Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Where <em>Isn't </em>This Shiny Giant Cheese-Grater Tower?
By
Claire Lampen
Published Apr 11, 2019
Modified Apr 11, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
By
Claire Lampen
Published Apr 11, 2019
Modified Apr 11, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
As a shiny new luxury residential tower scrapes the sky above Lower Manhattan, I find myself bedeviled by questions, chief among them: Where in the hell is it? Or, conversely, where isn't it? Because based on its marketing materials, I can only assume that this condo conglomeration is... everywhere?
Please, look at the images from this brochure for One Manhattan Square, which my esteemed colleague Jen Carlson received in the mail. (Unsolicited, of course, because this skyscraper has its claws in everything.) On the cover, above, we see a gleaming cheese grater of truly terrifying proportions. Allegedly located at 252 South Street, it looms over the intersection of East 7th Street and what appears to be Avenue B, menacing the eyes of the beholder like a miles-high knife wall.
Seen from another view, it hunkers beside the Manhattan Bridge, just "an 800-foot-tall modern glass tower located on the edge of the New York Harbor," and pushing me to the brink of sanity.
One Manhattan Square as the centerfold, courtesy of Extell, although no one asked for this. (Gothamist)
Among other things, the brochure claims that this monstrosity sits at "the intersection of grit and glamour," which may explain why it appears to be both everywhere and nowhere at all. It can, after all, be seen from many parts of NYC, and when you do spot it from a distance, it can be difficult to discern which neighborhood exactly it calls home. It's possible that One Manhattan Square's apparent omnipresence could be chalked up to a trick of perspective, but it's also possible that someone made some bold and unapologetic photo-editing decisions. Because here is what Avenue B and East 7th actually looks like:
(Google Streetview)
Certainly, from that angle, One Manhattan Square does not seem to lord over the Lower East Side with the overblown confidence of a residential building that boasts a bowling alley, private gardens, an infrared sauna, a tea pavilion, and truly outlandish incentives to buy. Nor does it seem to sit in the middle of the street, blocking the avenue's steady progression toward Houston, as the brochure's imagery suggests.
Anyway, I made a string map on the wall and the only logical conclusion I came to was this: Whoever designed this brochure has been playing it fast and loose with the scale on what are now my favorite-ever renderings. If that person was you, will you please teach me how to Photoshop? Thank you in advance.
Tagged
Lower East Side
lower manhattan
manhattan bridge
mysteries
one manhattan square
Two Bridges
Claire Lampen
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .