Meet The Empire State Building's New Rival

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Aug 24th 2010 at 4:01AM

Is Manhattan ready for a new skyscraper? The Empire State Building is about to get some competition. The battle over whether or not 15 Penn Plaza should be built is heating up. The skyscraper was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and would be just 34 feet shorter than the Empire State Building. It is located only two blocks away, near Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. That has some people worried that the the new building will decrease some of the older building's legendary allure. From certain angles the new building will overlap the Empire State Building, taking away a lot of its dramatic impact.

Anthony Malkin, one of the owners of the building, testified on Monday at a City Council hearing, urging the council to vote against allowing developer David Greenbaum of Vornando Realty Trust to build the new tower. Anthony and Peter Malkin also produced a poll showing that two-thirds of those asked were not in favor of the current design of 15 Penn Plaza. A poll on NY blog Gothamist also got similar results and we're giving it a try below as well.. The Malkins have asked that if the building has to be built that it be streamlined and shrunk so as to not dwarf the Empire State Building. After the World Trade Center was destroyed on September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building was once again the city's tallest tower. That reign will last only until the 1,776-foot 1 World Trade Center is completed.

Greenbaum has argued that the new building could provide new office space and create jobs. He has also promised to improve nearby transportation facilities at Penn Station. The developer hasn't set a date to begin construction, it's waiting for commitments from large commercial tenants first.

The City Council is set to vote on Wednesday.