and the areas are often lumped together as "West Midtown", given their proximity to the Midtown Manhattan business district. The traditional dividing line with Chelsea is 34th Street. The area between the rail corridor at Pennsylvania Station and the West Side Yard and 42nd Street, and east of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center ,
3402-587: Is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City , United States. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the east, and the Hudson River to the west. Hell's Kitchen has long been a bastion of poor and working-class Irish Americans , and its gritty reputation has long held real-estate prices below those of most other areas of Manhattan. But by 1969,
3528-611: Is also known as Hell's Kitchen South. The western border of the neighborhood is the Hudson River at the Hudson River Park and West Side Highway . Several explanations exist for the origin of the neighborhood's current name. An early use of the phrase appears in a comment Davy Crockett made about another notorious Irish slum in Manhattan, Five Points . According to the Irish Cultural Society of
3654-480: Is an oval passageway with a vaulted ceiling . The building's two original anchor tenants, advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather and law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore , had their own entrances. This was because Ogilvy & Mather had requested a private entrance during the building's construction. Ogilvy & Mather's entrance faced 49th Street; Cravath, Swaine & Moore's entrance faced Eighth Avenue; and other tenants had an entrance facing west. The entrance on
3780-404: Is clad with maize -colored brick, but the windows at the center of each elevation are emphasized by vertical strips of rust-colored brick. The facade originally contained single-paned windows, which gave the effect of a flat facade. The building contains several setbacks , which are decorated with white brick that is designed to evoke the appearance of stone. The building's shallow setbacks give it
3906-406: Is immediately west of New York's main business district, large-scale redevelopment has been kept in check for more than 40 years by strict zoning rules in a Special Clinton District designed to protect the neighborhood's residents and its low-rise character. In part to qualify for federal aid, New York developed a comprehensive Plan for New York City in 1969–70. While for almost all neighborhoods,
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4032-411: Is known for its extensive selection of multiethnic, small, and relatively inexpensive restaurants, delicatessens, bodegas , bars, and associated nightlife. The name "Hell's Kitchen" generally refers to the area between 34th to the south and 59th Street to the north. Starting west of Eighth Avenue and the north side of 43rd Street, city zoning regulations generally limit buildings to six stories. As
4158-413: Is the easternmost building in the Worldwide Plaza complex, which occupies the entire city block bounded by Eighth Avenue, Ninth Avenue , 49th Street , and 50th Street and is built on the site of New York City's third Madison Square Garden . Adjacent to One Worldwide Plaza to the west are a public plaza and two residential buildings. The classically inspired building contains a three-story granite base,
4284-461: The 50th Street station of the New York City Subway , served by the C and E trains. There is an elevator entrance on 49th Street and an escalator entrance on 50th Street. The entrances were built in exchange for 162,000 square feet (15,100 m) of additional space. They contain a mezzanine, escalators, elevators, and stairs. The Zeckendorfs also commissioned artist Matt Mullican to create an etched-granite mural for
4410-705: The Art Deco style. The building is divided horizontally into three sections: a base, shaft, and capital. The materials used in its construction were sourced from a variety of locations. The brick was manufactured by Glen-Gery at a factory in Pennsylvania, while the windows were made in Wisconsin. By contrast, the roofing and precast concrete were made in Canada, the structural steel was bought in Luxembourg, and
4536-740: The Garment District also on Eighth Avenue. Two landmarks are located here – the New Yorker Hotel at 481 Eighth Avenue, and the Manhattan Center building at the northwest corner of 34th Street and Eighth Avenue. Included in the transition area on Eighth Avenue are the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd Street , the Pride of Midtown fire station (from which an entire shift, 15 firefighters, died at
4662-472: The Hudson River Railroad , whose initial leg – the 40 mi (64 km) to Peekskill – was completed on September 29, 1849, By the end of 1849, it stretched to Poughkeepsie and in 1851 it extended to Albany . The track ran at a steep grade up Eleventh Avenue, as far as 60th Street . The formerly rural riverfront was industrialized by businesses, such as tanneries, that used
4788-572: The New York Life Building and the Helmsley Building . The building is crowned by a pyramidal glass lantern. Childs constructed three lobbies at One Worldwide Plaza, each with a separate entrance. Each lobby was originally decorated with Fiore di Pesco marble. There are storefronts along the ground-level colonnade adjacent to the three lobbies, as well as on both levels of each lobby. In addition, there are restrooms along
4914-640: The Panic of 1857 led to the formation of gangs "in the notorious ' Gas House District ' at Twenty-First Street and the East River, or in 'Hell's Kitchen', in the West Thirties." Hell's Kitchen has become the most frequently used name of the neighborhood, even though real estate developers have offered alternatives such as "Clinton" and "Midtown West", or even "the Mid-West". The "Clinton" name, used by
5040-485: The September 11 attacks . The multiplex then became an Off-Broadway venue, Dodger Stages (now New World Stages ), in 2004. In February 2007, after a bidding war with Vornado Realty Trust , Blackstone acquired Equity Office's portfolio, including One Worldwide Plaza and seven other buildings. The firm immediately resold the structures to Harry B. Macklowe as part of a $ 7 billion transaction; One Worldwide Plaza alone
5166-402: The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks , the station with the greatest loss of firefighters was Engine Co. 54/Ladder Co. 4/Battalion 9 at 48th Street and Eighth Avenue, which lost 15 firefighters, an entire shift on duty. Given its proximity to Midtown, the station specializes in skyscraper fires and rescues. In 2007, it was the second-busiest firehouse in New York City, with 9,685 runs between
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5292-595: The World Trade Center ), several theatres including Studio 54 , the original soup stand of Seinfeld ' s " The Soup Nazi ", and the Hearst Tower . The northern edge of Hell's Kitchen borders the southern edge of the Upper West Side , though the section west of Ninth Avenue and south of 57th Street is also part of the Columbus Circle neighborhood. 57th Street was traditionally
5418-451: The 1980s, the surrounding area consisted mostly of lower-income tenements and small retail buildings, and The New York Times described the area as "a neighborhood best known for pornography and cheap bars". One Worldwide Plaza is a 50-story office skyscraper measuring 778 feet (237 m) high, with a pyramidal roof at its top. Several architectural details of One Worldwide Plaza were inspired by early-1930s classical designs, specifically
5544-563: The 44th Street convention center over water, the Mayor and Governor chose the rail yard site originally proposed by the local community. The SCD was originally split into four areas: Special permits are required for all demolition and construction in the SCD, including demolition of "any sound housing in the District" and any rehabilitation that increases the number of dwellings in a structure. In
5670-552: The City Planning Commission's Plan for New York City reported that development pressures related to its Midtown location were driving people of modest means from the area. Gentrification has accelerated since the early 1980s, and rents have risen rapidly. In addition to its long-established Irish-American and Hispanic-American populations, Hell's Kitchen has a large LGBTQ population and is home to many LGBTQ bars and businesses. The neighborhood has long been
5796-564: The City purchased for $ 10 clear title to a right-of-way through John Leake Norton's farm, "The Hermitage", to lay out 42nd Street clear to the river. Before long, cattle ferried from Weehawken were being driven along the unpaved route to slaughterhouses on the East Side. Seventy acres of the Leakes', later the Nortons' property, extending north from 42nd to 46th Street and from Broadway to
5922-486: The Clinton Planning Council and Daniel Gutman, their environmental planner, proposed that the convention center and all major development be located south of 42nd Street, where public policy had already left tracts of vacant land. Nevertheless, in 1973 the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was approved for a 44th Street site that would replace piers 84 and 86. But in exchange, and after the defeat of
6048-601: The Garden City Area: When, in 1835, Davy Crockett said, "In my part of the country, when you meet an Irishman, you find a first-rate gentleman; but these are worse than savages; they are too mean to swab hell's kitchen", he was referring to the Five Points. According to an article by Kirkley Greenwell, published online by the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Association: No one can pin down the exact origin of
6174-501: The Great Kill formed from three small streams that united near present-day Tenth Avenue and 40th Street, and then wound through the low-lying Reed Valley, renowned for fish and waterfowl, emptying into the Hudson River at a deep bay on the river at the present 42nd Street . The name was retained in a tiny hamlet called Great Kill, which became a center for carriage-making. The upland to the south and east became known as Longacre,
6300-696: The HKNA plan was to allow major new development while protecting the existing residential core area between Ninth and Tenth avenues. Glen-Gery Ibstock plc is a manufacturer of clay bricks and concrete products with operations in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index . The company was founded in 1899 at Ibstock in Leicestershire as
6426-522: The Hudson Yards Master Plan, the area covered is bordered on the east by Seventh and Eighth Avenues, on the south by West 28th and 30th Streets, on the north by West 43rd Street, and on the west by Hudson River Park and the Hudson River . The City's plan was similar to a neighborhood plan produced by architect Meta Brunzema and environmental planner Daniel Gutman for the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Association (HKNA). The main concept of
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#17327935057366552-493: The Preservation Area cannot exceed 66 ft (20 m) or seven stories, whichever is less. As the gentrification pace increased, there were numerous reports of problems between landlords and tenants. The most extreme example was the eight-story Windermere Apartments complex at the southwest corner of Ninth Avenue and 57th Street. Built in 1881, it is the second-oldest large apartment house in Manhattan. In 1980,
6678-430: The acquisition, American Realty Capital owned 50.1 percent of the building's equity and George Comfort & Sons maintained a 1.2 percent stake. At the time, the tenants included Nomura Holdings; Cravath, Swaine and Moore; CBS; and WebMD . Goldman Sachs agreed to provide a $ 1.2 billion loan to refinance the property following the acquisition. The commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) loan closed on October 17 and
6804-512: The area was still zoned as a manufacturing district with low-rise apartment buildings. By the early 1990s, there was a recession , which scuttled plans for rezoning and severely reduced the amount of development in the area. After the recession was over, developers invested in areas like Times Square , eastern Hell's Kitchen, and Chelsea , but mostly skipped the Far West Side. While most fire stations in Manhattan lost firefighters in
6930-539: The boundary between the Upper West Side and Hell's Kitchen, but another interpretation puts the northern border at 59th Street, where the names of the north–south avenues change. Included between 57th and 59th Streets the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle; Hudson Hotel ; Mount Sinai West , where John Lennon died in 1980 after being shot; and John Jay College . Beyond the southern boundary
7056-494: The building for $ 600 million to George Comfort and Sons. One Worldwide Plaza was only 46 percent occupied at the time, and the building still had a 40 percent vacancy rate at the end of the year. Television station WNET leased space at One Worldwide Plaza in 2010. Japanese investment bank Nomura agreed to lease around 900,000 square feet (84,000 m) in 2011, bringing the building to 95 percent occupancy. The bank beat out law firm Wilmer Hale , which had also been interested in
7182-565: The building, bidders were discouraged by the property's existing $ 870 million mortgage, and foreign entities had decreased their investment in New York real estate. American Realty Capital opted to sell only a non-controlling stake in the building and pursue a refinancing . That September, RXR Realty and SL Green Realty agreed to purchase a 48.7 percent stake in One Worldwide Plaza, valuing the building at $ 1.73 billion. Following
7308-649: The complex for about $ 310 million, and it also agreed to assume the $ 268.1 million in debt on the property. As part of a pilot program, Captivate Network installed electronic screens in One Worldwide Plaza's elevators, and the majority of the building's elevators had these screens by late 1999. The administration of mayor Rudy Giuliani sued the owners of Worldwide Plaza and two other buildings in 2000, alleging that these buildings' privately owned public spaces violated city laws. At Worldwide Plaza, two restaurants had illegally taken over many movable chairs and tables, which had been installed there as "public amenities". The suit
7434-452: The complex. Record label PolyGram had leased 120,000 square feet (11,000 m). Worldwide Plaza was completed in 1989, and a temporary certificate of occupancy was issued that February. The Worldwide Cinemas multiplex beneath the complex opened in June 1989, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore moved into One Worldwide Plaza that September. Ogilvy's offices were completed behind schedule, costing
7560-449: The complex. They ultimately fulfilled this requirement by acquiring six buildings on the block to the south. That October, Gulf and Western finalized its sale of the site to the joint venture of Zeckendorf, Cohen, KG Land, and Worldwide Holdings Corp. Zeckendorf also leased the theatrical complex to the Cineplex Odeon Corporation . A groundbreaking ceremony for the complex was held on November 12, 1986. That month, workers began excavating
7686-582: The decline of the West Side piers and many longshoremen found themselves out of work. In addition, construction of the Lincoln Tunnel in the 1930s, Lincoln Tunnel access roads, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and ramps starting in 1950 destroyed much of Hell's Kitchen south of 41st Street. In 1959, an aborted rumble between rival Irish and Puerto Rican gangs led to the notorious " Capeman " murders in which two innocent teenagers, mistaken for rival gang members, were killed. By 1965, Hell's Kitchen
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#17327935057367812-416: The developers gave large "work letters" to both firms, compensating for the cost of interior furnishings. These two tenants alone accounted for 55 percent of the space. By early 1989, more than 90 percent of the space at One Worldwide Plaza had been leased. Advertising agency N. W. Ayer & Son agreed to move into 335,000 square feet (31,100 m) at One Worldwide Plaza, and it also took an equity stake in
7938-412: The developers several million dollars. By then, Zeckendorf was developing several additional structures along the midtown section of Eighth Avenue, including two buildings directly next to Worldwide Plaza. Soon after the complex opened, Lifetime Cable Network also leased space at One Worldwide Plaza, as did electronics company Philips . The residences within the complex were not fully sold until 1993, and
8064-490: The development would have contained a combined 2.3 million square feet (210,000 m). Gulf and Western operated the site as a parking lot in the meantime. The company had decided to sell the site by 1984, as its long term strategy did not include the redevelopment of the old Madison Square Garden. Gulf and Western sold the site to a group led by William Zeckendorf Jr. in December 1984 for $ 100 million. His partners in
8190-402: The diverse audience." The landscaping of the plaza includes over 40 trees, numerous plantings, and seating. The plaza also contains a fountain called The Seasons , which was designed by sculptor Sidney Simon. Four bronze statues of standing nude women, each representing a season, hold up a globe. Below the globe are four fountains, each carved in the shape of a man's head. The complex also has
8316-432: The easternmost structure in the complex, was designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). To the west are two residential buildings, Two and Three Worldwide Plaza, designed by Frank Williams ; they are respectively composed of a 39-story tower and a series of five- and six-story-tall townhouses. In addition, the complex contains 57,000 square feet (5,300 m) of retail space, as well as theaters and
8442-494: The extension of Midtown Manhattan 's skyscraper development into Hell's Kitchen, at least north of 42nd Street. In 1989, the David Childs - and Frank Williams -designed Worldwide Plaza established a beachhead when it was built at the former Madison Square Garden site, a full city block between 49th and 50th Streets and between Eighth and Ninth Avenues that was exempt from special district zoning rules. This project led
8568-749: The feasibility of constructing a large commercial showroom complex on the site similar to the Merchandise Mart in Chicago or AmericasMart in Atlanta . The complex would be topped by a tower. In December 1976, developers Frank Stanton and Victor Elmaleh of the World‐Wide Group proposed Hippodrome Park, an indoor amusement park that would cost $ 30 million. The name was a homage to the former New York Hippodrome . The amusement park would have been designed by Randall Duell and would have included
8694-411: The harassment, he and his wife made top billing in the 1985 edition of The Village Voice 's annual list, "The Dirty Dozen: New York's Worst Landlords." Most of the tenants eventually settled and moved out of the building. In May 2006, seven tenants remained and court orders protecting the tenants and the building allowed it to remain in a derelict condition even as the surrounding neighborhood
8820-465: The label, but some refer to a tenement on 54th Street as the first "Hell's Kitchen". Another explanation points to an infamous building at 39th as the true origin. A gang and a local dive took the name as well. Local historian Mary Clark explained the name thus: ...first appeared in print on September 22, 1881 when a New York Times reporter went to the West 30s with a police guide to get details of
8946-461: The law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf had declared bankruptcy earlier that year. Deutsche Bank provided a $ 710 million mortgage on the property in February 2013. American Realty Capital New York Recovery REIT , one of several companies owned by New York real estate mogul Nicholas Schorsch , acquired a 48.9 percent interest in the property for $ 220 million in November 2013, as well as the rights to buy
9072-467: The massive residential displacement that this development project would have caused, and the failure of the City to complete any replacement housing, led to opposition to the first project – a new convention center to replace the New York Coliseum . To prevent the convention center from sparking a development boom that would beget the rest of the master plan with its consequent displacement,
9198-451: The master plan contained few proposals, it was very explicit about the bright future of Hell's Kitchen. The plan called for 2,000 to 3,000 new hotel rooms, 25,000 apartments, 25 × 10 ^ sq ft (2,300,000 m ) of office space, a new super liner terminal, a subway along 48th Street, and a convention center to replace what the plan described as "blocks of antiquated and deteriorating structures of every sort." However, outrage at
9324-405: The mid-1990s, the office space was leased at a very low price. The Blackstone Group acquired the complex in 1996 and sold it to Equity Office Properties in 1998. When Blackstone took over Equity Office in 2007, it sold the office building to Harry Macklowe , who lost the building to foreclosure. George Comfort and Sons took over One Worldwide Plaza in 2009. American Realty Capital New York bought
9450-419: The municipality of New York City, originated in 1959 in an attempt to change the image of the neighborhood by linking the area to DeWitt Clinton Park at 52nd and Eleventh Avenue , named after the 19th century New York governor , though The New York Times noted that those who live in the area "prefer Hell's Kitchen" as the name for the neighborhood. On the island of Manhattan when Europeans first saw it,
9576-530: The new complex. Zeckendorf hoped that the development would improve the character of Hell's Kitchen and Eighth Avenue, similar to how the construction of Axa Equitable Center four blocks northeast was intended to improve Seventh Avenue . It was one of several development projects planned within Hell's Kitchen, which at the time was characterized by physical decay and high crime. Zeckendorf said of Hell's Kitchen: "Ten years from now people will look back and marvel at how bad this neighborhood was." SOM began designing
9702-561: The next year by Howard J. Rubenstein's Rubenstein Associates and Prometheus Global Media . These transactions brought the building to full occupancy. American Realty Capital placed One Worldwide Plaza for sale in January 2017. The firm exercised its option to purchase an additional 49.9 percent stake in June 2017 for $ 277 million, bringing the company's ownership to 98.8%. While the company had initially hoped to sell its entire stake in
9828-468: The northern elevation, facing 50th Street, is used for retail rather than as an office lobby. The rest of the facade is made largely of brick and is designed in a manner reminiscent of the Gothic Revival style. Glen-Gery was hired to manufacture the brick because it was one of the few contractors capable of manufacturing the tinted brick that the developers wanted. The main section of the building
9954-480: The offices as using 50 short tons (45 long tons; 45 t) of marble and 1,285,000 square feet (119,400 m) of mahogany. A mid-block public plaza separates One Worldwide Plaza from Two and Three Worldwide Plaza. The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) had approved the construction and maintenance of the public plaza in exchange for additional floors in the office tower. The plaza originally covered 26,800 square feet (2,490 m), but its owner reduced
10080-449: The original provisions, no building could be demolished unless it was unsound. New developments, conversions, or alterations that create new units or zero bedroom units must contain at least 20% two bedroom apartments with a minimum room size of 168 sq ft (16 m ). Alterations that reduce the percentage of two-bedroom units are not permitted unless the resulting building meets the 20% two-bedroom requirement. Building height in
10206-459: The owner, Alan B. Weissman, tried to empty the building of its tenants. According to former tenants and court papers, rooms were ransacked, doors were ripped out, prostitutes were moved in, and tenants received death threats in the campaign to empty the building. All the major New York newspapers covered the trials that sent the Windermere's managers to jail. Although Weissman was never linked to
10332-498: The plaza's size by 10 percent in 2002 as part of a lawsuit settlement. During the summer, the plaza hosts the Worldwide Plaza Summer Concert Series. Jerold S. Kayden wrote of the buildings' plaza: "Its half-acre size, numerous movable chairs, comfortable ledge seating, food service at north and south ends, decorative water fountain, and landscaping of trees and shrubs render it highly functional for
10458-508: The predecessor of Longacre Square , now Times Square . One of the large farms of the colonial era in this neighborhood was that of Andreas Hopper and his descendants, extending from today's 48th Street nearly to 59th Street and from the river east to what is now Sixth Avenue . One of the Hopper farmhouses, built in 1752 for John Hopper the younger, stood near 53rd Street and Eleventh Avenue. Christened "Rosevale" for its extensive gardens, it
10584-466: The project by approximately one month. By the end of 1987, it was taking longer than expected to install the stonework inside the lobby. Installation of the exterior masonry had fallen three months behind schedule and did not commence until February 1988. The stonework ultimately cost significantly more than HRH Construction's original estimate. One Worldwide Plaza was topped-out with a ceremony on May 20, 1988, in which ironworkers inscribed their names on
10710-481: The project by requesting that Ogilvy & Mather withdraw from the project. Zeckendorf Company officials began negotiating with community board members "the day after" the board announced its opposition, and Zeckendorf announced in early 1986 that he would add affordable housing to the neighborhood. He proposed renovating 132 apartments in other parts of the neighborhood, rather than adding these apartments to his new development. Zeckendorf made six other modifications to
10836-513: The project in early 1985. The advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather , which was negotiating to lease a large amount of space in the building, was involved in the design. Zeckendorf's syndicate announced in November 1985 that it would erect a mixed-use complex on the MSG site, costing $ 500 million. The complex would include a 45-story office building on Eighth Avenue, as well as a 38-story condominium tower and several 6- and 7-story residential buildings to
10962-525: The project included Arthur G. Cohen , an independent real-estate investor; Victor Elmaleh and Frank Stanton , the principals of the World Wide Realty Corporation; and KG Land New York Corporation, a subsidiary of Japanese company Kumagai Gumi . The group had to raise a $ 12.5 million letter of credit and finalize their sale within 18 months. Zeckendorf and his partners announced in January 1985 that they had selected SOM to design
11088-591: The project to improve neighborhood residents' quality of life, including storefronts for local merchants, a day-care center, and job training. In July 1986, the New York City Board of Estimate approved Zeckendorf's development. Manhattan borough president David Dinkins , a supporter of the project, said the developers could not sell 60 of the complex's luxury units until all of the affordable units had been sold. The developers had to acquire another 70 affordable units to provide enough affordable housing for
11214-408: The project used Brazilian granite and Italian marble. HRH Construction was the building's general construction contractor. Including the residential buildings, the complex was to cover 2 million square feet (190,000 m), more than the maximum size allowed without zoning bonuses. Under normal zoning regulations, the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) for any building on Worldwide Plaza's site
11340-539: The property to Elad Properties for about $ 43 million. Elad, which formerly owned the Plaza Hotel , built The Link, a luxury 44-story building, at that location. In 2003, the New York City Department of City Planning issued a master plan that envisioned the creation of 40,000,000 sq ft (3,700,000 m ) of commercial and residential development, two corridors of open space. Dubbed
11466-403: The proposals for a link to Penn Station was pursued successfully, for example, the ill-fated West Side Transitway. No changes to the zoning policy happened until 1990, when the city rezoned a small segment of 11th Avenue near the Javits Center. In 1993, part of 9th Avenue between 35th and 41st Streets was also rezoned. However, neither of these rezonings was particularly significant, as most of
11592-582: The remaining 51.1%. The move came several months after Scott Rechler 's RXR Realty had attempted to purchase the building for $ 1.25 billion. RXR sued American Realty Capital in an attempt to prevent the latter from acquiring ownership of the building. RXR continued its lawsuit even after American Realty Capital had bought the building. During the 2010s, Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Nomura Securities each continued to occupy roughly 700,000 square feet (65,000 m). M. Shanken Communications (owner of Wine Spectator ) and CBS-TV both leased space in 2014, followed
11718-421: The river at 54th Street, was Mott's Point, with an 18th-century Mott family house surrounded by gardens, that was inhabited by members of the family until 1884 and survived until 1895. A lone surviving structure from the time this area was open farmland and suburban villas is a pre-1800s carriage house that once belonged to a villa owned by former Vice President and New York State governor George Clinton , now in
11844-528: The river for shipping products and dumping waste. The neighborhood that would later be known as Hell's Kitchen started forming in the southern part of the 22nd Ward in the mid-19th century. Irish immigrants – mostly refugees from the Great Famine – found work on the docks and railroad along the Hudson River and established shantytowns there. After the American Civil War , there
11970-401: The river, were purchased before 1807 by John Jacob Astor and William Cutting , who held it before dividing it into building lots as the district became more suburban. The West Side later had its own slaughterhouses, which went out of business in the middle 20th century. There were multiple changes that helped Hell's Kitchen integrate with New York City proper. The first was construction of
12096-408: The second basement level. The cinema operated until 2001 and was converted into New World Stages , a complex of five Off-Broadway theaters, in 2004. The multiplex was completely reconstructed as part of that project. The modern theatrical complex contains a double-level lobby, accessed by escalators from 50th Street. One Worldwide Plaza's basement contains two entrances to the southbound platform of
12222-410: The site by adding a midblock plaza and renovating the 50th Street station. Members of the local Manhattan Community Board 4 opposed Zeckendorf's project, citing the buildings' height and the lack of low- and moderate-income housing. Community members also raised concerns that the development would cause gentrification by pushing out lower-income tenants and family businesses. Some residents protested
12348-559: The site to 17 feet below grade; the excavation was completed by February 1987. Newsday reported that the development of Worldwide Plaza would relocate the western boundary of Midtown Manhattan westward to Eighth Avenue. In June 1987, the Sonnenblick-Goldman Corporation secured a $ 545 million construction loan from a syndicate of 15 banks in the United States, Japan, Canada, and Europe. The financing
12474-546: The site. Conglomerate Gulf and Western Industries acquired control of the site in 1977 as part of its acquisition of the Madison Square Garden Corporation . The company devised plans in 1980 for a mixed-use project on the site, including an office building on Eighth Avenue and apartments on Ninth Avenue, both designed by SOM. Its proposal called for a three-story retail podium supporting a 52-story office building and two 60-story apartment towers;
12600-432: The slab-to-slab height of each story is 13 feet (4.0 m). The restrooms, staircases, and elevators are clustered near the building's core. The banks of elevators taper off at higher levels. For example, the 21st and 28th stories have space for three banks of elevators, although only two elevator banks serve these levels. Cravath, Swaine & Moore originally occupied the 38th to 49th stories. The New York Times described
12726-512: The space. George Comfort & Sons put the building up for sale in August 2012, reportedly hoping for a $ 1.7 billion valuation, almost triple what the company had paid just three years prior. By October 2012, bids for the building only reached around $ 1.5 billion. Potential buyers were reportedly worried about the building's tenants including Nomura, which had recently had its credit rating downgraded by Moody's Investors Service , and Cravath, after
12852-412: The station, which cost $ 150,000. The mural, measuring 70 feet (21 m) tall, contains black relief panels depicting the site's history. A closed stairway on 49th Street was also refurbished as part of the project. After the third Madison Square Garden was demolished in 1968, the site was operated as a parking lot for nearly two decades. Several proposals for redeveloping the site had all failed due to
12978-470: The tower and the small size of the driveway. He also noted the building's inspiration from the New York Life Building and Crown Building . Nonetheless, Goldberger wrote: "In general, this is the sort of plan the West Side of midtown Manhattan has been waiting for." Following Worldwide Plaza's completion, Goldberger declared that the project had "turned one of the harshest blocks of midtown Manhattan into
13104-402: The two companies. Its patch reads "Pride of Midtown" and "Never Missed a Performance". Memorials dot the station's exterior walls and a granite memorial is in a park to its north. Ladder 21, the "Pride of Hell's Kitchen", located on 38th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, and stationed with Engine Co. 34, lost seven firefighters on September 11. In addition, on September 11, Engine Co. 26
13230-466: The west. There would also be six underground movie theaters, a health club, and a 450-space parking garage. Ogilvy would occupy 600,000 square feet (56,000 m) in the office building. Ogilvy provided additional funds for the complex's construction in exchange for a 17 percent equity stake and some of One Worldwide Plaza's income. In addition, the complex would receive an eight-year, $ 60 million tax abatement. The developers obtained two zoning bonuses for
13356-528: The western side of the arcade. The two-story-high lobby on Eighth Avenue was used by Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which installed security checkpoints on both levels of the lobby, reducing the amount of retail space there. On each side, visitors had to take an escalator from ground level to the upper lobby, where they could access the elevators. Each lobby had access to a bank of elevators. There are four elevator banks in total, comprising 22 passenger elevators and two truck elevators. The building's base also contained
13482-653: Was 10, but the developers received two bonuses of 2 FAR each, bringing the FAR to 14. The developers added a midblock plaza for the first bonus and renovated the adjacent 50th Street station for the second bonus. The base of the building is three stories tall and is designed to relate to the neighboring residential buildings. It is clad with gray-purple granite and contains outwardly curved entrances on all four sides. These curved sections contain Renaissance-inspired colonnades with granite pilasters , behind which
13608-630: Was 2,000 short tons (1,800 long tons; 1,800 t) on average. These loads were carried down into the concrete spread footings at the building's foundation . The superstructure was stiffened by moment frames at the building's perimeter, which were braced to the elevator core. Concrete masonry units were then installed around the outermost beams of the superstructure, providing waterproofing. One Worldwide Plaza contains 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m) of office space. The upper stories each have 20,000 to 72,000 square feet (1,900 to 6,700 m) of rentable space. Each story has an open plan , and
13734-412: Was an influx of people who moved to New York City. The tenements that were built became overcrowded quickly. Many who lived in this congested, poverty-stricken area turned to gang life. Following Prohibition , implemented in 1919, the district's many warehouses were ideal locations for bootleg distilleries for the rumrunners who controlled illicit liquor. At the start of the 20th century, the neighborhood
13860-416: Was completed in 1931. Ylonda Gault of Crain's New York wrote that One Worldwide Plaza's completion had "catapulted Mr. Childs to celebrity status in architect circles". Conversely, Daniel Bluestone wrote for Design Book Review in 1992: "For all of its massive display of urbanity, the recoil of the development from its neighborhood is striking." Nicolai Ouroussoff described One Worldwide Plaza as having
13986-543: Was completed. In August 1988, the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore leased 370,000 square feet (34,000 m) in exchange for a 7 percent equity stake in Worldwide Plaza. The lease occurred at a time when the offices of all of Manhattan's accounting firms and corporate law firms were east of Sixth Avenue . The law firm's lease also stipulated that Zeckendorf buy and demolish an adult movie theater just north of One Worldwide Plaza. Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Ogilvy & Mather each had their own entrances and elevators, and
14112-412: Was constructed in Hell's Kitchen, the surrounding area was still largely tenements. After the repeal of Prohibition , many of the organized crime elements moved into other rackets, such as illegal gambling and union shakedowns. The postwar era was characterized by a flourishing waterfront, and longshoreman work was plentiful. By the end of the 1970s, the implementation of containerized shipping led to
14238-553: Was controlled by gangs, including the violent Gopher Gang led by One Lung Curran and later by Owney Madden . Early gangs, like the Hell's Kitchen Gang, transformed into organized crime entities, around the same time that Owney Madden became one of the most powerful mobsters in New York. It became known as the "most dangerous area on the American Continent". By the 1930s, when the McGraw-Hill Building
14364-576: Was experiencing a dramatic burst of demolition and redevelopment. In September 2007, the fire department evacuated the remaining seven residents from the building, citing dangerous conditions, and padlocked the front door. In 2008, the New York Supreme Court ruled that the owners of the building, who include the TOA Construction Corporation of Japan, must repair it. By the 1980s the area south of 42nd Street
14490-574: Was fully occupied by several large tenants with long leases, but the average rent for office space had decreased about one-third since 1990. That October, the Blackstone Group bought the mortgage from Deutsche Bank for $ 300 million. Blackstone extended PolyGram's and Ayer's leases. Ogilvy had decided to relocate, though other companies quickly expressed interest in Ogilvy's vacant space. In October 1998, Equity Office Properties agreed to acquire
14616-560: Was impacted by the location of the new subway entrances at the base. While the developers negotiated with the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) for a year and a half, contractors started pouring the foundations. The concrete for the foundation was poured by April 1987, and work on the steel superstructure began the following month. The construction of the complex proceeded as scheduled until July 1987, when ironworkers went on strike for three weeks, delaying
14742-433: Was in decline. Both the state and the city hoped that the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center would renew the area. Hotels, restaurants, apartment buildings, and television studios were proposed. One proposal included apartments and hotels on a 30 acres (12 ha) pier jutting out onto Hudson River, which included a marina , ferry slip , stores, restaurants, and a performing arts center . At Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street,
14868-432: Was on Eighth Avenue rather than the middle of the block, and he believed the classical detailing to be excessive. Eric Nash wrote in 2005 that the building "lacks Rockefeller Center's sweetly naive spirit, yet still manages to be a distinctive presence on the midtown skyline". Worldwide Plaza's construction was documented in a five-episode PBS miniseries. In addition, Karl Sabbagh wrote the book Skyscraper: The Making of
14994-447: Was one of the largest CMBS loans on a New York office building since the financial crisis of 2007–08 . Shortly after origination, Goldman Sachs syndicated 25 percent of the loan to Deutsche Bank. The loan consisted of $ 940 million in senior debt and a $ 260 million junior loan . At the time, an appraisal valued the property at $ 1.74 billion since the building was 98.4 percent occupied and generating net cash flows of over $ 85 million
15120-565: Was one of the largest real estate loans in New York City history. In exchange for receiving the loan, the development group provided a letter of credit and personal guarantees worth $ 100 million. The Wall Street Journal described the loan as part of a trend wherein "the mere mention of a Zeckendorf project had bankers falling over each other to offer financing". At the time of Worldwide Plaza's development, demand for office space in New York City had declined following Black Monday in 1987. The design of One Worldwide Plaza's basement and ground level
15246-468: Was settled in mid-2002 after Equity Office applied to convert ten percent of the plaza's space into a private dining area for the complex's restaurants. Meanwhile, the Loews Cineplex at Worldwide Plaza closed in early 2001 after its operator went bankrupt. The former multiplex temporarily served as office space for accounting firm Deloitte later that year after that firm's offices were destroyed in
15372-459: Was temporarily stationed with Engine Co. 34/Ladder Co. 21 and lost many firefighters themselves. Hell's Kitchen has become an increasingly upscale neighborhood of affluent young professionals as well as residents from the "old days", with rents in the neighborhood having increased dramatically above the average in Manhattan. It has also acquired a large and diverse community as residents have moved north from Chelsea . Zoning has long restricted
15498-626: Was the home base of the Westies , an Irish mob aligned with the Gambino crime family . In the early 1980s widespread gentrification began to alter the demographics of the longtime working-class Irish American neighborhood. The 1980s saw an end to the Westies' reign of terror, when the gang lost all of its power after the RICO convictions of most of its principals in 1986. Although the neighborhood
15624-476: Was the home of the War of 1812 veteran, Gen. Garrit Hopper Striker, and lasted until 1896, when it was demolished. The site was purchased for the city and naturalistically landscaped by Samuel Parsons Jr. as DeWitt Clinton Park . In 1911, New York Hospital bought a full city block largely of the Hopper property, between 54th and 55th Streets, Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues . Beyond the railroad track, projecting into
15750-402: Was valued at $ 1.2 billion, a one-third decrease from its 2018 valuation. The $ 940 million senior loan on the building was sent to special servicing in October 2024. When One Worldwide Plaza was announced, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger criticized the cheapness of the building's materials, including the use of brick and the lack of granite, as well as the large massing of
15876-656: Was worth $ 1.7 billion. Macklowe took out a $ 7.6 billion loan to fund the acquisitions, which was to come due within twelve months. Macklowe personally pledged $ 1 billion, as well as interests in twelve other properties, as a guarantee . By February 2008, the Macklowe Organization had no way to refinance the debt from the previous year. As such, Macklowe surrendered One Worldwide Plaza to his lender, Deutsche Bank. After selling Macklowe's other buildings, Deutsche Bank announced in June 2009 that it would sell One Worldwide Plaza. The next month, Deutsche Bank agreed to sell
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