45–40 Vernon Boulevard Tops Out in Long Island City, Queens

Construction has topped out on 45–40 Vernon Boulevard, a 23-story residential building in Long Island City, Queens. Designed by Archimaera and developed and built by ZD Jasper, the 262-foot-tall structure will span 192,500 square feet and yield 226 units along with lower-level commercial space. The property is located near the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and 46th Avenue.

The entire reinforced concrete superstructure was built since our last update in late-October 2024, when the partial demolition of the site’s former occupant was still ongoing. This structure, once known as the Paragon Paint Building, was fully gutted and is being incorporated into the podium of the tower. Crews are now in the process of framing out the new building’s lower levels with metal studs and yellow insulation boards.

45-40 Vernon Boulevard. Photo by Michael Young.

The rendering in the main photo looks west from Vernon Boulevard showing the Paragon Paint Building refurbished with new windows and a dark gray finish. The base of the new building is a continuation of its industrial aesthetic, albeit with a slightly different fenestration utilizing square windows. The tower is set back 80 feet from Vernon Boulevard and is shown clad in a dark gray envelope surrounding an irregular grid of floor-to-ceiling windows with protruding bronze-hued frames. These frames extend further on the northern end of the main eastern profile, as well as on both ends of the northern face, creating space for terraces lined with glass railings. The tower culminates in a glass-clad crown adorned with vertical bronze fins.

A public plaza will sit to the north of the property and will feature raised concrete garden beds with trees and seating. The plaza will offer the only waterfront access to Anable Basin from Vernon Boulevard. Around 20 percent of the development site will be devoted to outdoor space.

ZD Jasper purchased the assemblage for $47 million from Quadrum Global, Baron Property Group, and Simon Development last spring in a deal brokered by JLL. The three former developers had invested $14.6 million in 2013 in a similar concept to convert and expand the Paragon Paint Building into a mixed-use complex. Plans were first announced in 2015 with SHoP Architects as the designer of a 28-story, 296-unit project. The scope was revised to the current configuration in 2022 due to community opposition.

The previous developers also spent $13 million remediating the site under the NYS Brownfield Cleanup Program, which involved clearing the contaminated soil, treating the ground water, and replacing the timber bulkhead/seawall along Anable Basin.

The nearest subway from the development is the 7 train at the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue station to the south.

45-40 Vernon Boulevard’s anticipated completion date is slated for fall 2026, as noted on site.

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