53W53

Manhattan, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, 53 West 53 is a 1,050-foot postmodern supertall skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art. The 77-story building, completed in early 2020, features a distinctive concrete diagrid structural system supporting its glass and steel facade, with northern and southern elevations that slope inward toward five spires of varying heights. The mixed-use tower contains 145 residential condominiums with interiors by Thierry Despont, alongside MoMA gallery space and a private restaurant at ground level, plus amenity areas on floors 12 through 16 and lounges on the 46th and 47th floors. Originally conceived in 2007 as the 1,250-foot-tall Tower Verre, the design was reduced by 200 feet in 2009 following public opposition; construction delays persisted until financing was secured in 2013, with work beginning in late 2014. As of January 2025, it ranks as the twelfth-tallest completed building in New York City.