FLAT, NOT CROWDED, AND VERY HOT ON 59TH STREET
Soo Chan’s latest synthesizes design ideas on the edge of Midtown
The little stretch of Manhattan along 59th Street from Park to Lexington is covered in scaffolding from three distinct projects.
Two of these involve the recladding or restoring existing buildings. But one has to do with the actual construction of a building, a new high-rise that will soon occupy 118 East 59th Street.
The undistinguished four-story building that stood on that site, home to a former tuxedo shop, is demolished and construction is set to begin. Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing will begin selling the units in September.
The 38-story building will rise on the south side of 59th between Park and Lexington Avenues. The development has been in the news: The Times reported that this project, developed by Euro Properties, represents the first entirely Chinese real estate development in the city (as opposed to partnerships between Chinese and local firms). It also is one of the most important new developments, certainly residential developments, to arise on East 59th Street, at that crucial juncture where Midtown turns into the Upper East Side.
The new building is designed by Singapore-based SCDA Architects. This is the second time in less than a year that this firm has made a potent claim upon our attention, the first being the distinguished design for 515 Highline, a residential tower on West 29th Street.
Of late, the work of SCDA Architects, led by Soo K. Chan, has borne a certain resemblance to that of such contemporary Japanese architects as Fumihiko Maki, Yoshio Taniguchi and Tadao Ando, all of whom have built or are about to build in New York City. The style that seems to dominate his work and theirs is that of a pared-down modernism, strictly rectilinear and very pure.
The new building will contain 29 units and all of them will be full-floor properties. Some of the higher ones promise views of Central Park. The remaining floors will serve as common areas, including a private dining and catering facility, a fitness center and spa, and a lounge with outdoor gardens. Because of the narrowness of the site, which is only a little wider than a townhouse, the street-level area will have space only for the lobby, rather than for any commercial use.
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