The developers of 50 West Street are set to transform a small corner of the Financial District into a pedestrian oasis. Now with construction in the homestretch of Time Equities' 64-story condominium tower, the southern portion of the site will host a 6,800 square foot public plaza and pedestrian bridge crossing over the West Side Highway. According to the Wall Street Journal, who first broke the story, the West Thames Street Bridge will be 230-foot-long and will replace the temporary Rector Street Bridge, which was built after one pedestrian bridge was destroyed and another was damaged during the 9/11 attacks. The site is adjacent to the seven-story garage that sits atop an entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
NYC’s Economic Development Corporation is building the accompanying bridge, at the steep price of $40.5 million. Engineered by Weidlinger Associates and designed by WXY Studio, it will feature a glass roof and walls, supported by curvy steel. Two years has been allotted for the destruction of the temporary Rector Street Bridge and construction of the new West Thames Street Bridge.
50 West Street will feature a slim, curved exterior extending 782 feet in the air. Designed by Helmut Jahn, the tower’s walls will require custom-built 10-foot panels of curved glass. The tower, which is being designed to achieve a Gold LEED rating, will start bending inward towards its base in order to accommodate the plaza. It will host a light-art gallery on its ground floor, featuring light installations by world-renowned artists, as well as a café, a bar, a restaurant, and a gourmet corner store grocery. The plaza will feature tables and chairs, as well as evergreen trees and native planters for yearlong ambiance.
About 60% of the building's 191 units are currently listed in contract, and the average price of an apartment for sale, is 2,446 per square foot. As of today, there are twenty-seven 1-bedroom units, starting from $1.525 million, twenty-seven 2-bedroom units starting from $2.525 million, nineteen 3-bedroom units starting from $3.7 million, and seven 4-bedroom units starting from $6.4 million.
Designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen, interiors will feature neutral colors, minimal patterns, and subtle fixtures. Kitchens will be finished in stained walnut panels and granite slabs and will include Miele and Sub-Zero appliances. Bedrooms will host large closets and bathrooms with expansive mirrors, floating, backlit marble vanities, marble floors, custom walnut cabinetry, and fluted glass bath walls.
Downstairs, a zebra wood-walled lobby will greet residents with custom mosaic terrazzo floors and a doorman. The Water Club will host a 60-foot swimming pool and an 8x8-foot hot tub lined in mosaic glass tile. The area will also feature a marble-clad steam room and cedar-lined sauna, and offer a lifeguard to supervise a variety of activities for children and adults. A full-floor private fitness center will host floor-to-ceiling windows, maple-floored yoga and spinning studios, separate areas for cardiovascular and functional workouts, a golf simulator, and spa treatment rooms. More amenities come on the entertainment floor with a theater, library, lounge, demonstration kitchen, game room, basketball room, and children’s playroom. Finally, 50 West will host a landscaped Observatory with binocular tower views, BBQs, an outdoor kitchen, a banquet table, and private dining areas.
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