Exterior rendering of the Clare; Corcoran Group; Photo via CityRealty
The Clare at 301 East 61st Street launched sales earlier this year on its 30 upscale condominium residences priced between $800,000 and $8.9 million. Now, with the exterior of the building finally complete, our in-house architecture critic Carter B. Horsley gave us his two cents on the building he calls “an extravagant exercise in patchwork architecture.”
The Clare is an extravagant exercise in patchwork architecture, this building bursts out of its limestone shell with an excess of filigree and some promontory platforms to issue decrees.
In this article:
Looking north up Second Avenue at the Clare; CityRealty
The 21-story building was developed by Third Palm Capital and Real Estate Inverlad Development who purchased the corner lot back in 2012. The Clare’s enigmatic design was crafted by the equally mysterious Manuel Glas Architects. Its facade is composed of panels by Porcelanosa, natural Indiana limestone and oversized glass windows which Carter describes as “a sexy smorgasbord of thin and tall windows peering out through a Bladerunner’s paradise of limestone crags.” The building features a hodgepodge of other interesting elements that include double height inset terraces, vertical fins and massing that steps down in scale towards 61st Street. According to Carter, “The Clare is an extravagant exercise in patchwork architecture, this building bursts out of its limestone shell with an excess of filigree and some promontory platforms to issue decrees.”
Master Bedroom; Corcoran Group
Typical Kitchen, Corcoran group
Typical Bathroom; Corcoran Group
The Clare’s 30 condominium apartments have 15 unique layouts that range from 558-square-foot studios to a triplex four-bedrooms. Many apartments have private outdoor spaces and some have 18-foot-high ceilings in living rooms. Each unit also features 7-inch white oak hardwood floors, open kitchens, radiant floor heating and LED lighting.
The thirteenth floor is an amenity floor and hosts a fitness center, communal terrace with accompanying lounge with bar and entertainment area. Closer to street level, the lobby is attended by a 24-hour doorman, bike storage and a commercial retail space.
The Clare's Lobby, Corcoran Group
The Clare's amenity terrace; Corcoran Group
Once thought by many as too far east, the area surrounding the Clare is now easily accessible to the rest of the Upper East Side via the newly-opened Second Avenue Subway line. As a result, several new residential projects are planned or have recently opened such as Worldwide Group’s condo tower at 252 East 57th Street (62 active listings @ $2,770 per ft²), 300 East 64th Street (12 availabilities @ $1,783 per ft²) and Macklowe’s 200 East 59th Street. Chance Gordy’s Real Estate Inverlad, partnering developer on the Clare, has two soaring condominium towers in the works nearby at 249 East 62nd Street and 1059 Third Avenue.
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