TurnStyle

TurnStyle, New York

“Who would have known, a person like me would love walking underground near the subway station again?”
-Says Pathara C. New York, NY

“Oh my god, I simply could not believe my eyes when I got off at the wrong station and accidentally discovered this fantastic new food court inside the subway station.”
-Exclaims Elaine H. New York, NY

“Fantastic, Convenient, Fast, Highly-recommended”
Are all adjectives taken from New York “Yelpers” on their average 3.5 Star review out of 5 on yelp.com describing their newfound love for the new underground food court and shopping center in Columbus Circle, “Turnstyle.”

Turnstyle, a new underground convenience shopping and food court located near Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York, stretching between 57th and 60th Street underneath 8th Avenue. It recently opened its doors on April 19th, 2016.
On paper, it sounds like a wretched architectural proposition: shoving a bunch of shops, vendors, and fast food underground to maximize the square footage of selling potential New York has to offer -because a Starbucks on every corner does not cover the demand, so let’s stick some underground as well. Yet, in truth, the Turnstyle mall handles itself rather tastefully, and converts a former sketchy, squatter’s tunnel into an innovative and pleasant public space -but I may be giving it too much credit. Let us see whether or not it is abandoned within a few years due to inactivity.
Formerly, the 59th Street Station near Columbus Circle had long, unkept, unnerving tunnel stretching from 57th street to 60th. It was frequently occupied by edgy suspects, littered with trash, flickering lights (or no light at all), and always accompanied by an array of aromas one could easily imagine in such a space. Not surprisingly, in off-hours, the tunnel hosted its fair share of crime. For instance, two years ago, the “New York City Box-Slasher” debuted his attacks here as he would approach unsuspecting strangers in the station or along the C-Train route and without warning slash their face with a standard “box-cutter” razor blade and then would flee the scene.
So, when New York City’s Oases handed the project over to the firm Architecture Outfit to retrofit and renovate the tunnel it was hard to imagine a scenario where they could do more harm than good; however, this fact should not belittle the achievements of the firm as they truly did tactfully redefine and revitalize a space in misuse and disrepair. The firm describes its goals and achievements of the project as follows:

“The project aims to appreciate occupying the infrastructure under the city as a special experience by first stripping away the familiar MTA paraphernalia and then showing off the remaining raw condition of the beams and vaults with the most basic interventions: white paint and light. New functional elements intentionally defer to existing infrastructure and reference classic subway elements. Storefronts have glass transoms to allow the vaults to carry through making the low concourse more spacious feeling. The new spine enclosure, with laser cut pattern openings derived from subway tile patterns and sizes, organizes but does not attempt to hide pipes, conduits, and devices along central column line. Large black floor tile arranged in a herringbone pattern makes a durable walking surface which loosely references the Gustavino tiles in Grand Central Station. New custom "light pipes" at entry ceilings are perforated tubes around LED strips which are slyly integrated with the tangle of existing station conduits to further blur the line between architecture and infrastructure.

Perhaps, taking inspiration from Manhattan’s Lowline or the many urban centers in Hong Kong the Turnstyle does make innovative use out a previously derelict tunnel. It provides New Yorkers a myriad of stores and quick eats that are always changing as businesses only lease the spaces for short term periods. For further information about these vendors you can access that information here, but yes it does have a Starbucks too.

Works Cited:
Kral, Georgia. "Inside TurnStyle, the Food and Retail Hub under Columbus Circle." Am New York. N.p., 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Professor Korsandi