What do pickles, pencils and tortilla chips have in common?

New York City is experiencing a construction boom.  While anyone might be tempted to say "it is the biggest boom the city has ever seen!", we can probably agree it is big by any measure.

From our apartment window, we have been watching the new building at 252 East 57th Street soar skyward more than 700 feet.  The 65-story tower recently topped out.

252 East 57th Street (11/3/2015)

Some of the new construction is unique, which invites interesting nicknames, like the aptly named Gherkin in London.

So, here we go.

TriBeCa, 56 Leonard Street:  The new building at 56 Leonard Street in TriBeCa is close to topping out at 821 feet.  One nickname, for obvious reasons, is:

Jenga Tower

56 Leonard Street (11/1/2015)

Jenga!

Midtown, 57th Street:  Different writers have recently observed that various forces are driving the construction of ultra-tall, ultra-narrow residential buildings and mixed-use residential/commercial buildings.  The buildings are dubbed pencil towers.  Before too long, there will be a half dozen super-tall, very narrow buildings in Midtown, along 57th Street.  A hybrid photo/rendering appears below.  One story has used the moniker Billionaires' Row, or Billionaires' Belt, to describe the group of buildings.  Perhaps we should apply another nickname to the neighborhood:

 Pencil-Ville

Existing and planned skyscrapers near Central Park South.  The tallest will be 111 West 57th at 1428 feet with width to height ratio of 1:24.  

[Soapbox Comment:  At a time when developers, engineers and architects are solving for taller and narrower skyscrapers, the affordable housing problem continues, not only in NYC but elsewhere.  Many people are truly committed to solving the problem and are attempting to partner with developers of these super-tall buildings.  A successful developer would be wise to be part of the solution.]

Midtown West, 625 West 57th Street:  One development moving in the right direction is the visually engaging tetrahedron on 57th Street overlooking the Hudson River.  Of the 709 units, 142 rent-subsidized apartments range in monthly rent from $565 to $1,067.  More than 100K eligible applicants are expected.  At those rents, the 142 winning applicants will feel like they won the Powerball. 

The official name?  

     VIA 57 West, or just plain VIA.

The nicknames?

     "A courtscraper" since it is “the lovechild of a courtyard building and a skyscraper”

     "A hyperbolic paraboloid

     The Pyramid

The best nickname?

     The Tostito!, as in "Holy Tostitos, Batman, that building looks like a huge tortilla chip!"

P.S.  The Tostito developer is not providing subsidized units in its NYC projects with eagerness.  Legal requirements, not to mention being sued by the U.S. Attorney, are plenty of inducement to do the right thing.  At least, 142 low-income families will soon find a new home.