A report today by Matthew Schuerman on WNYC said that Forest City Ratner may stop work on its Beekman Tower at 8 Spruce Street/12 Beekman Street near City Hall at its current height "because of the poor economy."
The building has been designed by Frank O. Gehry, the architect of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and was planned to rise 76 stories and contain a school and about 900 rental apartments.
It is now about 38 stories high and its metallic curtain wall is just beginning to be applied above the masonry facade of the new school at its base whose inclusion in the project enable the building to be taller.
Mr. Schuerman's story indicated that "this week, shortly after the structural concrete reached the 38th floor, the developer received a building permit that treats the top of the current structure as a roof," adding that "a spokesperson says Ratner has made no final decisions, but is 'conducting a study to assess costs, risks and overall timing.'"
The tower was one of three major towers that promised to significantly alter the Lower Manhattan skyline in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The other two were 80 South Street near the South Street Seaport and 99 Church Street just to the west of the Woolworth Building.
80 South Street was designed for Frank Sciame by Santiago Calatrava and 99 Church Street, which is known now as 30 Park Place, has been designed by Robert A. M. Stern for Larry Silverstein of Silverstein Properties.
The status of 80 South Street, however, has been in doubt for some time and yesterday Mr. Silverstein indicated that financing concerns may delay 30 Park Place.
The building has been designed by Frank O. Gehry, the architect of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and was planned to rise 76 stories and contain a school and about 900 rental apartments.
It is now about 38 stories high and its metallic curtain wall is just beginning to be applied above the masonry facade of the new school at its base whose inclusion in the project enable the building to be taller.
Mr. Schuerman's story indicated that "this week, shortly after the structural concrete reached the 38th floor, the developer received a building permit that treats the top of the current structure as a roof," adding that "a spokesperson says Ratner has made no final decisions, but is 'conducting a study to assess costs, risks and overall timing.'"
The tower was one of three major towers that promised to significantly alter the Lower Manhattan skyline in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The other two were 80 South Street near the South Street Seaport and 99 Church Street just to the west of the Woolworth Building.
80 South Street was designed for Frank Sciame by Santiago Calatrava and 99 Church Street, which is known now as 30 Park Place, has been designed by Robert A. M. Stern for Larry Silverstein of Silverstein Properties.
The status of 80 South Street, however, has been in doubt for some time and yesterday Mr. Silverstein indicated that financing concerns may delay 30 Park Place.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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