Like nesting falcons, we found ourselves only partially enclosed dizzyingly high above 25th Street. Ruffled by the brisk spring breeze we took in panoramic views of the sunset over the Hudson River, Midtown and Lower Manhattan. The scene was the celebration of the “topping off” of the Chelsea Arts Tower, still under construction and due to open in August.

  Located at 525 West 25th Street, the 20 story Tower will be the tallest commercial building in West Chelsea. According to developer Jack Gutmann, principal of Bass Associates, the project was conceived based on the demand for spaces that could be owned by galleries, collectors, and other businesses in the creative arts. It should come as no surprise, then, that 13 floors have already been sold, including the first and second to be occupied by Marlborough Gallery and the third to Tina Kim Fine Art.

  Poised both literally and figuratively at the “High End,” the Tower adds a vertical dimension to the sprawling former warehouses and lushly re-imagined garages that characterize the district. Given the visitors it is likely to draw, many will doubtless take in the spectacular vistas and desire their own rooms with a view, increasing the demand for more structures to soar into the sky west of the High Line.

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