A rendering has been revealed for the office-to-residential conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters at 229 East 42nd Street and the adjoining ten-story tower annex at 219 East 42nd Street in Midtown East, Manhattan. Designed by Gensler and developed by Metro Loft Development LLC and David Werner Real Estate Investments, the project will involve the gut renovation of the 33-story structure and full re-cladding of its mid-century façade, as well as the construction of 19 new floors above the annex. The conversion will yield 1,600 rental apartments, with 25 percent reserved for affordable housing, as well as ground-floor retail space and 100,000 square feet of amenities. The property is located at the northwestern corner of East 42nd Street and Second Avenue.
The rendering shows the property from the southeast, previewing the new lighter façade on the main building and the annex base to the west. The new envelope will do away with the dark interstitial paneling between the windows of the existing envelope, as seen in the Google Street View image below, and replace it with what looks to be aluminum with vertical ridges.
The 19-story addition above the annex at 219 East 42nd Street will bring its height to 29 stories and 348 feet tall, and is shown enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass with much thinner mullions than its sibling at the corner. The expanded building will span 465,794 square feet and yield 536 of the conversion’s 1,600 units, and will also include a 30-foot-long rear yard. Both structures are shown with landscaped terraces atop their setbacks and roof parapets.
“Conversions offer the promise of helping to transform more areas that were historically centralized business districts into vibrant, 24/7 neighborhoods,” said Robert Fuller, principal, Gensler. “Although there has been a big focus on conversions in recent years, it really is not a new concept. New York City has a long history of repurposing outdated buildings to create new housing. All you have to do is walk the streets of Soho or the waterfront in Brooklyn and you’ll see endless examples of old manufacturing and factory buildings converted to residential. We envision a future where office conversions in Midtown and the Financial District hold a similarly cherished place in the history of the city.”
Amenities at the upcoming development will include a rooftop swimming pool, a fitness center, and more to be announced.
The property is a short walk east of the Grand Central-42nd Street subway station and Grand Central Terminal, serving the 4, 5, 6, 7, and Shuttle trains, the Metro-North rail system, and Long Island Rail Road at the subterranean Grand Central Madison concourse.
A completion date for 219 and 229 East 42nd Streets has yet to be announced.
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The facade does not help at all, it remains the same, Of course, because we all dream of living in an ex-office with no natural light and sky-high rent! Midtown doesn’t need more shoeboxes disguised as housing, it needs real neighborhoods.
My wife and I toured a few downtown/FiDi and it was not as bad as it may seem. We liked the units a lot but ended up in a midtown east residential tower. Alot of the interior of the common areas included wide hallways, elevator banks etc.
Many units had what was called a home office, also known as a windowless room. Thats where it was dark. The large windows did somewhat compensate, as you sometimes had a wall of windows and corner units were pretty spectacular. If you put in a high end looking kitchen and nice bathroom finishes you can get market rents. This one is in a good location.
Nice to hear the perspective of a person who has actually toured an office to residential conversion. My friend worked in this tower and it’s a great location as we all know. And really just a block removed from other residential.
I also have friends with a loft in an old Tribeca warehouse. It’s amazing and the conversion was done over 30 years ago.
I think George is just a man meant to live on a farm or many the suburbs.
I used to work there. 24th floor. If they dona good job with the conversion, it’s the perfect place to live (convenience wise)
Turning from depression to happiness in living, I accept all the fulfillment in creating convenience: Thanks.
The facade will not be the same. Read the article.
Unlike many office towers from the later postwar period, this one is quite slim, at least at the upper levels. As such, it will provide as much light and air into apartments as would any purpose-built residential tower of comparable size.
Just wondering if there’s ever been a residential to office conversion? 😀
Yes there have been several and you will be seeing them a lot going forward
These office building stand to make a fortune in housing conversions. With each unit a few million, this will really add up.
Not bad and looks promising, and the new facade will look a lot better than that ugly mid century crap
There is a lobby artwork there, a metal mosaic honoring scientists that may come to a bad end.
If only there were good deals on units with weird or long floorpans.
The revised facade actually looks more original to the era. This is a really good improvement all around. Personally, I’d want my bed in the quiet, windowless “home office” and my desk near the daylight.
Will this block the view of the Empire State Building looking west from that overlook in Tudor City?
I worked in this building many years ago. The lower floors are huge – I’m very curious how they’re going to configure the apartments so that every room that requires one gets a window. Unlike the blockier conversions I’ve seen, punching a lightwell down from the roof wouldn’t really work here.