We begin with a hello to Turken House that has finally opened its doors on the southeast corner of 41st Street. This was a project of the Turken Foundation, a nonprofit set up to help Turkish students find housing and scholarships, and will serve as their dormitory space while in New York. It took five years to complete.
The building looks exactly like its renderings, down to the jazzy facade along Second Avenue.
Seen in a closer view, its lacy design also decorates the Turkish Embassy around the corner on 46th Street and First Avenue.
At the junction where Hatfield House and Turken House meet, the former is now under scaffolding. Oh well, someday. . .
At the same time, it's lights out for the Field of Light, installed by the owner, Stefan Soloviev, to attract some good publicity for his plans for the three-block-long property along the river that has remained vacant for a very long time. His plans include a big ask, a gambling casino. Time will tell.
He should make that area a park....
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Turken House has taken over 8 years to build, not 5, and they are not done yet. Drilling into the bedrock began in early 2017 and took many more months than originally expected, starting at 7am every morning. During construction, they were not good neighbors towards the Three H’s. Hopefully that will change going forward. It will be interesting to see what happens if the Second Avenue subway is ever extended through the neighborhood, since the MTA has the legal right to construct a station where Turken House stands. Though that will likely not occur in our lifetime.
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