To us city dwellers, buildings are our friends. They are lofty and dignified, and they help us mark our way to and fro. In many cases, buildings will outlive us. Along the way, some will eventually be reinvented by architects or engineers. Others will be forever preserved as towering monuments.
Here are seven beloved NYC babies—yes, baby buildings—landmark structures all born during this millennium. New friends, who even on a bad day, can help us find our way by keeping our sights set sky-high.
1. The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, Born in 2009
Bank of America Tower (Shutterstock)
Just leave it to a bank (and $1 billion) to make a building beautiful. But, of course, the third tallest building in NYC is more than just eye-candy. Thanks to COOKFOX Architects, the tower is one of the most ecologically friendly buildings in the world. So much so, it was the recipient of the 2010 Best Tall Building Americas award by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
2. The IAC Building, Born in 2007
IAC Building (Shutterstock)
Who can resist a Frank Gehry design? After all, Vanity Fair called Gehry, “the most important architect of our age,” and also mentioned the IAC Building as perhaps one of the world’s most attractive office buildings. It is the headquarters of the Internet company InterActiveCorp (IAC). The building sits in Manhattan’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. Curving, free-flowing, and reflecting light in all directions, the IAC is the first Gehry building constructed completely of glass. The glass was fabricated in Italy; and of the building’s approximately 1,437 glass panels, 1,349 of them are one-of-a-kind in their degree of twist and curvature.
3. The Blue Condominium, Born in 2007
Blue Condominium (Shutterstock)
Pixilated in blue panels, Bernard Tschumi Architect’s Blue Condominium at 105 Norfolk Street has been said to resemble a “perfectly cut azure gemstone.” Called “Blue,” the mid-rise, residential building on New York City’s Lower East Side offers luxurious living with sustainable finishes and floor-to-ceiling views through glass. Tschumi artfully arranged the building’s design according to varying setback requirements, crossing the line between residential and commercial zoning districts.
4. New York by Gehry, Born in 2011
Beekman Tower (Shutterstock)
Called “New York” or also known as “Beekman Tower,” 8 Spruce Street is currently the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. Stainless steel wraps the skyscraper in undulating water-like ripples, which translate on the interior into over 200 unique floor plans with custom bay windows. Gehry selected all interior finishes, down to the entry door hardware. The New York Times said the building is “the finest skyscraper to rise in New York since Eero Saarinen’s CBS building went up 46 years ago.”
5. High Line 23 (HL23), Born in 2011
HL23 (Amal Chen/Epoch Times)
Los Angeles-based architect, Neil Denari, made his mark in the heart of the Chelsea Arts District by seamlessly merging high design with sustainable features. In fact, his sculptural, 14-story tower, HL23, is expected to receive a LEED Gold certification. Denari’s project boasts that 100 percent of its grid-supplied energy requirements are met through the use of green power. The tower—clad in brushed stainless steel panels and glass panes over 11 feet tall and 6 feet wide—is reverse tapered and cantilevers over High Line Park. The park, also born in the last decade, flows atop the historic freight rail line above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side.
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