22-Story Office, Hotel Tower Breaks Ground In Washington Heights

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Developers broke ground Thursday on a new office and hotel tower that will bring more than 200 hotel rooms, office space, retail space and restaurants to the neighborhood, the Danish architecture firm MVRDV announced.

MVRDV designed the building — which will be called the Radio Tower & Hotel — for developers Youngwoo & Associates, the firm said. Developers purchased the site — which used to contain a gas station — for $12 million in 2013, according to public records.

The Radio Tower & Hotel is set to rise 22 stories on Amsterdam Avenue between West 180 and 181st streets. The development is MVRDV's first New York City project and features a multi-colored, stacked design.

"The building forms a ‘vertical village’ with blocks that are the same size as the surrounding buildings, thus avoiding the common drawback of large developments in which new skyscrapers overwhelm the existing character of the city. It will be a colorful, welcoming beacon for people entering Manhattan," MVRDV co-founder Winy Maas said in a statement.

Developers and designers hope the hotel will become a preferred destination for people visiting Washington Heights for conferences at nearby Yeshiva University and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.

In addition to the hotel element, the development will feature ground-floor retail space, private event space, offices and a rooftop restaurant and bar, designers said.

The development has the backing of local City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who said the Radio Hotel & Tower will be Washington Heights' first new mixed-use development in 50 years.

"I welcome Radio Tower & Hotel to #WashingtonHeights! The first mixed-use project in 50 years will bring new jobs, a hotel, retail and office space to our community," Rodriguez said on social media. "This will offer residents and local employers the ability to stay invested in our neighborhood."

Construction is expected to be completed in 2021, MVRDV announced.

Photos courtesy MVRDV