5 Reasons the Affirmation Tower Is New York’s Most Exciting Real Estate Project

The island of Manhattan boasts so many soaring towers, that it’s hardly news when a new one shoots up—even if its spire pierces the clouds. That said, now and then, there’s an exception in the form of an ambitious architectural masterpiece, like the west side’s new 90-story Affirmation Tower, a five-tiered, terrazzo-clad skyscraper that, upon closer inspection, appears to be upside down. Developed by Don Peebles, the chief operating officer at the Peebles Corporation, and designed by AD100 architect Sir David Adjaye, Affirmation Tower is as symbolic as it is enormous (1,663 feet tall and two million square feet.) Not only is the statuesque mixed-use building developed, built, and funded by Black- and female-owned businesses, but its tenants will be minority entrepreneurs (with the exception of the local NAACP offices, among Affirmation Tower’s earliest tenants to move in).

Unlike the many reflective-glass and matte-steel skyscrapers throughout the island, the design team opted for something a bit different: a façade made of white terrazzo. Photo: The Peebles Corporation

The monumental tower, which will be moving into one of Manhattan’s last few acres of unoccupied land, gives Manhattanites another reason to venture toward the Hudson River. After all, there’s nothing anyone with an aching curiosity couldn’t do there: The Affirmation Tower will feature a skating rink, at least two hotels, an entertainment complex, and a rooftop eatery and ballroom.

Here are five reasons why the Affirmation Tower is shaking up New York’s real estate game in a big way:

A Majority-Black Team Is Leading the Project

Developed by Don Peebles and designed by Ghanaian British architect Sir David Adjaye, Affirmation Tower is the work of a majority-Black team, including those funding the project. “A project like Affirmation Tower is long overdue for New York City. This project will be a beacon of diversity for generations to come,” Peebles notes, “People of color and women make up the vast majority of this city’s population, but that representation is not reflected in the current architectural and development landscape. It is an all too rare opportunity for us to make the world’s most iconic skyline more inclusive than it’s ever been before.” 

It’s the Tallest Building in New York City

The Affirmation Tower stands at 1,663 feet tall.Photo: The Peebles Corporation