See The Empire State (While You Still Can)

While some of Manhattan's most iconic buildings have been obscured from enjoyment by enormous bland glass boxes (one can scarcely discern the Woolworth Building from some angles), the Empire State Building has soared alone in lower midtown for nearly 80 years, with no neighboring building daring to approach even half its height. That may soon change with the planned 15 Penn Plaza building, seen above in an artist's rendering. The Architect's Newspaper Blog comments:

Currently 15 Penn Plaza is 42 percent bigger than current zoning allows, with no setbacks, but at the same time, as garish as it looks in these renderings, it also shows the dynamic way in which our iconic skyline is always changing. Just think of the thrill you get looking back at old pictures of the city and comparing them to today. Even monstrosities like the Trump Wold Tower across from the U.N. look half-decent in this context. To build is to survive as a city and it’s good to know that, for better or worse, there are no sacred cows. After all, these were some of the same groups who complained when Burden cut Nouvel’s MoMA Tower down to size. Significantly, the tower is in Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s district, and she is an avowed friend to developers: Tenant or no tenant, building is in the cards.

A full-page ad was published in today's New York Times calling for the City Council to reject 15 Penn Plaza. According to a poll commissioned by the owners of the Empire State Building, 76% of the respondents feel the new building would detract from the Manhattan skyline. I have a feeling that with Bloomberg and Quinn being so pro-developers, this may be a lost cause.