The Wall Street Journal has revealed the design for a new luxury senior living facility coming to the northeast corner of 56th Street and Lexington Avenue, spanning 677-681 Lexington Avenue. Hines and Welltower are the developers, and paid $115 million for the assemblage, which will host a new 15-story building designed by SLCE Architects.
New York City is full of amazing stories of transformation. Many neighborhoods are dramatically different from the way they were 100 years ago. That’s certainly true of Midtown East, the area around Grand Central Terminal, and it is on the cusp of a new era of transformation. Various city agencies are managing that transformation, which included a rezoning plan abandoned in 2013. It also includes preservation. That’s where the Landmarks Preservation Commission comes into play.
Hines and Welltower Inc. are planning a 15-story senior-housing facility at 139 East 56th Street, located at the corner of Lexington Avenue in Midtown East. The duo recently acquired the site, which is currently occupied by a two-story, 7,000-square-foot commercial building, for an undisclosed amount, according to Bloomberg. The planned structure would feature assisted-living units and memory car services, although the number of units plan is not currently known. The existing building will be demolished, although a TGI Fridays restaurant must first vacant the premises.
Manhattan-based developer Gary Vinbaytel, doing business as an anonymous LLC, has filed applications for a six-story, five-unit residential building at 245 East 53rd Street, in Midtown East. The structure will measure 12,484 square, which means the residential units should average a spacious 1,995 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums. The first unit will span part of the cellar level and the ground and second floors, followed by a full-floor apartments on floors three through five. The sixth floor and an upper penthouse level will contain the final unit. Roman Sorokko’s Little Neck, Queens-based Versatile Engineering is the applicant of record. The 25-foot-wide, 2,510-square-foot lot is vacant.
One of New York City’s most magnificent public spaces will be getting some upgrades. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved changes to the atrium of the Ford Foundation Building at 320 East 43rd Street.
