Bank of America and The Durst Organization Break Ground
On the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in New York City
-- $1 Billion Project in Midtown Manhattan Will Result
In the World’s Most Environmentally Responsible
High-Rise Office Building --
-- 2.1 Million-Square-Foot, 52-Story, Crystalline Skyscraper
Is Designed to Enhance the Manhattan Skyline --
-- New Building Will Provide Home for
Historic, Rebuilt Henry Miller Theater,
As Well as New Subway Entrances and an
Underground Pedestrian Walkway,Between the 6 th
and 7 th Avenue Subway Lines --
NEW YORK, August 2, 2004 – Bank of America and The Durst Organization
today broke ground on the construction of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant
Park, a 945-foot-tall crystalline skyscraper that will rise in Midtown Manhattan.
Located on the west side of Sixth Avenue, between 42 nd and 43 rd Street, the
high-rise office tower is scheduled to open in 2008.
Bank of America Tower will serve as the headquarters for Bank
of America’s operations in New York City, and house its
global corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment
management and consumer and commercial banking businesses.
The bank will occupy roughly half of the 2.1 million square
foot structure. The unique size of the building’s footprint
will enable Bank of America to operate six major trading floors
there, ranging in size from 43,000 to 99,000 square feet.
"The new Bank of America Tower will be situated prominently
in the Manhattan skyline, and will represent our strong, long-term
commitment to New York City and our customers around the world," said
Kenneth D. Lewis, president and CEO of Bank of America. "This
new building, in addition to our new Bank of America banking
centers, underscores our plan to become an even bigger part
of the New York community in the years ahead. We appreciate
all that the State and the City of New York have done to make
this possible.”
“I also give enormous credit to our partners in this
major project, Douglas & Jody Durst, co-presidents of The
Durst Organization,” added Mr. Lewis. "Their shared
vision for building a state-of-the-art high-rise office tower – and
their shared commitment to developing a property that will
meet our requirements for environmental stewardship – have
made the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park a reality."
“The new Tower – which will stand as one of the
world’s most environmentally responsible high-rise buildings – is
a shining example of how you can create jobs while also protecting
the environment,” Governor Pataki said. “I
want to commend the Bank of America and The Durst Organization
for their commitment to New York. This project will not
only help us reach our goal of creating one million jobs in
New York by the end of the decade, it will bolster our efforts
to provide the safest, cleanest environment possible for future
generations of New Yorkers to enjoy.”
"The magnificent new Bank of America Tower is the latest
chapter in the revitalization of Bryant Park and will strengthen
New York City's position as the financial capital of the world," said
Mayor Bloomberg. "This bold and dynamic project will create
nearly 7,000 construction jobs, and over the next 25 years,
3,000 new jobs that will generate more than $1 billion in tax
revenue for the City. Our 5-borough economic development strategy
is making the City more livable and business-friendly so that
businesses locate here, and the creation of this new 52-story
building shows that it is working. I would like to thank Bank
of America and the Durst Organization for their commitment
to this important project and to New York City."
Environmentally Conscious Architecture
Upon
completion, Bank of America Tower will be the world’s
most environmentally responsible high-rise office building
and the first to strive for the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum
designation. The project incorporates innovative, high-performance
technologies to use dramatically less energy, consume less
potable water and provide a healthy and productive indoor environment
that prioritizes natural light and fresh air.
“By providing an opportunity for one of the world’s
foremost financial service institutions to increase its commitment
to New York, the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park already
is making an important contribution to New York and demonstrates
to the world the vitality of our city,” said Douglas
Durst, co-president of The Durst Organization. “We look
forward to a long, mutually satisfying relationship and to
creating not just a spectacular visual experience, but also
the most environmentally responsible building possible.”
Located on the largest development site in Midtown Manhattan,
the Bank of America Tower will house the 1.1-million-square-foot
headquarters for the New York operations of Bank of America
and the 50,000-square-foot restored and reconstructed Henry
Miller Theater, as well as 1 million square feet of office
space for other tenants. The $1 billion project – co-developed
by Bank of America and The Durst Organization – will
rise adjacent to The Durst Organization’s flagship tower,
the Condé Nast Building at Four Times Square. Bank of
America has committed to a 20-year lease for its space.
"Bank of America and the Durst Organization are making
a remarkable investment -- an investment that will provide
a strong economic stimulus to this area for years to come," said
Charles A. Gargano, chairman of the New York State Empire Development
Corporation. "Their commitment is both fresh testimony
to New York's continued attraction as the hub of world finance,
and a reaffirmation of the wisdom of Governor Pataki's rebirth
and redevelopment of 42 nd Street."
"Bank of America's new office tower will provide enormous
benefits for New York City," noted Andrew Alper, president
of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. "By
working with Bank of America to accommodate the spatial needs
for its New York operations, including the creation of a state-of-the-art
global securities trading headquarters, we help strengthen
the City's position as the premier location for the financial
services industry."
The Design
Designed by Cook+Fox Architects,
LLP of New York, the glass, steel and aluminum skyscraper is
inspired by the building's unique site within its immediate
location and its broader urban context. The faceted crystal
design of the tower features unique sculptural surfaces with
crisp folds and precise vertical lines that are animated by
the movement of the sun and the moon. The transparency of the
building, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, provides evocative
views both from and through the space. From the building's
base, which accommodates the surrounding complex pedestrian
and transit circulation, to the overall massing, continuing
up to the tip of the spire, the design responds to the built
environment of Midtown Manhattan.
“The transparent faceted surfaces of the building function
as a permeable membrane for shifting qualities of perception
and light,” says Richard Cook, partner at Cook+Fox Architects. “Embodied
within this clear glass skin is something organic in nature,
something which echoes not only the kinetic movement and energy
from the streets below but also the dynamic and crystalline
structure of forms encountered in the natural world.”
The design for the Bank of America Tower is inspired by the
building’s unique site within its immediate location
and its broader urban context. From the building’s base,
which accommodates the surrounding complex pedestrian and transit
circulation, to the overall massing, continuing up to the tip
of the spire, the design responds to the built environment
of Midtown Manhattan.
The exterior wall of the tower will be a clear glass curtain-wall
to complement the building’s faceted crystal design.
The building’s form is sculpted to provide a south-facing
surface to address its prominent relationship to Bryant Park
and permit views into and out of the structure.
“Green” Considerations
With
an emphasis on sustainability, water efficiency, indoor environmental
quality, and energy and atmosphere, the Bank of America Tower
will be constructed largely of recycled and recyclable building
materials. It will feature a wide range of sophisticated environmental
technologies, from filtered under-floor displacement air ventilation
to advanced double-wall technology and translucent insulating
glass in floor-to-ceiling windows that permit maximum daylight
and optimum views. It also will include a state-of-the-art
onsite 4.6-megawatt cogeneration plant, providing a clean,
efficient power source for the building's energy requirements.
The Bank of America Tower will save millions of gallons of
water annually through such innovative devices such as a gray-water
system to capture and reuse all rain and wastewater, while
planted roofs will reduce the urban heat island effect. Taking
advantage of heat energy from the cogeneration plant, a thermal
storage system will produce ice in the evenings, which will
reduce the building's peak demand loads on the city's electrical
grid. Daylight dimming and LED lights will reduce electric
usage while carbon dioxide monitors automatically introduce
more fresh air when necessary. By fundamentally changing the
way buildings are conceived, Bank of America Tower will lead
the change in the way high-rise buildings are built.
Reconstructed Henry Miller’s Theater
At
the direction of Bank of America and The Durst Organization,
Cook+Fox Architects will restore and reconstruct the historic
Henry Miller’s Theater, with the goal of creating a state-of-the-art
Broadway playhouse that captures the intimacy and proportions
of the original 1918 Allen, Ingalls & Hoffman Theater.
The Georgian-style land marked façade will be preserved
and restored, the oval reception room, doors and decorative
plasterwork, including the iconic urns marking the 43 rd
Street entrance, will be salvaged and incorporated into the
new design.
The seating will be increased to 1,000, the majority of which
will have a prime location at orchestra level. A sophisticated
acoustics system will be integrated, as well as a larger orchestra
pit and a fully functional fly-tower and scenic loading facilities.
Other new amenities will include improved public circulation,
box office and concessions areas, with a spacious lobby bar
at the orchestra level, a bar and café at the ground
level, a restaurant on the upper mezzanine and a significant
increase in women’s restrooms.
The new theater also will be fully handicapped accessible
with 20 wheelchair-viewing positions. In addition, the theater
will have an auxiliary exhibition space – an adjacent
through-block pedestrian passageway that provides views into
the theater and includes a special documentary style multimedia
presentation exploring the life and times of the historical
Henry Miller playhouse.
Public Amenities
With approximately
three times the public circulation space required by an as-of-right
high-rise office building, the Bank of America Tower will accommodate
and contribute to the surrounding pedestrian and transit circulation.
Public amenities will include widened sidewalks, public street
furniture and an urban garden room located at 43 rd Street
and Sixth Avenue, which serves as an inviting extension of
Bryant Park.
The design also incorporates a new glass-enclosed subway entrance
with wider stairs and an elevator at 42 nd Street on the southeast
corner of Sixth Avenue. An underground pedestrian walkway on
the north side of 42 nd Street will link the B, D and F subway
lines to the Times Square station and a new mid-block subway
entrance on 42 nd Street will connect to the below-grade walkway,
in addition to a special through-block passageway featuring
a “Broadway Wall of Fame” with interactive information
kiosks.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions,
serving individual consumers, small businesses and large corporations
with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and
other financial and risk-management products and services.
The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States,
serving 33 million consumer relationships with 5,700 retail
banking offices, more than 16,000 ATMs and award-winning online
banking with more than ten million active users. Bank of America
is the #1 Small Business Administration lender in the United
States. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has
relationships with 96 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies
and 82 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation
stock (ticker: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About The Durst Organization
Founded in 1915, The Durst Organization is one of New York’s
oldest and largest privately owned real estate firms. Durst
is widely recognized as a world leader in the development of
technologically advanced and environmentally responsible commercial
property. Its flagship tower at 4 Times Square was recognized
as the first “green” high-rise office building
in the United States, and has been praised by environmentalists.
In addition to its office properties, Durst is developing The
Helena, an environmentally responsible 600-unit apartment residence
on West 57 th Street at 11 th Avenue, which is expected to
open in early 2005.
About Cook+Fox
Upholding the philosophy that “at the intersection
of architecture and sustainability, the wisdom of nature guides
design and construction,” Cook+Fox Architects of New
York is headed by Richard Cook, a founding partner of Richard
Cook & Associates, and Robert F. Fox Jr., who joined the
firm in 2003. As a team, they are designing a variety of projects
that emphasize innovative design, a strong connection to place
and the highest-caliber sustainable technology. Among the firm’s
major projects are the preservation of 11 existing buildings
and the design of three new buildings for the South Street
Seaport Historic District. Fox, a founding partner of Fox & Fowle
Architects, led that firm to a prominent position of national
leadership in the area of urban design of sustainable high-rise
buildings, including 4 Times Square.
Reporters may contact:
Tara Burke, Bank of America, 212.847.6488
tara.a.burke@bankofamerica.com
John Puccio, RF|Binder Partners, 212.994.7533
john.puccio@rfbinder.com
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