303 East 33rd Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 303 East 33rd Street by Carter Horsley

This large and very handsome, 12-story apartment building at 303 East 33^rd Street between Second and First Avenue in the Kips Bay section of Murray Hill was erected in 2009 by Toll Brothers and The Kibel Companies.

It has 128 condominium apartments and was designed to meet Gold LEED certification.

It was designed by Perkins Eastman and is distinguished by its asymmetrical design and two-tone façade in which much of the base is clad in red masonry and the top is metal-clad.  Studio V Architecture did the interiors.

Bottom Line

A large, mid-block apartment building near Hospital Alley in the Murray Hill neighborhood, this full-service building is LEED certified and has many amenities including a roof deck with a large  and distinctive pergola.

Description

The building’s massing is very modulated with piers, some balconies, and a cantilever.  The base has slightly projecting masonry window frames and one end of the roof, which has a bocce court, has a large and dramatic pergola.

The building has high performance window walls and a water-source heat pump. The building does not have a garage to discourage automobile use but offers parking discounts in an adjacent venue for hybrid vehicles.

The building has an entrance marquee and sidewalk landscaping.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a landscaped roof deck with grilling area, a spa, hotel service, a residents’ lounge, a nursery, a business meeting room, a children’s playground, a bicycle room, a garage and a fitness center with a pool.

Apartments

Many apartments have high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows and washers and dryers and some have fireplaces. Apartments have bamboo floors.

Kitchens have Bosch, Sub-Zero and Liebherr appliances, marble countertops and wooden cabinetry.

Baths have rain showers, soaking tubs, and double vanities.

Apartment 5J is a studio with a 9-foot-long entry foyer, an 11-foot-long kitchen and a 16-foot-long studio.

There are 13 apartments per floor.

History

The site formerly housed a Catholic church, school and rectory and is the future site of a stop on the Second Avenue subway.  It was purchased by The Kibel Companies.

The building is close to the East River Esplanade.