Groundwork has begun on HFZ's mixed-use high-rise complex at 76 Eleventh Avenue in West Chelsea. The full-block parcel will give way to twin twisty-turny towers designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The High Line bisects the lot and the planned 300- and 400-foot towers will be among the tallest in the neighborhood. HFZ Capital purchased the lot in April 2014 for $870 million from its longtime previous owner Edison, who remediated the site to address soil contamination which was mainly from coal. Now, recent photos of the site show that caisson drilling is well underway. Excavation and foundation work will likely take up to a year due to the site's location, which was created by land fill on the Hudson River.
View looking to the northwest from the High Line
View looking south from the High Line
The site is set to host two torquing towers, each with slanted and stepped faces recalling the enigmatic drawings of M.C. Escher. The two towers will rise 28 and 36 stories, with the taller western building topping out at 402 feet above street level. The pair will find distinction in height as well as shape; they will tower over Chelsea Market and provide residents with unobstructed views of Midtown and lower Manhattan. The two buildings will host 260 condominiums, a hotel, and 180,000 square feet of retail and office space. Permits have already been filed for the commercial podium, which will span the entire site west of the High Line and have an open courtyard.
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