Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street. (Courtesy Nordstrom)

With all the attention focused on the impossible height of New York‘s new crop of supertalls, it’s easy to forget that even skyscrapers have a tether to earth. Renderings were recently revealed for the base of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill‘s 1,550-foot-tower, which, when complete, will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

217 West 57th Street’s south facade, facing east. (Courtesy Nordstrom)

Most mere mortals will never ascend to Central Park Tower‘s 95th floor, let alone live in one of its 182 condominium units, but it will be possible to go shopping at its base. The anchor tenant, Seattle–based Nordstrom, will occupy 363,000 square feet over eight floors: Three below and five aboveground. James Carpenter Design Associates created the undulating glass facade that runs up seven stories from the sidewalk.

In the lap of luxury: The building is situated between Columbus Circle and some of the city’s most exclusive shopping strips on the East Side. (Google Maps)

The sprawling department store will be Nordstrom’s first Manhattan flagship, but it won’t be contained to 217 West 57th Street, The Seattle Times reports. As seen in the two renderings below, the retail footprint will blend new and old by extending into three adjacent prewar buildings. Nordstrom’s, along with the rest of the building, is expected to open in 2019.

(Courtesy Nordstrom)

As the rendering of Nordstrom’s entrance on West 57th and Broadway shows, the store will extend from 217 West 57th Street into neighboring buildings. (Courtesy Nordstrom)