When the downtown FDR Drive opened in 1942, it immediately boosted circulation around Manhattan. However, at the South Street Seaport, the strictly utilitarian steel-and-concrete elevated highway imposed a boundary between the historic cobblestone district and the waterfront. Today, it stands as a partial barrier to light, views, and pedestrian circulation, obstructing sightlines to Pier 17 and discouraging foot traffic across South Street. 

The hotel/residential building will rise above the FDR, acting as a beacon to indicate visually that more activity and architectural attractions lie east of the highway.

Rising 495 feet above the East River, the hotel/residential building will serve as a Seaport icon and an economic anchor within the site.

The lower portion of the new structure will house hotel rooms, while the upper stories will house one-, two-, and three-bedroom cooperative apartments. The base of the building will house a three-story specialty retailer.

The hotel/residential building will stand just outside the city-landmarked Seaport district, replacing the long-vacant New Market Building on Pier 17. Because of its slender structure and small footprint, the building will provide continued views of the Harbor and Brooklyn Bridge. Its narrow side (78 feet) will face the city, while its longer side (130 feet) will extend over the East River.

Construction of the hotel/residential building promises to be one of New York’s most innovative projects. Since it will be built above water, a standard below-grade foundation is impossible. Instead, the building’s height will be supported by caissons drilled approximately 230 feet down to bedrock, which will replace existing wood pilings. To install the caissons, contractors will use a modernized method that harkens back to the Brooklyn Bridge’s construction more than a century ago.

From that riverbed base, the SHoP team will erect a solid steel-and-concrete core, from which each floor will radiate. The exterior of the building will be reminiscent of the fishing nets and the ropes of ships that once docked at the Seaport.

Light will play a key role in the building. Energy-efficient interior lights will make the structure appear to glow by night, an effect that will be enhanced by exterior lighting illuminating the building’s unique façade. Soundproof, treated glass, meanwhile, will provide comfort and quiet to residents and hotel guests.

Construction equipment, recycled materials, energy conservation, and other factors will earn the hotel/residential building the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver certification and ensure compliance with Local Law 86, the rigorous sustainability mandate the city has adopted for its own projects.

When it opens in 2014, the hotel/residential building will attract residents, visitors, and shoppers. It will drive traffic and revenue to the Seaport’s historic district, improve pedestrian circulation, and establish a new architectural identity for the pier.