The brand new 50-story condo at 25 Park Row in lower Manhattan’s Financial District is the result of an exquisite combination of a vision of the future—built on Art Deco design—paired with biophilic connections. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the tower fits harmoniously in the historic area where neighbors are famous icons such as the 1913 Woolworth Building.
The architect’s vision for the building was to complete the urban room. The park across the street has been a long-time civic gathering space that made the city organize itself around it, creating a green urban room walled with a historical tapestry of architecture.
The 702-foot-tall mixed-use tower was until 2014 the famous J&R Music World location, one of Manhattan’s most popular commercial sites, with a rich history. Joe and Rachelle Friedman, the couple behind J&R, opened the electronics retailer in one storefront at 23 Park Row in 1971, marking the city’s first music superstore.
Soon after, they rented every space that became available on the block, eventually purchasing 10 sites to eliminate risks such as rent hikes or competitors moving in. They even organized free music festivals in the adjacent park for years in a row, to celebrate the community they found and helped maintain on Park Row.
