A decade after a debut that aimed to enshrine it as a gleaming symbol of ultraluxury living, Manhattan’s 432 Park Avenue — the pencil-thin supertall that helped define Billionaires’ Row — is cracking, literally and figuratively.
Once marketed as the epitome of perfection, the 1,400-foot tower faces a nine-figure repair bill and a wave of lawsuits as experts warn that its sleek white concrete shell is deteriorating, the New York Times reported. Consultants hired by residents estimate repairs could exceed $160 million.
Engineers documented hundreds of fractures and spalling concrete along the facade, raising concerns that wind stress and water infiltration could eventually render parts of the 102-story tower unsafe or even uninhabitable.
Inspectors maintain the building poses no immediate danger, but recent filings show missing chunks of concrete and cracks forming in load-bearing sections. Independent engineers say the building’s all-white concrete — chosen for its pristine aesthetic — may have compromised its strength.
Developer Harry Macklowe and the late architect Rafael Viñoly insisted on a flawless white exterior to distinguish the project from Midtown’s glassy competition. But that design decision set off years of internal warnings, email clashes and rejected fixes during construction.
“Color or cracks,” one structural engineer for the project cautioned in 2012, after developers refused to use a darker, more durable concrete mix. The cracks appeared anyway.
The tower’s woes — from creaking walls to burst pipes and elevator malfunctions — have since spawned litigation between its condo board and the development team, including Macklowe Properties and CIM Group.
The board alleges the developers sold defective units and concealed structural flaws. CIM denies wrongdoing, calling the deterioration claims “baseless” and blaming the board for poor maintenance.
Macklowe and WSP, responsible for the tower’s structural engineering, declined to comment to the Times. Viñoly’s firm did not respond to requests for comment.
While litigation and debate rage on, resident concerns about property values and broader concerns about safety for tenants and the community living in the shadow of the tower press on, too.
As one engineer put it, “A 10-year-old building should not be showing that level of deterioration. Nobody can argue that that is not a failure.”
— Holden Walter-Warner
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