Renowned architects with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have unveiled the design plans for the proposed Freedom Plaza — a massive development project featuring four towering buildings along the East River, which would collectively house apartment units, multiple hotels, a museum, and an underground casino.
Situated just steps from the United Nations complex, the 4.1-million-square-foot plot of land would be transformed into a sprawling cultural hub, while transforming the Manhattan skyline with the quartet of striking skyscrapers.
Two of the towers would be conjoined with a “skybridge” connecting them at 615 feet above ground, and would be home to a pair of new hotels, restaurants, bars, art galleries, and a rooftop infinity pool.
Below those buildings, the developers are looking to open a subterranean casino — if they can win the high-stakes game and secure a coveted casino license.
Nearly 10 years after voters approved a referendum to allow Las Vegas-style casinos in the Empire State, there are three licenses up for grabs, and local regulators are reviewing bids from several groups looking to get their hands on one.
The Soloviev Group, which currently owns the Freedom Plaza property, has teamed up with Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment in their attempt to get a casino license, and their bid is considered among the front-runners to secure that permission.
But even without the casino, development at Freedom Plaza is sure to transform the area.
South of the conjoined hotel towers, the plans call for two residential towers, which would rise 50 and 60 stories tall, while housing 1,325 apartments.
Of those housing units, 510 would be earmarked as “affordable” and be rented for below-market-rate.
“The revenue generated by the project’s entertainment and hospitality component will allow Freedom Plaza to deliver the affordable housing program and expansive publicly accessible green space, with many more details yet to be announced,” said Ray Pineault, CEO and President of Mohegan in a statement last year.
Surrounding the four new towers, the 6.7-acre land would feature a landscaped waterfront park, along with commercial real estate and a new “Museum of Freedom and Democracy.”
“We are incredibly honored and thrilled to be part of the team that can envision a new major public space in this great city, contribute to the iconic skyline of Manhattan’s riverfront, and imagine the architecture of the museum celebrating one of mankind’s greatest inventions: Democracy,” BIG founder Bjarke Ingels said.
The land, which is among the largest undeveloped lots in Manhattan, was once home to Con Edison Waterside Power Plant until its demolition in the early 2000s, and sat idle for several years.
Late last year, the Soloviev Group loaned out the land to British Artist Bruce Munro, who opened the large-scale “Field of Light” art exhibit — allowing the public to walk through winding pathways lit up by thousands of small LED lights.
When complete, BIG says the new Freedom Plaza development will pay tribute to the iconic architects that helped shape modern New York City.
“When Le Corbusier, Niemeyer, and Harrison designed the UN Secretariat Building, they grafted an oasis of international modernism onto the dense urban grid of Manhattan, creating a park on the river framed by towers and pavilions,” Ingels said.
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