Demolition is about to get underway at 1491-1497 Third Avenue, the site of a 37-story residential skyscraper on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Designed by Hill West Architects and developed by Samy Mahfar of 255 East Houston Manager LLC, the 510-foot-tall structure will span 259,202 square feet and yield 120 condominium units with an average scope of 2,001 square feet. The development will also include 18,994 square feet of lower-level commercial space, two cellar levels, a 31-foot-long rear yard, and a 30-vehicle parking garage. The project site is located at the corner of Third Avenue and East 84th Street.
Wooden construction fencing has been assembled around the vacated four-story 1491 Third Avenue, and the taller abutting 1495 Third Avenue with its grey-colored exterior and large arched window surrounded by ornate finishes. The five-story 1497 Third Avenue remains occupied for now, with a Chipotle on the ground floor that will eventually relocate in the future. It’s unclear when we will begin to see active demolition, but given the overall scope of the three buildings, this process should take no more than a few months.
1491 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1491 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1495 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1495 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1491-1497 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1495 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
1491-1497 Third Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
The below Google Street View image shows 1491 Third Avenue before demolition preparations began.
1491 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan via Google Maps
No renderings have been revealed for the new skyscraper. The building’s substantial height will make it among the tallest structures in the area, joining recently completed properties like RAMSA’s 200 East 83rd Street and CetraRuddy’s 1448 Third Avenue to the north.
The nearest set of subways from the ground-up development are the Q, 4, 5, and 6 trains at the two 86th Street stations.
A construction timeline for 1491-1497 Third Avenue has yet to be announced.
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The UES getting more dull by the moment.
Such a shame to lose that beautiful building.
Yeah, make sure all those interesting architectural ornaments get thrown away before anyone can save them… I used to live nearby, passed these on the way to the Post Office on East 85th Street. Can’t ever go back, as the UES gets ever more banal and soulless.
Check that building on the west side at 300 west 57th street, The Hearst tower they kept the exterior of the old building and looks magnificent a combination with the old and new, where is the community board
I like the old Hearst Building, which is made of one of those unique formulations of concrete in the early 20th century. However, the remaining exterior is just a screen and has no relation to the modern building behind it.
So?
I agree. That building should have been landmarked. The UES in the 80’s and Lexington is one of the ugliest, most congested areas in residential Manhattan.
We should landmark these and permit the transfer of their development rights with some kind of bonus, say 20 percent, to development sites in the area, not just contiguous properties, in the way the Midtown East rezoning has worked. There are creative ways we can save these properties and get new development.
100%
Decently nice building on an otherwise ugly lot. Excited for what will replace it.
That’s a bloody shame to tear that building down! Is New York as bad as Philadelphia??
hill west are bad architects
Where are the preservationist? This group of buildings are perfectly intact.
Come on now.
Tearing that building down is a GDS.
They should get rid of the landmark preservation in Greenwich, Village and build like 30 (80 ) story buildings for middle income housing. What a waste just to have three story buildings in this time of need.
1495 Third has some excellent ornament that will hopefully be saved. The corner building is a bit strange and nothing special in my honest opinion. The other building is a straight up piece of garbage.
Can YIMBY please find out about conserving the architectural features of this building? And on a routine basis?
Let’s be honest, if some apartment house up in Inwood or the West Bronx had its parapet mutilated and removed that looked exactly like the Art Deco top of the corner building, no one here would likely ever have known. Point being a little bit if pretty ornament lost to a high-density new development that properly utilizes an important corner is worth it. It’s a pretty building but it’s really not anything the city would ever landmark.
I love good architecture & try to preserve it when & where it is feasible & possible, but this hodgepodge of 4-5 story structures, while interesting & certainly not “ugly”, they are not preservation worthy in my humble opinion, so ; “Onwards & upwards I say!”, who knows, hopefully the new building will become a beloved architectural gem in it’s own right.
Terrible. No one respects beautiful architecture anymore. these developers making our city ugly everyday with blah brick and no details. I hope I am wrong.
Some interesting German-American history regarding this 1491 3rd Avenue Doelger Building.
Article by Daytonian in Manhattan: “Deutche Halle – 1491 Third Avenue”
This area used to be called Germanville or Germantown where Lou Gerig of NYYankees grew up.
The building with the large arched window was a 1906 stationary story. The facade seems to be terra cotta, possibly painted. Some elements are missing.
Really hoping the arch is carefully disassembled and reinstalled somehow someway somewhere.
Wow the Borg destroying the city block by block.. the nothing devours all in the neverending story
Shame it seems like it is mostly very large and expensive units…
Well, that beats mostly very small and expensive units.