Rendering
March 30, 2015 By Michael Florio
It was once a giant—now it is about to be dwarfed.
The iconic Clock Tower, a 14-story building that was once the tallest structure in Queens, is about to be overshadowed by a 70 story tower that is expected to be built right beside it.
A rendering of the new structure was released by SLCE Architects, which is designing the building, last week. The rendering was first reported in the New York Times today.
The Clock Tower, which has looked over Queens Plaza since 1927, was the tallest building in the borough until 1990 when it was surpassed by the Citigroup building.
However, a development group has plans to top the Citigroup building with a 70-plus story tower at 27-37 41st Avenue—right next to the Clock Tower. The new tower will consist of 930 units.
The development company—which represents a partnership between Property Markets Group and the Hakim Organization—has managed to overcome zoning restriction to build the structure by buying air rights from the MTA.
The purchase of the MTA air rights was announced last week.
Additionally, the Landmarks Preservation Commission started makes steps last week toward landmarking the Clock Tower. Preservationists were concerned that the old building would face the wrecking ball.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer expects the building to be landmarked by the end of June.
