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Archive New York, NY

Stalled

15 Penn Plaza / PENN 15

15 Penn Plaza (401 Seventh Avenue), between West 32nd and West 33rd Streets, New York, NY 10001

Vornado has pursued versions of a Foster + Partners tower at this site since 2010. It shelved the proposal in 2013, revived it in 2014, and later demolished the Hotel Pennsylvania, but clearing the site did not amount to a tower construction start. In November 2025 the project remained on hold, and Vornado still listed the property as a development site in 2026.

The site on Street View

Street View, Google Open in Google Maps

Where to look Facing west toward the former Hotel Pennsylvania site (now a cleared lot), matching the street-level angle most PENN 15 renderings used looking across Seventh Avenue.

This is Google's own Street View embed at the coordinates on this page. Nothing is copied or re-hosted here, and the imagery stays with Google. A verified first-party or explicitly licensed photograph replaces this embed when available. How the two halves work.

What changed

  • New York City Council approved an initial Foster + Partners designed tower at the site, roughly 1,270 feet and 61 floors, on August 25, 2010.
  • Vornado postponed the project in 2011 due to weak office market conditions, then formally abandoned the tower plan in March 2013 to focus on renovating the existing Hotel Pennsylvania instead.
  • Vornado unshelved the project in August 2014, citing renewed tenant interest, and continued refining the Foster + Partners design under names including PENN 15 and Penn 15.
  • Manhattan Community Board 5 voted against the project in December 2017, citing transit and site-efficiency concerns.
  • Vornado announced in April 2021 that it would demolish the Hotel Pennsylvania to proceed with the tower; demolition ran through 2022 and 2023.
  • In November 2025, reporting described a roughly 1,000-foot, 50-story concept and possible temporary event uses for the vacant site while the tower remained on hold; those ideas were not a construction commitment.

Why it changed

Vornado has repeatedly paused and revived the project as office-market conditions and tenant interest changed. In November 2025 reporting, the tower remained on hold and temporary uses were being considered for the cleared site; Vornado's 2026 company overview continued to list the property as a development site without a verified construction start.

Details

Status
Announced and rendered. No construction, no cancellation.
Where
New York, NY
Neighborhood
Midtown Manhattan / Penn Station area
Developer
Vornado Realty Trust
Architect
Foster + Partners
Rendering credit
DBOX for Vornado Realty Trust and Foster + Partners
The built result
Shown through Google's live Street View embed at the project coordinates. Imagery remains with Google.

Sources

  1. CityRealty: New renderings of Foster + Partners' PENN 15 cityrealty.com
  2. Wikipedia: 15 Penn Plaza en.wikipedia.org
  3. New York YIMBY: Penn 15 Supertall Remains on Hold, Nov 2025 newyorkyimby.com
  4. Vornado Realty Trust: company overview and development sites vno.com

Research checked . Status and figures are updated when a source changes.

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