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A WHOLE CITY BLOCK: Completed in 1988, World Wide Plaza occupies a full city block: bounded by 49th and 50th Streets, Eighth and Ninth Avenues. The complex is a mix of office towers and condominiums. The towers rise to 49 stories along Eighth Avenue, while low-rise condominiums, which have a town-house look, are situated on Ninth Avenue and along the western edges of 49th and 50th Streets. STREETSCAPE: In an effort to protect Hell's Kitchen low-rise, residential character, the Clinton Special Preservation District was created in 1974. Restrictions are in effect that prohibit high-rise construction and demolition of sound buildings. When the law was made, the site of World Wide Plaza was exempted. However, the developers heeded the community's concerns that the Ninth Avenue buildings respect the neighborhood's low-rise scale. You'll note that the condominiums fit in with the Ninth Avenue streetscape. The design of red brick combined with the horizontal striping effect of the white-brick string courses echoes the facades of the adjoining tenements. |
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MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: The block was formerly the site of the third Madison Square Garden (1925-1966). The present Madison Square Garden (Eighth Avenue and 33rd Street) is the fourth incarnation of the "Garden." The two preceding Gardens were located near Madison Square at 26th Street. PUBLIC SPACE: At the center of the complex is an open-air plaza (entrance on the north side of 49th Street).A star-shaped fountain called "The Seasons" has sculptures by Sidney Simon, a founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. His work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Art Gallery among others. The plaza and fountain provide a welcome respite for neighborhood residents, office workers and tourists. Kick back and enjoy an al fresco meal or snack, whether it's a hot dog from a sidewalk vendor or a complete dinner at a plaza restaurant. |
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