New York's skyline: soon the super-rich will literally cast a shadow

In contrast to the 13-year controversy that surrounded the construction of the new World Trade Center – the tallest building in New York, the United States and indeed the western hemisphere – another skyscraper nearly as high has lately sprung up almost unnoticed.

It’s 432 Park Avenue, a plain, white modernist Lego-like column near Central Park whose roof (but not its spire) is actually taller than 1 WTC’s at 425.5m (1,396ft) and whose slimness was made possible by advances in engineering and by New York City regulations that allow developers to waive setback requirements – responsible for the wedding-cake design of skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building – if their structures occupy only a quarter of their lot. It is now one of only three buildings visible for much of the train journey to Newark or JFK airports, and viewed from Brooklyn or Queens it makes the glorious art deco Chrysler Building a few blocks south look like a bit of a titch.

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The skyscraper wars got even more intense this week when [color=rgb(37, 170, 225)]New York YIMBY[/color] reported that 217 West 57th St., also known as the Nordstrom Tower, increased its spire by 20 feet, which will make the building 1,795 feet tall. That's 19 feet taller than One World Trade Center, the current tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. But Extell Development Company president Gary Barnett debunked the report, telling the [color=rgb(37, 170, 225)]New York Post[/color] that the building will stay at 1,775 feet (one foot shorter than 1WTC) "out of respect."[/size][/font]
[font=sans-serif][/size][size=medium]No matter what, 217 West 57th Street, a residential building, would have already been taller than the 1,396-feet tall 432 Park Ave., the 104-story tower under construction that's being touted as the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. 217 West 57th St. is expected to be completed in 2018.

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The "world's skinniest skyscraper" at 111 West 57th Street is set to rise to 1,428 feet (that's 30 feet taller than its neighbor, 432 Park Ave.), but will only be 60 feet wide. As a result, the 80-story building will be home to just 60 apartments--which will start at $14 million apiece and could be as expensive as $100 million, according to [color=rgb(37, 170, 225)][font=sans-serif][/size][size=medium][url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/06/shops_slender_57th_street_tower_finally_reveals_its_interiors.php]

skyscraper wars?

60 ft wide  thats about the size width of houses in my hood. thats skinny

Lived there many years. Loved it through the summers, winters, springs and falls. No place like it.