Concerns Raised About Planned Nouvel Skyscraper

NEW YORK—Pritzker Prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel's proposed midtown Manhattan skyscraper drew fire at a hearing held last night by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the New York Times reports. The structure, called Tower Verre, would stretch 75 stories high and 1,155 feet tall (about 100 feet taller than the Chrysler building) at 53 West 53rd Street. It would resemble "a narrow, partly transparent spire crisscrossed by metal girders with steep setbacks pitched at different angles" and would house a gallery space for MoMA as well as apartments and a hotel.

Community Board 5, which represents the area, urged the Landmarks Preservation Commission last month to reject the plans, and sentiment at last night's meeting was overwhelmingly negative. People expressed concern about the building fitting in with its surroundings as well as worries that it would reduce access to light and air and result in intense congestion in the neighborhood.

The commission must approve the plan, because it involves the sale of air rights from two landmark buildings that are neighbors of the planned skyscraper. Representatives from St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the University Club have said that the sale of a total of 411,000 square feet of air rights would help them finance the preservation of their buildings.

The commission will announce its decision at a future meeting. If the transfer of air rights is approved, the plan will go before the Department of City Planning to be approved.