Façade installation is progressing on Lucien, a 35-story residential tower at 303 East 44th Street in Midtown East, Manhattan. Designed by ODA Architects and developed by Bruklyn Builders, the 470-foot-tall structure will span 89,043 square feet and yield 131 rental units along with 8,006 square feet of commercial space. The property is located on an interior lot between First and Second Avenues.
The wavy glass curtain wall has begun ascending up the main southern elevation of the reinforced concrete superstructure since our last update in late May, when crews were installing the façade clips on the edges of the floor plates. The reflective cladding is nearing the midpoint of the tower and could potentially reach the crown before the end of the year.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
303 East 44th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
The property was formerly occupied by two low-rise structures that were demolished several years ago.
303 East 44th Street, photo by Tectonic
305 East 44th Street, photo by Tectonic
Bruklyn Builders secured $80 million in construction financing from S3 Capital in September 2025 to complete the project. The sum was split into two debt tranches including a $54.1 million construction loan and a $25.9 million loan.
REAL New York is exclusively handling sales and leasing of the units.
The ground-up development 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.
YIMBY expects 303 East 44th Street to complete construction sometime around the middle of next year.
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That’s a brutal lot line window change for the office building next door. They lose an entire face on their glass curtain wall
New York real estate is not for the faint of heart. 🤷🏻
I can see the building from my widow – WHY are there NO windows facing the EAST – apartments would have view of the East River & UN. Could it be that the owners know the building to the right is going to be torn down for another hi rise building?
P.S. your photos are excellent & I like the way the articles always states what streets they are between
Oh look how the 1961 zoning code had absolutely nothing to do with this building being set back from the street with no base at all meeting the streetwall and the goofy exposing of subjectively attractive neighboring lot line walls !
I’m sure this was all the developers doing.
Oh I bet Nigeria wishes they had bought the air rights from the two buildings next-door.
It’s funny how the architectural rendering made the corner building a nice coordinating blue color when in reality it’s an ugly harsh contrasting green. Anything to gaslight buyers into seeing what’s not reality—otherwise known as “Architectural Fluffing or Catfishing.”