Latest news with #TheTorch
Time Out
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This new Midtown skyscraper will let thrill-seeking New Yorkers free-fall 300 feet
If you're in New York City, you probably have a pretty strong (and likely complicated) relationship with adrenaline. But if you need an even bigger rush than trying to cross Eighth Avenue at rush hour, you're in luck, because the Manhattan skyline is about to get a whole lot wilder. In 2026, adrenaline junkies will get to experience the city from a heart-stopping new perspective: Plummeting 300 feet in transparent tubes. That's courtesy of the 52-story, 1,067-foot-tall skyscraper called The Torch, at 740 Eighth Avenue, which just resumed construction a year after halting. Forget fancy observation decks or high-end, high-rise restaurants. The Torch wants to offer both panoramic views and the kind of free fall that usually ends with you jerking awake. A combination of observation deck and theme park ride, the attraction will be housed inside a spire lit to resemble a literal torch, taking riders to the top before dropping them straight down at speeds approaching 60 mph. The experience will reportedly also include enveloping lighting and sound effects; in case you Need a side of immersive theater with your terror. But even those who don't want to look down as the streets of NYC hurtle ever closer can enjoy the top of The Torch. There will also be a more traditional observation deck and a glass-bottomed elevator that promises to take visitors up all 1,000 or so feet in under 60 seconds. The project was designed by studios ODA and SLCE, with the plans revealed in a Rizzoli book on ODA published in 2024. Developer Extell, responsible for One57 on the so-called Billionaire's Row, is also behind this one. The rest of The Torch will include 825 hotel rooms, retail spaces, and a rooftop restaurant. Construction on the project is already underway, with some estimates pegging the building's opening sometime in 2026. When it's complete, The Torch will dominate the Theatre District's skyline, offering up a level of drama that will rival anything that happens on a Broadway stage. Let's just hope the wind carries the screams over the river and into New Jersey.
Khaleej Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Dubai Marina building fire that broke out last night now under control
Authorities in Dubai have controlled a fire that broke out late Friday night in a 67-storey high-rise building in Marina, Dubai Media Office confirmed. Dubai Civil Defence teams worked tirelessly for six hours to extinguish the blaze, while specialised units safely evacuated all 3,820 residents from 764 apartments of Marina Pinnacle without any injuries. At 2.21am on Saturday, the DMO provided further details on the successful evacuation efforts. Authorities are now working closely with the building's developer to arrange temporary housing for the affected residents, prioritising their safety and well-being. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. This is not the first time Marina Pinnacle — also known as Tiger Tower — has caught fire. On May 25, 2015, a kitchen incident sparked a fire on the 47th floor, which spread to the 48th floor before being contained by Dubai Civil Defence. Incidentally, the 67-storey Marina Pinnacle is located near The Torch, another sckysraper that twice caught fire in 2015 and 2017. The latest fire saw no injuries and casualties, authorities said.
