Extell Reveals New York City’s Largest Private Outdoor Garden at One Manhattan Square in Two Bridges

Rendering of One Manhattan Square - Courtesy of Evan JosephRendering of One Manhattan Square - Courtesy of Evan Joseph

In an effort to bolster sales at One Manhattan Square, Extell Development Company has unveiled an acre of private outdoor amenities designed by West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture. Located in the Two Bridges section of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the neighborhood’s signature tower stands 800 feet above the East River and now comprises 100,000 square feet of total amenity space.

As described by West 8, the new private gardens foster a sense of community and are envisioned as an outdoor retreat for residents to relax, work, and socialize. Now complete, One Manhattan Square offers more private outdoor space than any other residential development in New York City.

The sloped topology of the area surrounding the building forced the design team to conceive a horticultural scheme that could easily lend itself to the waterfront environment. In response, the architects created a continuous garden space that ramps up from the sidewalk to the building’s fifth floor. As residents descend further into the garden, they will experience a sequence of courtyards, adult tree houses, play spaces for children, a Japanese-inspired tea garden, riverside fire pits, and more.

The architects also selected a diverse array of flora and fauna that will peak at varying times of the year to effectively deliver an all-year recreational garden.

“Especially given today’s environment, outdoor spaces have become a welcome retreat for our residents,” said Alan Oppenheimer, Extell Development Company vice president of acquisitions. “These spaces were designed to serve as a private oasis within our community so that residents can enjoy their own private natural surroundings within the city.”

Interior amenities include a spa that surrounds a sunken tranquility garden, also designed by West 8. Additional wellness amenities include a multi-level fitness center with indoor swimming pools, a full basketball court, a squash court, and a yoga studio. Recreational amenities include theater and performance spaces, a golf simulator, a children’s playroom, a game room, a cellar bar and demonstration kitchen, a two-lane bowling alley, and more.

The structure was completed in 2019 and is designed by Adamson Associates Architects with custom interiors by Meyer Davis Studio. Ownership at One Manhattan Square starts at $1.2 million, where buyers have access to a 421-a tax abatement.

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20 Comments on "Extell Reveals New York City’s Largest Private Outdoor Garden at One Manhattan Square in Two Bridges"

  1. “Private gardens to foster a sense of community”
    Yep, as long as the rest of the community stays on their side of the fence.

  2. This looks dope for the 5 people who actually will be around to use the space.

    • David in Bushwick | October 13, 2020 at 10:35 am | Reply

      If you’ve ever been next to this project, the traffic noise from the bridge is non-stop. Every couple of minutes a subway train screeches by as all of the wheels bang against the uneven rail joints. The private park will be anything but tranquil.
      But as J above says, daytime building staff will outnumber those few residents who are actually staying there.

  3. This building would have been a disaster without Covid.
    Too big, too far from transit or shopping.

    Maybe the city can use it for the homeless.

  4. YIMBY, if you are going to use big words like “topology” please refer to a dictionary, not autofill. You meant the sloped “topography” of the area.

    • Yeah sloped topology is especially funny. The surface of a sphere is topologically equivalent to the surface of a cube.

    • Jim, do you pay for this service? No? Thought so. Unfortunately they have to receive your snark for free.

    • This is an example, albeit a very large one, of exactly what has destroyed Manhattan. No resident will ever have to leave the building-how wonderful. And the developers absolutely wrecked the skyline there. Putrid.

  5. Yes, what a wonderful garden available to a “select few” in a neighborhood crying out for more open space.
    There a quite a few select facts tha have been failed to mention: The high crime rate of the area — it has been an on-going problem that Extell has totally ignored, except for its own posted guards at its “resort”. There have been numerous incidents here which Extell will not address after we have met them as a Tenant Association.
    The wonderful amenities are available only to the tower — the 204 apartments that are part of the “affordable component” of this complex are totally denied access to any of the amenities you described.
    While guards are prominently posted throughout One Manhattan Square, the adjacent 227 Cherry Street, part of this huge complex does not have one person posted at the entrance, which is accessible to anyone 24 hours a day. The key fob is useless as people just walk in behind you or the doors often don’t function.

  6. When does this go bankrupt? It’s grossly out of scale & with this market it’s simply not sustainable. Same thing goes for projects in, for example, downtown Brooklyn.

  7. “Flora and fauna”? There will be a petting zoo?

  8. The light on the top floor of this building is insanely bright. It illuminates my room all the way in BedSty.

  9. I wish this building would just fall into foreclosure already. We wrecked the LES skyline just for this building to sit unsold in perpetuity.

  10. “Ownership at One Manhattan Square starts at $1.2 million, where buyers have access to a 421-a tax abatement.”
    Because people buying $1.2MM apartments really, really need those tax abatements. Meanwhile, the city’s budget continues to sink into a sea of red ink.

  11. Meanwhile, for the rest of us who live in the area, our largest public park, East River Park, is going to be completely destroyed for a crappy wall.

  12. I’m a resident and the gardens are great. My boys live the kids section and the sense of tranquility is strong. Don’t hate:)

  13. Adult Tree houses?

    Will they be used as money laundering pied-e-tieres too?

  14. NY YIMBY Is my favorite self-parody blog out there.

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