Skyscraper '8 Spruce Street' in New York by Frank Gehry

At the beginning of this week, eighteen model apartments were made available to those interested in housing in Manhattan in the under-construction skyscraper '8 Spruce Street' (the original name was 'Beekman Tower') by California architect Frank Gehry. The 265-meter tall, 76-story skyscraper is Gehry's tallest building to date. The building is located on the northern edge of the Financial District, not far from the southern end of the Brooklyn Bridge, which also offers the best views of Gehry's tower, the tallest residential building in New York. Inside the tower, there are over 900 new apartments of various sizes with individually designed floor plans. Gehry's design for the skyscraper was selected back in 2003, and its implementation has been ongoing since 2006. In the meantime, Gehry completed the headquarters of IAC in New York in 2007. '8 Spruce Street' is only Gehry's second project in New York contributing to the city's skyline. The undulating façade made of noble steel consists of over 10,500 panels, each custom-made. While the southern façade appears 'normal,' the remaining three sides of the high-rise resemble a 'textile cover.'
Nicolaus Ouroussoff, a critic for The New York Times, was deeply impressed by the skyscraper: "It is the best tall building in New York since the completion of the CBS Building by Eero Saarinen 46 years ago. Just as the skyscraper AT&T by Philip Johnson represents a significant point in cultural history; in this case, a transition from modern society to the digital." Ouroussoff further compares the skyscraper to the nearby Woolworth Building and highlights the intelligent blend of the latest technologies with craft traditions. The least successful part, according to Ouroussoff, is the lower part of the building, where Gehry was forced to connect his design to the existing six-story base made of brick. New tenants must prepare monthly budgets of 4,000 to 10,000 dollars.

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