Zeckendorf Development, the legendary builders of some of Manhattan's most prestigious apartment towers —15 Central Park West, 520 Park Avenue, and 50 U.N. Plaza to name a few — are at it again, this time setting their sights on less stratospheric reaches of the Manhattan condo market by building a new mid-priced residential affair at 249 East 62nd Street and Second Avenue.
Located near the entrance to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, at the crossroads of Lenox Hill, Midtown, and Sutton Place, the 28-story, 66-unit project is being designed by the astute firm INC Architecture & Design with the residential experts of SLCE Architects serving as executive architects. As of early June 2022, the superstructure has risen two-thirds up towards its 347-foot-tall pinnacle.
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An offering plan has yet to be approved and no official renderings have been released of the project. However, drawings on file with the Department of Buildings show a traditional massing with a low-rise leg extending to 62nd Street and setbacks on the eighth floor and near the top. The design of the rooftop mechanical bulkhead/water tower enclosure hints that the crown of the building will be articulated, perhaps providing a memorable addition to the east side skyline.
The building will accommodate two to four apartments per floor culminating with a floor-through penthouse. A short list of amenities will include a fitness center, sauna and steam room, and an on-site superintendent.
Cross-section of unbuilt design
The current plans trade out a more dramatic and controversial proposal designed by Rafael Viñoly and developed by Real Estate Inverlad and Third Palm Capital (builders of The Clare and The Leyton nearby). Nicknamed "tower-on-stilts" by its opponents, that design would have incorporated stretches of "mechanical voids" to elevate some of its residences and improve their views.
Scaled down by nearly 200 feet, the building-to-be won't grant as many high-floor Central Park and river views as its predecessor, but will still give residents twinkling views of the Upper East Side and Midtown skylines. The tower should top out in the coming weeks and will likely open its doors sometime in the latter half of 2023.
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