Carter's Review

This tall and attractive mixed-use tower at 125 West 31^st Street is known as The Epic and was built by Fetner Properties and the Durst Organization in 2005.  Fetner subsequently bought out the Durst interests.  Other Fetner properties include the EOS mixed-use tower at 100 West 31^st Street, 90 East End Avenue, 1212 Fifth Avenue and 1725 York Avenue.

It was designed by FXFowle Architects and SLCE.

It has 458 rental apartments in the top of the building and there is a recessed three-story residential lobby on 31^st Street.  There are 92 “affordable” apartments.

On 32nd Street, a four-story wing is used by the American Cancer Society for its Hope Lodge treatment center and hospice.  The wing also contains retail and a garage.

The Epic dwarfs its next-door-neighbor, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The church’s existing friary needed repairs and the church decided to replace rather than repair it and bought the adjoining site.

The existing friary needed expensive repairs and the church opted to replace rather than repair the building. The Friary is in brick, to blend in with the church buildings; the landscaped terrace above the recessed apartment-house lobby is used by the friars.

The friars and the American Cancer Society own their portions of the building, and the friars also have part-ownership of the apartments, which provides the church with regular income.

The building is certified “green.”

Bottom Line

An impressive glass slab tower with subtle angled bulges on its north and south façades has an angled top and almost “cuddles up” to the Empire State Building, its tallest neighbor a block to the north.

Description

This very tall, glass, mid-block tower has north and south façades punctuated by a single pier of angled windows and its narrow side façades have double non-glass piers that culminate in an nicely angled roofline that rises from west to east.

The through-block, mixed-use, tower has different bases on its side-streets that accommodate a friary, an American Cancer facility, retail, a garage and recessed residential entrance.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman and concierge, an indoor basketball court, a 2,400-square-foot residents’ lounge, a 3,900-square-foot fitness center, valet service, two furnished and landscaped outdoor terraces with grills.  A garage and bicycle storage are available for additional fees.

The building is Gold LEED-certified with water and air filtration systems, energy-star kitchen appliances, energy efficient lighting, water conserving fixtures and individual room thermostats.  The building is also pet-friendly.

Apartments

Most of the floors have 10 apartments and some units in the middle of the north and south façades have angled window walls in the living rooms.

Apartment 58F is a two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads to a 15-foot-long den and a 20-foot-long living room with an open, windowed kitchen with a breakfast bar.

Apartment 51B is a two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer across from an open kitchen with a breakfast bar next to a 24-foot-long living area.

Apartment 48G is a two-bedroom unit with a 20-foot-long living area and an open kitchen with a pass-through bar.

Apartment 43G is a studio unit with a 14-foot-wide living area and an open kitchen.