Construction has begun for 605 West 42nd Street, a 57-story residential tower planned by The Moinian Group just to the east of its 478-unit Atelier condominium apartment tower at 635 West 42nd Street.

According to the new issue of New York Construction, the new tower will have 800 rental apartments up to what the developer is calling the 53rd floor and 150 residential condominiums on floors 53 through 60. According to records on file with the New York City Department of buildings, the building will have 20 apartments on floors 4 through 46 and 19 apartments on floors 47 through 56.

The building will have parking for 450 cars and a third-floor will have a coffee bar, a yoga room, a roof deck with a swimming pool and lounge. The ground level of the building's east side will have retail, possibly an automobile dealership, and a children's playground and a putting green may also be included in the project, which has been designed by Costas Kondylis, who was the architect also of the Atelier.

The Atelier has four "abs," or protruding elements, on its north and south sides. The new tower will have five "abs" on the west side of its south facade but they do not align with those on the Atelier. In addition, the new tower will have one "ab" high up on its northeast corner. The original design of the new tower had only four "abs" on the west of the south facade and none on the east facade.

The design of the new tower appears as two joined slabs with a darker blue one, 54 stories high, projecting somewhat from the lighter blue one, 57 stories high, on the north side. The new tower rises from a 15,500-square-foot base on its 70,000-square-foot site and slopes upward at a three-degree angle on its east side to a 16,500-square-foot top floor. The top of the east side of the building is 20 feet wider than its base.

The tower is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010.

Earlier reports about the project indicated it might have 938 condominium apartments.

Forty-Second Street west of Eighth Avenue has been undergoing a major transformation for many years, led by some off-off-Broadway theaters, then the twin apartment towers of the full-block Manhattan Plaza project, then Harry Macklowe's Riverwest apartment tower followed by Larry Silverstein's Riverplace tower overlooking the Hudson River. More recently, Extell completed its very tall Orion apartment tower just to the west of the "Green Giant," as the former McGraw-Hill Building designed by Raymond Hood is known.

Some urban planners and community activists are urging the city to create a second stop on the planned extension of the 7 subway line that will connect Times Square with the area near the Javits Convention Center and the redevelopment of the MTA West Side rail yards. At present, only stop, at the southern terminus, is planned, but the planners and activists are hoping for a second stop close to 42nd Street near Tenth Avenue.

There is good cross-town bus service on 42nd Street.

Phiilippe Starck is doing the project's interior design.