Back in February of 2014, YIMBY reported on permits for the two residential towers rising next to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue and 113th Street (with an official address of 1047 Amsterdam Avenue). An on-site rendering offered a glimpse at the design, and zoning diagrams showed the overall configuration, but YIMBY can now reveal the full project, designed by Handel Architects.
The site is divided between two towers, totaling 331,000 square feet, and the Brodsky Organization is developing. The buildings will rise 13 and 15 floors each, with 428 units between the two, including 87 affordable apartments. Brodsky has a 99-year lease on the parcels, which will generate $5 million each year for St. John’s.
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, west tower, image by Handel Architects
Like Handel’s other Upper West Side project at 170 Amsterdam Avenue, 1047 Amsterdam’s buildings will feature an exoskeleton-like concrete facade. While many had criticized the project as being intrusive on the old Cathedral, the design should complement the historic building nicely, and the external concrete ribs almost seem to echo the unfinished towers of St. John’s as they culminate above the new building’s roof.
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, image by Handel Architects
The two apartment towers will be slightly different from one another, and the eastern building will have a smaller floor area than its counterpart, though it will stand slightly taller. Its facade will also be somewhat glassier than its neighbor, as the west building’s Amsterdam Avenue-facing side is partially lacking in windows.
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, image by Handel Architects
While the positioning of the new buildings caused controversy given their proximity to St. John’s, the renderings seem to confirm that the project’s visual impact should not be too significant, and the Cathedral will still be taller than either new building.
Completion of 1047 Amsterdam Avenue is scheduled for 2016, and construction is already well above ground level.
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I’m interested in info about affordable housing more importantly where and how to obtain applications for affordable housing . Thank you!
Who in the wide, wide, world of sports even looked at that design and thought, “Yes, spectacular. That works.” Disgraceful.