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Opponents Seek to Block MoMA Tower Plan

NEW YORK CITY-Charging that zoning laws were manipulated in getting a permit for the 1,050-foot 53 W. 53rd St., activists say they may go to court.

By Cody Lyon | Updated on October 29, 2009

NEW YORK CITY-Despite a 44-to-3 vote by the New York City Council further paving the way for construction of a bold new Midtown skyscraper, opponents of the project say they’ll continue to fight. At 1,050 feet in height, the Jean Nouvel-designed 53 West 53rd St. tower, adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art, would provide MoMA around 75,000 square feet of new gallery and support space as well as a hotel and condominiums.

But local residents, and a smattering of political leaders, charge bad planning. They say the tower is far too tall for a mid-block location and it would be better suited on an avenue for all to see, not adjoining other buildings where they say there’s no open space.

“We’re looking at our legal options,” according to Rita Sue Siegel, VP of the West 54th-55th Street Block Association, which opposes the project. She tells GlobeSt.com that she believes the zoning laws were manipulated to benefit the developer. Ultimately, she says she believes that a pro-development Mayor Michael Bloomberg trusts developers to do their projects “right” which in the end, will “make money for the city.”

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