YIMBY recently went on a hard hat tour of Skyline Tower, aka 23-15 44th Drive. The residential skyscraper will eventually rise 778 feet over Long Island City and become the tallest building in Queens, as well as the tallest building in New York City outside of Manhattan. Work has progressed to the 26th floor of the future 67-story tower, and construction crews have been pouring the reinforced slabs at a rapid rate of two floors per week.
Hill West Architects is the building’s designer, while Whitehall Interiors is in charge of the interior design. United Construction & Development Group is the developer and Modern Spaces is the exclusive marketing and sales agency for the 802-unit project. Prices will range from $500,000 to $4 million. Skyline Tower is also the first project in Queens to break the $1 billion price mark.
Looking up the southern elevation. Photo by Michael Young
The Midtown skyline from the 26th floor. Photo by Michael Young
The Lower Manhattan skyline from the 26th floor. Photo by Michael Young
Long Island City from above with Midtown in the background. Photo by Michael Young
30 Hudson Yards, The Chrysler Building, One Vanderbilt, and the Turkevi Center seen from Skyline Tower. Photo by Michael Young
The Queensboro Bridge. Photo by Michael Young
22-44 Jackson Avenue seen from the 26th floor of Skyline Tower. Photo by Michael Young
The 38,000-square-foot site is located directly next to the CUNY School of Law building along 23rd Street, between 3 Court Square and 44th Road. The closest subways include the 7 train at Court Square, the E and M trains at Court Square—23rd Street Station, the N, W, and 7 trains at Queensboro Plaza, and the E, M, and R trains at Queens Plaza Subway Station.
Skyline Tower rising in the background while 22-43 Jackson Avenue rises in the foreground. Photo by Michael Young
The first curtain wall panels have also started to go up on the lower floors of the northern elevation.
The glass panels beginning to go up surrounding a future outdoor courtyard. Photo by Michael Young
Several residential units on the upper floors of the upcoming glass skyscraper will have private outdoor terraces. The building will afford residents panoramic views of Long Island City, Greenpoint, Downtown Brooklyn, Midtown, and Lower Manhattan. Amenities will include a fitness center with a swimming pool, a sauna and spa, a yoga room, laundry room, a children’s playroom, and multiple lounges for residents.
23-15 44th Drive. Rendering: MAQE, via Hill West Architects.
The project is expected to be finished sometime next year, while topping off could happen as early as this September.
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
This building is a shining testament to LIC’s commitment to mediocrity. What is the point?
This tower is outstanding, pretty tall at 778 feet, 111 Murray is same height as this building, and finally Queens Skyline with a sole Manhattan Height Building get a two long deserved neighbors, along with Queens Plaza Park at 752′. Sorry for FAA limit for Queens building heights at 800′. The most important this Towers have individual looks, you are not easily mistaken them with anything else in whole Western Hemisphere, and finally Queens, LIC skyline became one of tallest in country.
I just don’t see what’s so special about yet another tall steel and glass box, except the excessive height which will eventually be topped by something else anyway.
No it wouldn’t be happening anytime soon unless you closing La Guardia Airport, 5 miles away. FAA is prohibited towers elevetated over 800 feet from the of East River level. That’s why tower height supposed to be originally as tall as 985 feet, was decreased by over 200 feet. 778 height to the parapet or pinnacle height. So, it will remain as taller tower, left Queens skyline not to exceed 800′ over East River. Many towers around there will be built not to exceed 600′ to keep the dominance of this tower for neighborhood of LIC for many decades. Second to tallest one will be Queens Plaza Park, 752 feet, almost the height of Carnegie Hall Tower, a 60 story, varius colors brick clad, boutique office tower looming over the famous Carnegie Hall, 756′.
I’m glad to see that finally Queens have 2 700++’ towers, and both towers are beautifully designed and blended well in their surrounding!!!
Queens Plaza Park blended with incline design on facade with Landmarked 177′ Queens Plaza Clock Tower, and this Skyline Tower is created will became dominant in Court Square modern high rise architectural cluster.
Just next to former Citibank 14 story office podium, what not to be adding another 24 stories on top of it anytime soon. So even now this Skyline Tower are provided almost unrestricted City View in all directions!!! 26 floors up from 67 floors from the total floor count. More than 1/3 of total height!!!
Design with curved glass, metal and steel in cladding, make it instant modern landmark of 21st Century architecture!!!
Tallest in NYC outside of Manhattan? Temporarily, you surely mean. Unless something’s happened to plans for 9 Dekalb in Brooklyn (meant to rise more than 1,000 feet)?
Unfortunately but this true, FAA limit maximum height LIC Hunters Point new construction at 800′ elevation over East River. This correspond to 778′ for Skyline Tower and 752′ for Queens Plaza Park, I don’t think any buildings will be taller than 700′ built in Queens beside that. The tallest one in Hunters Points will be at 587′. Currently, tallest residential in Borough is capped at 648′ in Queens Plaza area. And fabled Citibank Tower of 656′ on other side of Court Square, just on opposite side of this Skyline Tower.
9 Decalb in Brooklyn in process of finishing their foundation works, and will be rise to 1,066′, but don’t expect this sooner than by 2025. Believe me!!!
Supertall construction in Manhattan takes 2-3 years after foundation of building is finished. But for Brooklyn, who just have no new Skycrapers built over 491′ from 1930 to 2009!!! The Borough tallest one in 2008 was still Williamsburg Bank Buildjng at 513′ built in 1928-29. In 2009 they finished Brookliner, 514′, then they construct another “fives 500 footers” at 510′, 550′, 590′, 595′ and 610′ buildings. Now 610′ Hicks Street and 720′ Brooklyn Point at City Point, and 605′ office tower next to it under construction now, and 840′ tower on Flatbush avenue under consideration soon.
But for Queens skyline it would be generally a Plato of 300-600 foot buildings with just 4 maybe 5 building above them. All below 800′ elevation over East River!!! Thanks for FAA rules and LA Guardia Airport less than 5 miles away.
Very interesting. So, Queens’ skyline will end up being tamed after all. Judging by all the building development happening across the boroughs, I would say landfill may need to be used eventually to create a new island somewhere, maybe south of Brooklyn to become a sixth borough. The amount of development happening is incredible these days.
English is a beautifully flexible language when you use articles like “the,” “an,” and “a.” Just sayin’.
Pardon me for using your space:
Steel and glass is cheap and uniform with the “neighborhood”. Someone has to make ? from this if it’s not going to be me!
(TTMY)
Scab city USA
It has now officially surpassed Citigroup Tower’s height as of August/Sept. It is now Queens’ tallest building. Interesting to see what kind of precedent this will set for future building development in Long Island City. Times are changing. I never thought 15 years ago that LIC would suddenly have this kind of extreme building boom.