Making A Grand Entrance at The Encore in NYC
It’s one of the most treasured and historic districts in New York City. The Upper West Side area is brimming with culture and is a mecca for both connoisseurs and aficionados of the arts with a myriad of attractions from The Kaufman Music Center and Stage 72 to the Museum of Biblical Art and the New York Society for Ethical Culture. However, something that has frustrated many New Yorkers is the lack of availability of upscale housing in the area. That has now all changed with The Encore at 175 West 60th Street which rises 533 feet tall with 48 floors and 258 apartments. It exudes class, style, history, and classic Upper West Side charm as it blends pre-war architecture with a modern luxury high-rise building. This handsome addition is just to the west of the Fordham University Lincoln Center campus and a block south of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. 175 West 60th Street is the second of two new luxury rental buildings developed as part of the Fordham University campus redevelopment plan.
Making full use of the small 6,600 square-foot lot foot print, the tower has a central core with apartments around all four facades. Large corner floor to ceiling windows accentuated by brick piers draw attention to the glass enclosed 48th floor where a roof top pool, lounge, and outdoor deck allow one to enjoy the dramatic views.
Longtime NY-based developer/owner Glenwood Management hired the noted architectural firm of Stephen B. Jacobs Group to transform this neighborhood landmark into one of the most prestigious addresses in Upper Manhattan. Glenwood was also the self-performing general construction manager, as it often is for many of its projects. They hired the nationally-acclaimed firm of W&W Glass to help set the tone when entering this upscale high rise building. W&W Glass engineered and installed a distinct and striking vertical cable tension Pilkington Planar™ structural glass system design for the lobby using very transparent Pilkington Optiwhite™ low-iron SGP interlayer laminated glass. Since these were large glass panels connected directly to stainless steel cables, it took a custom configuration of inset Pilkington Planar™ 905 series countersunk bolt fittings connected to finely-CNC machined “longhorn” rod fittings clamped to the stainless steel tension cables to secure the glazing. A “non-directional” finished stainless steel plate beam blade door portal was also used to minimize site lines when transitioning to the door entry area. The soaring 17-foot tall interior lobby space is enclosed with a triple-height glass wall that bypasses through the ceiling to enclose the floor above. The lobby wall is centered around and showcased by a one-of- a-kind historical patina bronze architectural relief. It incorporates three seating areas with distinctive artwork and custom-designed Tibetan rugs, arranged within an environment graciously composed of floors inlaid with Tudor Gold and Southern Vein marble and a unique Roman laurel leaf mosaic, set off by a white-oak-coffered ceiling and French limestone walls. An amenities space is located above the lobby to allow occupants to look out on the street below with a clear view outside as they await guests, and it also allows for more usable floor space with the support cables located within a mere inch of the back side of the glass.
This new apartment building is visually prominent on the Upper West Side’s relatively short skyline; it adds significant density to the immediate vicinity, which has long been under-utilized. The building includes state-of-the-art amenities: a modern fitness center, a skylight lit rooftop 50-foot glass tile pool enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows, a 15-foot glass tile oval whirlpool spa, fully furnished lounges with kitchens, a children’s playroom, a dry cleaning valet, maid services, on-site storage, and a laundry facility.
The project is LEED certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. The Encore is extremely proud to have garnered this certification though the thoughtful selection of materials and implementation of construction techniques that are carefully measured for their environmental impact. With this in mind, the building will be sustainable for residents to enjoy for many years to come.
W&W Glass LLC is a family owned business with a 70-year history in the metal and glass industry, one of the largest metal and glass companies in the New York metropolitan area and the largest supplier of structural glass systems in the country. We have over two decades of experience in the design and installation of various building enclosure systems, including stick-built curtain walls, pre-glazed unitized curtain walls, Pilkington Planar™ structural glass facades, and custom metal and glass enclosure systems. We install all of our work with our own dedicated union labor force. W&W is consistently the largest employer of glaziers in the NY metropolitan area.
