Construction is going vertical on The Torch, a 52-story supertall skyscraper at 740 Eighth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by ODA and developed by Extell, the 1,067-foot-tall structure will span 875,372 square feet and yield an 825-room hotel topped by a public outdoor observation deck with a drop ride attraction in its signature stemlike column. The mixed-use project is also slated to include lower-level retail space, a restaurant on two of the upper floors, a VIP lounge, and a pool deck for hotel guests. SLCE Architects is the architect of record for the development, which is located along Eighth Avenue between West 45th and 46th Streets on the border of Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen.
Below-grade work concluded since our last update in June, when construction had recently ramped back up following a brief stall in progress. The reinforced concrete superstructure has now reached street level with bundles of rebar protruding across the site at the locations of the forthcoming columns and core walls. A dense assembly of metal shoring and wooden formwork has been assembled to guide the formation of the second-story slab, and construction should begin to rise at a steady pace over the coming months.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
A tower crane has yet to be erected. For now, a yellow mobile crane is being used along West 47th Street.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The below rendering previews The Torch and its prominent position around the midpoint of the Midtown, Manhattan skyline when viewed from across the Hudson River in New Jersey. According to ODA, the upper half of the building’s hallmark 500-foot-tall protrusion is intended to evoke the Statue of Liberty’s torch, hence the project’s name.
The spiraling crown will be clad in a pleated glass curtain wall with angular open-air cutouts. A multi-story green wall is visible within the envelope and through the diagonal void in the northern elevation. Outdoor lights will highlight and accentuate the upper portion of The Torch.
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
The observatory will feature cutout staircases and cantilevering, glass-clad boxes that will allow visitors to look out and down at Midtown and the Hudson River. This section of the building will be located just below the crown.
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
Seating will be positioned along the spiraling staircases of the observatory, affording visitors expansive open-air views of the Midtown skyline and Central Park.
The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue. Rendering courtesy of ODA New York.
The Torch’s signature attraction is an Intamin-designed drop ride in the tower’s stem that will feature 300-foot-tall transparent tubes that riders will traverse over a 90-second experience.
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
A revised construction timeline has yet to be announced.
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