Work Starts on Another Downtown Skyscraper

Meeting in a pop-up tent in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, building developers announced the beginning of the construction of an 82-story building which will include a Four Seasons hotel.

With the sound of chainsaws and jackhammers humming in the background, speakers from Silverstein Properties, Four Seasons and the founder of Robert A.M. Stern Architects boasted about the new project.

“This will be the gateway between Tribeca and the Financial District,” Stern said. “The tower will add a special glow to the nighttime skyline of downtown.”

Located just one block north of the World Trade Center, at 30 Park Place, the tower was designed to be the tallest residential tower in downtown Manhattan. With 157 condos, a restaurant, spa and ballroom, the new building will provide 350 full time jobs, the developers said.

Costing nearly $1 billion dollars to construct, the 926-foot tower will be just around the corner from the Woolworth Building on Broadway.

Within one square mile of the location, there are schools, shops, parks, office buildings, and tourist attractions among other things.

“The area is unique for bringing everyone together,” said Larry Silverstein, president and CEO of Silverstein Properties, also the leaseholder of the World Trade Center. “It will join and enhance a world-class neighborhood that is already home to a dynamic blend of modern office towers, private residences, high-end retail and dazzling public spaces.”

With construction workers laying down the foundation and setting down cement, the hotel was scheduled to open in the summer of 2016.