This 27-story, rental apartment tower is quite striking because of its asymmetrical shape that includes curved facades on its north and south sides.

Developed by The Related Companies and erected in 2000, its rakish lines are an important addition to this high-rise neighborhood that began to spring up around the Manhattan approach to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, a few blocks to the south, in the 1980s.

Although office towers extend south of 42nd Street a couple of blocks, this neighborhood is now forested with many high-rise luxury apartment towers and its redevelopment and continued gentrification was assured with the announcement in 2000 that a large Con Edison property along the East River south of the United Nations would be developed with offices and luxury apartments by a development group headed by Sheldon Solow.

This orange-brick building, which was designed by Davis Brody Bond LLP and has 259 apartments, has very large windows, discrete air-conditioners and every apartment has a washer-dryer unit.

It is across the street from the free-standing Churchill apartment tower, which has lush sidewalk landscaping. The building has a one-story rusticated masonry base and a very large and modern lobby designed by David Rockwell.

The building, which also occupies the southwest corner at Tunnel Approach Street, has a 24-hour concierge, sidewalk landscaping and corner windows, a business center and a roof deck, a fitness center, a bicycle room, valet, maid and dry cleaning service, but no balconies and no garage.

Apartments have floor-to-ceiling windows, ceiling fans and oak parquet floors and individual washers and dryers. Kitchens have granite countertops and bathrooms have marble bathtubs.

There is considerable tunnel-generated traffic in this area, but it is also close to Tudor City, the Ford Foundation Building and the United Nations and there is excellent public transportation not too far away on 42nd Street and at Grand Central Terminal.

The attractive Murray Hill neighborhood is not too far away to the west.

The building is known as Archstone East 39th and its address is 300 East 39th Street and 724 Second Avenue.