The gala, scheduled for 8 p.m., will include performances by Cirque du Soleil, musical entertainment and food tastings. The celebration will also give guests an up-close look at the 750-ft high building, which includes the Shops at Columbus Circle, a seven-story retail component; One Park Central condominiums and the Residences at the Mandarin Oriental; the 251-room Mandarin Oriental, New York; the performance halls of Jazz at Lincoln Center; the corporate headquarters and broadcast facilities of Time Warner; and class A office space.

The 55-story skyscraper was master designed by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and retail designed by Howard Elkus of Elkus/Manfredi in Boston. It was developed by the Related Cos. and Apollo Real Estate Advisors LP at a cost of approximately $1.7 billion. In February 2003, Related and Apollo agreed to sell 49.5% of the building's 347,000-sf retail space, 211,000 sf of class A, non AOL office space, a three-level parking structure and a $359-million stake in the development's GMAC loan to a joint venture formed by CalPers and MacFarlane.

The four-year project met some obstacles since it began in 2000. In April 2003, a four-alarm fire swept through the lower levels of the site, spreading from the fourth to seventh floor. In addition, four people were injured in the fall 2002 when debris was blown from the site by the wind.