I’ve been pretty interested in getting inside of 111 Murray, since at nearly 800 feet, it had to provide some killer views of the neighborhood (and then we can play “Find Your Building”). But I also wanted to take a turn in the public pocket park, which was one of those givebacks for additional FAR. The plaza is 10,000 square feet and as of now unfinished, but it will have a lawn, a water feature that you can see here coming together and what I am calling “The Beating Heart.” It’s actually not a heart at all, according to the building’s people, but it is a sculpture by Joel Morrison, an LA-based artist whose polished, stainless steel work melds Greek classics and futurism (I’d agree!).

The garden (I have to settle on a word: plaza? pocket park? somebody help) will have a bosque of sweetgum trees and granite pavers with bluestone seating areas. (The residents have a private garden with a dramatic water feature tucked on the north side of the building; all are designed by HollanderDesign, which also recently redid the gardens at The Belnord on the UWS, and the park next to the Kennedy Center.)

All glass and steel, the building is cold and imposing from the base – some critics have called it elegant — but the apartments were much more gracious and human-friendly. I toured a four-bedroom, five-bath on the 54th floor (there are 64 total) that had to have the best view from a tub south of Canal. Of course, the building can’t resist the amenities arms race that we are seeing here in the neighborhood, but its special sauce (at least for some of us) may be the private Dry Bar that is staffed one day a week and by appointment.

Also coming soon: a tenant for the retail component on West Street. Stay tuned.