The Rockwell’s Brick Façade Takes Shape at 2688 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

2686 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Designed by Hill West Architects

Exterior work is progressing on The Rockwell, a 13-story residential building at 2688 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Designed by Hill West Architects and developed in collaboration by Toll Brothers, which is also serving as the general contractor, and Sculptor under the 2686-2690 Broadway LLC, the structure will yield 81 condominium units in studio to three-bedroom layouts and a ground-floor retail space to be occupied by a CVS Pharmacy. The property is located at the southeast corner of West 103rd Street and Broadway.

The reinforced concrete superstructure was still rising at the time of our last update in September. Since then, construction has topped out and the light brick façade has progressed behind a network of scaffolding and construction netting. Recent photos show all of the windows in place and adorned with gold-hued frames and mullions, and the surrounding brickwork approaching the parapet. Based on the pace of progress, the scaffolding could likely begin to be dismantled in the coming weeks. Belden Tri-State Building Materials supplied the brickwork.

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

Since YIMBY’s last construction update back in mid-September, the reinforced concrete superstructure topped out at the end of 2022, and work on the light-colored brick masonry walls and grid of windows continued to make significant progress. The exterior work has moved far ahead, making it possible to soon see the removal of black netting and metal scaffolding in the coming weeks.

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

The southern elevation is largely blank with a grid of white and gray cementitious paneling.

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

The following photographs below show the details in the window grid and brick façade through the scaffolding. Belden Tri-State Buildings Materials supplied the bricks.

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

2688 Broadway, aka The Rockwell. Photo by Michael Young

Several sections of the façade will feature floor-to-ceiling glass framed with gold-hued trimming. Stepped setbacks on the upper levels will be topped with outdoor terraces, and the parapet is lined with a thick gold cornice. The retail frontage will have tall windows for the CVS Pharmacy.

Amenities at The Rockwell include a 24-hour attended lobby, residential lounge, landscaped outdoor terrace, private dining room, fitness center, children’s playroom, screening room, music room, pet spa, and an outdoor rooftop terrace furnished with barbecue grills. The project is located directly adjacent to the 103rd Street station, serviced by the local 1 train. Also nearby are the B and C trains at the 103rd Street station on Central Park West.

The Rockwell is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2024, as noted on the on-site board.

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12 Comments on "The Rockwell’s Brick Façade Takes Shape at 2688 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side"

  1. Looks nice. Finally something new north of 96th Street.

  2. Scott Preston | March 19, 2023 at 9:45 am | Reply

    Love how it fits within the scale of the neighborhood in the second photo showing Broadway

  3. This one is a going to be a stunner! I do hope they clad the bulkheads on top and not leave it blank as exposed concrete walls

  4. It’s a mature addition to the neighborhood…no jiggles and cantilevers. Well laid out floor plans. A better model for new construction on the upper west side.

  5. David in Bushwick | March 19, 2023 at 12:32 pm | Reply

    White brick is back, but I’m not so sure about the gold window frames.
    This was a complete block of historic buildings, the rest of the block should now be landmarked. Every street front along a block should have its oldest building kept as a historical marker for the City. The remaining building can sell their air rights with the money used to restore its facade.

  6. Fortunately, NYC changed the zoning about 30 years ago on the Upper West Side to encourage traditional pre-war building massing. Otherwise, miserable windswept plazas and sheer, setback towers, similar to the horrors built along Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues in the 70s, as well as those still built in Yorkville and other neighborhoods in Manhattan, would have appeared all along Broadway.

  7. Toll brothers? Isn’t that like a suburban builder for the fake luxury houses?

  8. David : Sent From Heaven. | March 20, 2023 at 3:35 am | Reply

    Wow! Framed with gold-hued trimming on floor-to-ceiling glass, and stepped setbacks I never bored whatever it shows on completion or under-construction. Now entering a place of progress I can see brick facade, that’s beautiful access for light of the sun way in. When netting pull out of the structure it’s clearer: Thanks to Michael Young.

  9. jeez creeps. I can be as critical or more so as the next guy: the buildings were being renovated and I believe they collapsed. Old Age. (That’s what it looked like as I walked by many times a week). Tan brick, not 60’s white. Bronze window trim, not russian princess gold.
    It’s fairly tame and respectful compared to the new monsters below 96th street that all shout for attention and some of you had admired in the past……

    • and if you take the time to look at the website and review the apartment plans, these are the rare, liveable apartments…..albeit for a price, but they all come at a price.

  10. Brian Andersson | March 27, 2023 at 6:59 am | Reply

    Nice salute to artist Norman Rockwell who was born on West 103rd Street, as was Humphrey Bogart.

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