February 5, 2007
Costas Kondylis: A Developer's Dream
Today the NY Times introduces us to the man behind some of the city’s most boring buildings.
Costas Kondylis, aka the Developer’s Architect, is a skyscraper-embracing traditionalist whose clients have included Donald Trump, Larry Silverstein, Related Companies (developer of the Time Warner Center), Forest City Ratner Companies (developer of The New York Times building and, of course, the Atlantic Yards project) and Vornado Realty Trust (the Penn Plaza towers), among others.
Kondylis, who's worked on 75 buildings (with 15 in the works), designed the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle and is working on the Plaza renovation. But one of his most contentious projects is the Trump World Tower, the 90-story building on First Ave. between 47th and 48th that created waves in the late 1990s for being, oh, just a little out of scale. It was a mild cause celebre, galvanizing neighbors like Walter Cronkite, film director James Ivory of Howards End fame and investor Alberto Vilar (who reportedly donated $25 million to the Met).
We’ve often wondered who, if anyone, could reign in Trump and an account in the Times piece reveals one possible answer to that question: Kondylis!
"He wanted a gold building — gold this and gold that,” Mr. Kondylis said of Trump World Tower, which ended up bronze (Mr. Kondylis’s preference). “The only compromise was the way the canopy had to incorporate bronze and the Trump name,” he added. “The way I justify it for myself, it’s the branding of the building. That’s something sometimes you have to deal with. Like designing for Gucci, it’s maintaining a brand.”So, despite all those horribly nondescript buildings, we can thank Kondylis for not having to call New York the home of a gold 90-story Trump building.
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isnt one of the big problems with the atlantic yards project is that it ISNT "horribly nondescript?"
Kronkite and his ilk got exactly what they deserved. Trump, love him or hate him, did everything by the book. He bought the air rights and built his tower. If you want unobstructed views in perpetuity then buy on the water or buy the air rights. Trying an endrun int he courts is cowardly.
This guy has more talent and design skills than so called architect Frank Gehry. There has to be some provision of the Patriot Act that can deport him back to Canada where he can do something worthy of his lack of talent, like design municpal parking garages in Saskatoon or sewage plants in Moose Jaw.
I would prefer a city filled with Costas Kondylis buildings than Frank Gehry monstrosities.
Kondylis is responsible for some of the ugliest high-profile buildings in this city. I was in their office and they have a line of photographs of all their towers, and as I walked by I was amazed: it was a catalog of the ugliest tall buildings in Manhattan.
Ghery may be a one joke architect but Kondylis is just bad.
I've always wondered who Trump hires to make his always boring and mediocre buildings. Like his Columbus Circle property, they usually sit in privileged locations but, invariably, they end up looking like ugly boxes from the 1960s. You'll never see Trump hiring a Calatrava or Foster.
We’ve often wondered who, if anyone, could reign in Trump...
it's rein in... like a horse
as icons of wealth isnt it ironic that these buildings have the quality of a cheap car? thin, warped, plasticy, the "bronze" is the thickness of paper, inside? a sea of drywall and metal studs, some brass tape around a column here and there- and behold- a 80's mall era glass railing! pure Robert goulet "do you love luxury?"......errrrr...