Midtown Manhattan’s New Supertalls As Seen From 252 East 57th Street’s Penthouse

Earlier last week, YIMBY got the opportunity to see the mountainous Midtown skyline, the rising towers in Long Island City, and the booming Upper East Side, all from the penthouse of 252 East 57^th Street. The full-floor apartment has two terraces on the Northwest and Southeast edges of the building, which offer an eye-level view at several supertalls on the rise.

53 West 53rd Street, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

53 West 53^rd Street can be seen edging closer towards its peak. As we reported in late January, the tower is nearly topped-out at 1,005 feet, with roughly fifty feet left to grow, expected by early March. Façade installation is making substantial headway, and is now above its neighboring structure. Jean Nouvel is responsible for design.

111 West 57th Street and 220 Central Park South, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

111 West 57^th Street could be spotted from behind the Solow Building, with the detailed terracotta and bronze façade installation on its side now quickly going up. The structure looks like it has reached over 700’ above ground level, reaching about halfway to its peak of 1,428 feet. SHoP Architects is responsible for the design, with JDS Development and Property Markets Group responsible for the development. Completion is anticipated for 2020.

Central Park Tower is barely visible from the terraces. Extell Development’s finished tower, One57, mostly obscures their rising giant, located at 217 West 57^th Street, though its scaffolding is visible immediately to the lower-right of the existing supertall’s frame. Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architects are responsible for 57th Street’s soon-to-be-tallest’s sleek design.

Façade work for 220 Central Park South is nearing completion, with installation almost fully covering the Central Park-facing side. Vornado Realty Trust is responsible for the development, with Robert A.M. Stern responsible for the design. Completion is expected later this year.

Queens View from 257 East 57th Street, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Across the river, Long Island City’s development boom has resulted in a skyline that is starting to rival many mid-sized cities, with several projects nearing the Citigroup Building’s 658-foot pinnacle, designed by SOM and completed in 1990.

138 East 50th Street, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

To the south, construction at 138 East 50^th Street is moving along. Concrete topped-out in late November, leaving façade installation and interiors to be completed. The building integrates terra cotta paneling with glass, which rises up on a slightly twisty façade along the street level, making space for a total of eight balconies and terraces.

The Pelli Clarke-Pelli designed tower reaches 800 feet above ground, with 63 floors, yielding ground-floor-retail space and 124 condominiums. Ceruzzi Properties will be responsible for the development, SLCE Architects is listed as the architect of record, and completion is expected by the end of the year.

257 East 57th Street, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

As it stands, many developments are pushing the height boundaries throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, extending the visibility of the incredible and awe-inspiring city further out through the tri-state area. Even within Manhattan, Extell’s One Manhattan Square is visible to the right of Trump World Tower in the above photo, marking the start of yet another new skyline along the Lower Lower East Side.

257 East 57th Street, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

As for the penthouse at 252 East 57th Street, Stribling’s Pamela D’Arc is the property’s broker, and the views come with 8,139 square feet of space and a $37.5 million price-tag, clocking in at just about $4,600/foot.

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