Eleven Times Square | office building, skyscraper, 2011_construction

 office building, skyscraper, 2011_construction

601-foot, 40-story modernist office building completed in 2011. Designed by Dan Kaplan of FXFowle Architects for SJP Properties with Prudential Real Estate Investors, it is clad in silver-blue glass. Three nestled components comprise the structure. A 5-story ribbon-base wraps the corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, with a rounded corner, above ground-floor storefronts. A dramatic outwardly sloped glass-clad “crystal” creates a gateway to Times Square. And a south-facing 40-story spine anchors the composition. The sloped “crystal” is an inversion of the typical Manhattan’s model where buildings taper as they rise. Here, the building’s form cants outwards by 30 feet.

The main entrance is at the southwest corner, with a triple-height glass-enclosed lobby. At the silver metal-clad east end of the south facade, there are two loading bays, with roll-down metal gates; the easternmost one is larger. Above the eastern bay, the facade sets back above the 7th floor. The south portion of the building - exposed to the most sun - has reflective glass and perforated aluminum sunshades that cut down on glare and heat. In contrast, the 42nd Street portion is sheer and more transparent welcoming in the softer, north light. There is another setback at the southeast corner, near the top, and a shallow horizontal notch cut into the top floor on the east end of the north facade.

The ground floor is occupied by a Bank of America branch, a Microsoft store, and Bluestone Lane coffee shop, and there is also a recessed subway entrance built into the north facade. The primary office tenants are Microsoft, Proskauer Rose, and E*Trade Financial.

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