Trinity Plans New Tower

The vestry of Trinity Wall Street has selected Pelli Clarke Pelli to design a new mixed-use building at 68-74 Trinity Place.

“The new structure will include a six or seven-story base dedicated to mission activities and related offices, topped by a 25-story residential tower,” said the Rev. James H. Cooper, 17th rector of Trinity Wall Street. “The building will provide a source of revenue so we can begin to prepare for significant expansion of our core ministry activities, which include philanthropic grant-making, homeless outreach, and the program life of one of the city’s most diverse congregations.”

“The choice of architects was difficult given the dedication, effort and creative insights of both finalists Pelli Clarke Pelli and COOKFOX, and each deserves our thanks and admiration for their responsive and imaginative presentations,” said Lawrence Graham, former development director of Brookfield Properties and lead member of the vestry team. “The case for a new structure was overwhelming: the basic rehabilitation of the two-building site, including substantial work to meet new code compliance standards, would have required an expenditure of $33 million, without addressing the issue of restrictive floor plates which discourage large scale gathering spaces and ease of accessibility. Funding for the new ministry space, plus a continuing revenue stream, can be generated by the projected 25-story residential portion of the mixed-use development.”

“The next step in the process, with interviews slated for early fall, will be to select a developer,” said Jason Pizer, president of Trinity Real Estate. “Given the significance of the site, we thought it was appropriate to reverse the usual procedure and choose an architect first, establishing the primacy of a design that respects the building’s relationship to the iconic Trinity Church and contributes to its context — followed by selection of a capable development team sympathetic to that goal.”

Founded in 1977, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects has designed many of the world’s most recognizable buildings, including the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center in New York, Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong.

Related: Curbed New York offers images of early designs for the new building.

Advertisements

Online Archives

Search