KPF’s Proposal for 515 Seventh Avenue

The Garment District is continuing its slow but steady transformation, with a planned tower at 515 Seventh Avenue designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The proposal, currently under review, envisions a 36- to 38-story structure that could serve either as a dedicated office building or as a hybrid of office floors and hotel use.

The building rises from a podium scaled to match its southern neighbor, a property held by Empire State Realty Trust. This alignment reinforces the streetwall before the tower transitions upward through setbacks. The massing strategy balances a strong vertical rise with moments of relief, including a landscaped terrace set above the podium and additional recesses further up the shaft.

The façade is organized as a glass curtain wall overlaid with a grid of warm-toned brick or metal panels. The framing elements become denser toward the upper floors, accentuating verticality. This compositional move avoids the homogeneity of a fully glazed tower while introducing a sense of texture and depth. Spandrels and varied window groupings produce subtle rhythms that echo the district’s legacy in textiles and pattern-making.

Along 38th Street, the podium is stepped back in stages, reducing bulk and improving the building’s fit at the pedestrian scale. These modulations, combined with the covered pedestrian space at grade, are consistent with broader planning efforts to enhance the district’s sidewalks and public realm.

What distinguishes the project most is its proximity to the Empire State Building. From mid- to upper-level floors, the new tower will frame unusually close perspectives of the landmark, offering a direct dialogue with one of New York’s defining architectural icons. This visual relationship positions 515 Seventh Avenue less as an isolated object and more as a participant in Midtown’s larger ensemble of skyscrapers.

The proposal is part of a wider trend in the Garment District, where older commercial stock is gradually giving way to larger-scale office and mixed-use projects. Unlike some of the glass monoliths rising elsewhere in Manhattan, the design for 515 Seventh Avenue integrates material warmth and a deliberate grid, situating it between the language of traditional masonry and contemporary curtain wall construction.