Excavation and pilings are progressing at 242 East 71st Street, the site of a 22-story residential tower in the Lenox Hill section of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects and developed by Avdoo, the 172,000-square-foot structure is slated to yield 50 condominium units, ground-floor retail space, and enclosed parking. The nearly 10,000-square-foot property is located at the southwest corner of Second Avenue and East 71st Street.
Work has descended below street level since our last update in early April, when groundbreaking had just taken place. Multiple excavators, piling machines, and other equipment are in use across the partially dug site, and steel beams have been set up to support the retaining walls excavation continues. YIMBY expects the foundation walls and slab to get underway later this summer, and for the superstructure to begin rising before the end of the year.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
The following axonometric diagram from the construction board aligns with the drawing below it from Avdoo’s website. The building will feature a design typical of Robert A. M. Stern Architects, consisting of a multifaceted massing with numerous upper level setbacks. The façade will likely be composed of limestone, surrounding a varied fenestration that includes several arched windows and cutouts, rectangular windows with Juliet balconies, and two columns of bay windows on the eastern elevation. The setbacks and loggia cutouts on the upper floors will create space for numerous private terraces, and the tower will culminate in a bulkhead with openings resembling large windows to hide the mechanical equipment.
242 East 71st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
A possible preliminary sketch of 242 East 71st Street, spotted on Avdoo’s website.
The ground-up development is located near the northern entrance to the 72nd Street subway station, served by the Q train.
242 East 71st Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for the summer of 2028, as updated on the info board.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
A hole in the ground, where all things are yet possible.