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Bank Of America Building Slammed
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 28, 2009
Modified Jul 28, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 28, 2009
Modified Jul 28, 2009
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Today's not a good day for Bank of America. In the Wall Street Journal, there was a report saying CEO Ken Lewis told investors that BoA will "shrink the company's 6,100-branch network by about 10%, a pullback from the two-decade expansion that took the bank from coast to coast. The driving force for the closings is changing customer preferences...as online and mobile banking take transactions away from traditional branches," according to sources.
Now there's a review of BoA's glittering new green building at One Bryant Park (yes, the site where glass kept falling off). Bloomberg News' architecture critic James Russelldissects the Cook & Fox-designed structure, "After the 64 percent slump in the bank’s shares since September, this glinting bundle of shards, nearing completion across from Bryant Park, could be considered a monument to bonus-coddled, overindulgent, corporate excess -- if it weren’t so dumpy. Worse, it’s gracelessly, earnestly green...The 54-story result is among the most ungainly forms on the skyline, like a matron who swathes herself in thick layers of fabric in a vain attempt to slim her burgeoning silhouette. The tower climaxes with a spire as impressive as an auto antenna." More photos here.
One Bryant Park is also where restaurant Aureole has relocated.
Tagged
architecture
Bank of America
one bryant park
ungainly matron
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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