The Vandewater: Upper Manhattan's Tallest Residential Building Tops Out, See New Photos

By Ondel Hylton | From Future New York Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Rendering of Vandewater looking south (Savanna)

Editor's Note: Story first published on 11/9/2018 has been updated to reflect the building's topping out and new information from the development team.

Construction has topped out on The Vandewater, a 32-story condo development at 543 West 122nd Street in Morningside Heights. Standing 385 feet to its roof, the structure will be Manhattan's tallest residential building north of Central Park. The tower can clearly be seen from Columbia University's main campus just two blocks south, as well as throughout Harlem and Hamilton Heights. The building tops out just below the crest of the Gothic Revival belltower of Riverside Church, one block away.

The Vandewater's elevated location will provide its 183 residences with sweeping views of Manhattan, the Hudson River, and the Palisades. Yet to be installed is a stone facade that will be accentuated by vertical piers. The design was conceived by Incorporated Architecture and Design (INC) and is said to have been inspired by the historic gothic architecture nearby.

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Sales are to officially launch in January 2019. Details released by Savanna explain that the homes will come in one- to four-bedroom layouts, all with large windows, some with expansive terraces. As for the finishes, INC says they sought to showcase the beauty of materials in a new and thoughtful way. Prices will start at $750,000 with the priciest spreads to ask more than $5 million. The most recently accepted offering plan shows that Savanna anticipates a $390,880,000 sellout. Halstead Property Development Marketing is managing sales and delivery is expected in early 2020.

View south towards Morningside Heights and Midtown from a top floor at the newly topped out Vandewater. (Credit on Instagram of http://fieldcondition.com/)

As we previously covered, Vandewater rises from a midblock and through-block site between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, on land formerly owned by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). The project's developer, Savanna, purchased the site for $96 million in 2016 and religious institution is using some of those funds to build a performing arts space, a new residence hall and a library.

The tower sits on an expansive low podium whose roof will feature gardens designed by Michael Van Valkenburg Associates, the team behind Brooklyn Bridge Park. There will be 24,000 square feet of amenities which include a Wright Fit fitness center, outdoor dining areas, and a landscaped motor court. Sakura and Riverside parks are in close proximity in addition to the many institutions that make up New York's "Acropolis of Academia."