Grand Central May Be Dwarfed By Midtown's Tallest Skyscraper

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The second-tallest building in New York City may soon take to the skies next to Grand Central Terminal, dwarfing the historic station but carrying the promise of major repairs.

The replacement for the Grand Hyatt Hotel at 175 Park Ave. would stand 1,646 feet tall, second only to One World Trade Center, according to a proposal unveiled Tuesday by the firms RXR and TF Cornerstone.

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The 83-story skyscraper was made possible by the 2017 rezoning of Midtown East, which gives developers the ability to build office towers at greater densities.

Along with the new tower, developers are pledging to overhaul the Grand Central subway station by expanding the cramped 42nd Street entrance by 5,400 square feet, removing overhead girders that support the current Grand Hyatt and widening sidewalks along Lexington Avenue.

The existing Grand Hyatt — a 295-foot hotel that was redeveloped and encased in glass by Donald Trump in 1980 — would be demolished.

The tower would include 2.1 million square feet of office space, a 453,000-square-foot Hyatt hotel and 10,000 square feet of retail space. (News of the new tower was first reported by the Commercial Observer.)

It will be symmetrical and set back in four tiers to mimic the designs of pioneering skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Its stone-clad core and latticework pay tribute to Grand Central's design, developers said.

If the tower is built, Grand Central would be flanked by two skyscrapers — One Vanderbilt, which sits on the opposite side of the terminal, opened to the public in September.

Architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will also highlight the train hall through a pedestrianized terrace connecting to the Park Avenue Viaduct and offering new views of Grand Central, as well as two additional terraces on the terminal's eastern and northern sides.

Developers aim to wrap up the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) by the end of the year, with demolition starting next year and construction slated to wrap up by 2030, according to the Commercial Observer.