Midtown Skyscraper At Former MTA HQ Approved By City Council

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A 1,050-foot-tall skyscraper will soon be built on the site of the MTA's former Midtown headquarters after getting the green light from the City Council on Wednesday.

The Council voted to approve the rezoning of 341-347 Madison Ave., between West 44th and 45th streets. That site includes three 13-to-20-story buildings that had housed the MTA's headquarters until 2014, as well as a ventilation structure serving the East Side Access rail project.

Last April, in the early stages of the pandemic, the state-run MTA reached a deal with the city to redevelop the block, which leaders said would generate $1 billion for both parties through real estate taxes and other revenue. The long-planned redevelopment had stalled amid disagreements about how to split the proceeds, finally moving forward when Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration dropped its objections.

Before being built, the development required a rezoning that needed to be approved by the City Council, allowing the developers Boston Properties to build taller and more densely on the site. Meanwhile, plans were filed earlier this year to demolish the three buildings that line the block.

Now, the stage is set for the project to break ground, with an estimated completion date of 2026.

The 55-story, supertall office tower will be designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, featuring 832,613 square feet of office space, 5,357 square feet for retail, and below-ground pedestrian connections to Grand Central Terminal.

The former MTA building at 347 Madison was developed in 1917 and formerly known as the Equitable Trust Building. The MTA used it as its headquarters from 1979 until 2014, when the agency moved to 2 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Previous coverage:

• Much Of Midtown Block Faces Demolition, Permits Show
  
• Redevelopment Of Former MTA HQ To Generate $1B For Transit