It's rabbit cleaning season at the Death Star

The 14-foot-tall, 6,600-pound red rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons is getting some TLC tonight at 51 Astor Place... photo via EVG reader 8E.

Because we haven't posted anything about the IBM Watson building in like 3 weeks

The April issue of The Real Deal takes a look at how the leasing came together for 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building … if you're interested …

The building still has some 75,000 square feet to lease … not to mention the three retail storefronts, which total roughly 15,500 square feet.

Developer Edward Minskoff "estimated that the last of the office space would be spoken for in about 45 to 50 days. The building is seeing about five or six tenant showings a week, sources said."

Said Minksoff: "There is an old saying that an ugly building that is 100 percent leased is beautiful, but a beautiful building that is 100 percent leased is gorgeous."

And now we're off to brush up on our old sayings…

Death Star Public Plaza — now open!

EVG reader John let us know that the public plaza is open at 51 Astor Place... and people are taking advantage ...

Breaking: Death Star getting some life

As this photo from ‏@Ewingweb shows... workers are putting in some shrubbery, trees, etc., this afternoon outside 51 Astor Place... hopefully there will be some sun left for the green things.

New York City's original Death Star

We had a post yesterday about 51 Astor Place, including quotes from developer Edward J. Minskoff from The Wall Street Journal. (Flashback: "it's great-looking, it fits in to the neighborhood, it's not overbearing.")

So, you know, at least one neighborhood blogger and several readers who just obviously don't appreciate great-looking architecture have dubbed 51 Astor Place the "Death Star."

Meanwhile! Turns out that this isn't the city's first Death Star... Crazy Eddie came across this Shorpy photo from 1902...

Per the caption, "The Waldorf-Astoria, New York." The original, and somewhat forbidding, Waldorf at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Complete with the obligatory windowsill milk bottle.

Of course, this Death Star had a short life... In 1929, the original Waldorf-Astoria was demolished to make way for something called the Empire State Building. (Did plans for that ever move forward?)

Not sure I'd describe that old Waldorf as a "Death Star." Maybe we can swap this out for 51 Astor? Dibs on the corner room at the top.

Death Star getting its shield!

EVG reader MP takes note of the following today at 51 Astor Place...

Per MP: "How long before the Empire attacks?"

And one day...



Hat tip to MP for the headline too...