Mannion and the developers and architects of Central Park Tower held a “topping-out ceremony” to celebrate the building in Manhattan’s Midtown.
“As we got larger footprint, larger air rights, it turned into what’s now the tallest residential building in the world,” said Gary Barnett, founder of Extell Development Company that built the 1,550-foot (472 meter) tall building. “It is not something that was easy to accomplish.”
Construction workers are still installing glass panels on top, but Reuters got to the 123rd floor for spectacular views of Central Park, the Freedom Tower, and the East and Hudson rivers.
Architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, who designed the structure said they were thrilled to contribute to the skyline of New York.
“For us to be able to participate in that, and kind of etch our role in the history of that architectural legacy is fantastic,” Gill said.
The building boasts 179 luxury two-to-eight bedroom apartments, ranging from 1,435 square feet to over 17,500 feet (133-1625 square meters).
Prices start at $6.9 million for a 33rd floor two-bedroom.
The most expensive dwelling listed now is a 112th-floor five-bedroom at $63 million.
The list of amenities includes swimming pools and a spa, a theater, a cigar bar, and a 126-person ballroom.
Residents will live above a 300,000-square-foot (27,870 square meter) Nordstrom department store that will take up the first seven floors.
Mannion said construction of the tower has been tricky.
“Not every day was as beautiful as today,” he said, citing weather and equipment challenges.
“You can imagine everything that everybody’s gone through in order to build this building.”
The Central Park Tower is set to be completed next year. The Nordstrom store will open at the end of October 2020.
(Production: Andrew Hofstetter, Aleksandra Michalska)