Silver Towers Residences (New York City, New York)

 skyscraper, apartment building, Modern (architecture)

654-foot, 58-story Modern residential towers completed in 2009. Designed by Costas Kondylis & Partners for Silverstein Properties, the complex contains a total of 1,359 units, including the Silver Suites, furnished extended-stay suites with their own lobby entrance. The project includes a 75-foot pool, the largest in a New York City residential building, as well as a quarter-acre public plaza on the west side of the towers.

Larry Silverstein, who developed the buildings, bought the block between 42nd and 41st Streets between 11th and 12th Avenues in 1984 for $20 million. At the time, the site was vacant and zoned for single story industrial use. The block was rezoned in 1989, and One River Place, a 41-story residential high-rise on the west end opened in 2000. In 2000, Silverstein contemplated developing an office building on the east end of the block. A few years later, the site was considered as the location for a 1,500 room hotel as part of the plans to expand the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The twin towers rise at opposite corners of the site (the southwest and northeast), rising from 6-story bases on the north side and west end of the south side, and a 12-story section at the southeast corner; this section has a setback above the 9th floor. A through-site driveway runs from 42nd Street, angling through the center of the complex, and extending to 41st Street. At the south end of the drive, there is an entrance and exit to the underground parking garage. The main entrances to the two towers are within the central motor court. The entrance to the Silver Suites is on 42nd Street, in the 3rd bay from the east.

The north facade base extends a total of ten bays, with the driveway cutting through the 3rd-5th bays from the west; the others are faced in non-aligned white stone blocks, with glass-and-metal infill. A white pre-cast stone canopy extends over the Silver Suites entry, and also over the storefronts at the west end. The five upper floors of the base are clad in grey metal panels over the piers, and reflective silver-blue glass, with narrow metal mullions separating each bay into four or five windows. The west and east facades of the base mostly match, with the west facade extending four bays before meeting the north wall of the south tower, and the east facade spanning four bays before meeting the recessed first bay of the 12-story southeast corner section. Recessed above the ground floor, this bay extends straight up to the 12th-floor roof line, while the other four bays run vertically from the sidewalk up the the 9th-floor setback. All of the cladding matches the design of the rest of the base. The south facade of the 12-story section spans seven bays, with the western two interrupted at the lower two levels by the south entrance to the driveway, framed in white stone.

To the west of the driveway, the two lower floors of the 6-story base of the south tower are also clad in white stone panels; at the far west end there are two secondary entrances with glass doors, under a small metal canopy; to their right are three tall but very narrow slit windows; and further to the right is a wide band of metal louvers. The three bays at the east side of this tower base are recessed above the 2nd floor, fronted by a frosted-glass railing. A canopy extends out over the 6th floor at this recessed area.

Both towers are seven bays by seven bays, with double notched corners created by the middle bays on each facade projecting from the recessed end bays. The towers are clad in curtain walls of the same reflective silver-blue glass as the base, with silver metal mullions and black metal vents. The various bays set back at different levels at the uppermost floors, creating a slightly-tapering, stacked effect to the crowns of the towers. The 4-story, cubic glass crowns on both towers light up dramatically at night.

The ground floor is occupied by Spot Canine Club, Freedom News, Sunac Natural Market, Tower Cleaners, and Think Coffee.