520 West 41st Street facts for kids

520 West 41st Street was a very tall building planned for Hudson Yards, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. This building was designed to be 106 stories high, making it a "supertall" skyscraper. If it had been built, it would have been one of the tallest buildings in New York City. However, the project was later cancelled.

What Was the Plan for 520 West 41st Street?

This building was part of a bigger plan to develop the Hudson Yards area in New York City. In 2005, the city changed its rules for building in this area, which is called "rezoning." This allowed for many new projects, including the large Hudson Yards development.

How Did the Building Plans Change Over Time?

At first, there were ideas for two separate towers on the site. Later, the plans changed to two 60-story towers that would be connected at the top. These designs were made by Oppenheimer Architecture.

In July 2014, new plans came out for just one very tall tower. A company called Silverstein reportedly paid $100 million for the land where the building would stand. They bought the land from a Mercedes-Benz car dealership in 2011.

Around July 2015, it looked like work was starting on the site. The car dealership was being torn down. However, even with this activity, no official building plans were filed with the city at that time.

Why Was the Project Cancelled?

Construction was expected to begin in 2017 and finish in 2020. Even though the building was near other tall structures like the Silver Towers and Sky, some people living nearby did not want it built. They asked for the building's height to be made shorter.

In 2017, new plans were filed for the site. These new plans were for a residential tower (with apartments) and a commercial tower (with offices and shops). Together, these two towers would have covered a total of 1.6 million square feet. However, the project was eventually cancelled.

What Would the Building Have Been Used For?

If 520 West 41st Street had been completed, it would have had many different uses:

• Shops: There would have been 300,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
• Offices: The building would have included 175,000 square feet of office space.
• Hotel and Homes: It was also planned to have hotel rooms and 1,400 apartments.

Out of the 1,400 planned apartments, 280 were going to be "affordable" homes. This means they would have been available at a lower cost. This building would have had more apartments than many other supertall buildings in New York City. Most other very tall buildings, like One57, 111 West 57th Street, and 432 Park Avenue, usually have fewer, very expensive apartments.