Construction has reached the upper levels of 501 East 81st Street, a ten-story residential building in the Yorkville section of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. S20M is the design architect, Zproekt Architecture is the project architect, and Rybak Development is developing the 100-foot-tall structure is planned to span 37,378 square feet with an undisclosed number of units, likely condominiums based on the design firm’s history in the neighborhood. The building will also have a cellar level and three enclosed parking spaces. S20M is the design architect for the project, which stands on a 3,104-square-foot property at the southeast corner of York Avenue and East 81st Street.
The reinforced concrete superstructure has continued to ascend since our last update in early June, when construction was nearing the halfway mark. The residential levels appear complete, and steel rebar can be seen protruding from the top in preparation for the bulkhead’s formation along the southern lot line wall. Crews have also begun framing out the window grid with metal studs, though façade work has yet to commence.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
500 East 81st Street. Photo by Michael Young.
The rendering in the main photo depicts 500 West 81st Street with a straightforward rectangular massing that incorporates rounded corners. This design detail is also carried over to the glass-lined balconies along the broader northern elevation and the narrow western profile facing York Avenue. The façade will be composed of light gray stone paneling finished with fluted surfaces surrounding a grid of recessed floor-to-ceiling windows. Additional dark metal paneling is seen on the first three stories, and a landscaped terrace will sit atop the flat roof. The tall mechanical bulkhead is shown clad in fluted metal paneling. The main entrance will be positioned on the center of the East 81st Street elevation under a backlit relief of the building’s address.
The below rendering offers a closer look at the balconies, which will feature small light fixtures on their undersides, as well as the thin cornice lines that separate the façade in two-story increments.
Rendering courtesy of Rybak Development.
The site was formerly occupied by the Gracie Inn Hotel, a one-story laundromat, and a diner, as seen in the below Google Street View images from before the start of demolition.
Rybak Development purchased the property for $10.4 million in June 2023, and subsequently secured a $26.5 million loan from Maxim Capital. Scott Miller & Rael Gervis of The Meridian Capital Group helped broker the deal.
Image via Google Maps
502 East 81st Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan via Google Maps
The nearest subway from the ground-up development is the Q train at the 86th Street station at the corner of Second Avenue and East 83rd Street.
500 East 81st Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for spring 2026, as noted on site. However, YIMBY expects completion to occur sometime in the second half of 2026.
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
An upgrade!
I like. I liked the pre-war before it. but hated the graffiti and roll down gates.
Yes, MZ an upgrade. Same team as 55th and lex yesterday posting. Not bad guys! Keep up the good the work.
the 1970s apt beige building is the height of bad bland non architure. Can something be done, like reskin the facade in limestone ?
Very visually pleasing.
Vaguely late Deco coded, I like it a lot
Nifty. I like it, a lot.