Skyline Tower, 3 Court Square: Review and Ratings

Review of 3 Court Square by Carter Horsley

This slender, 778-foot-high, glass skyscraper at 23-15 44th Drive in the Court Square section of Long Island City is known as the Skyline Tower and it will become the tallest in Queens when it is completed. 

It was named 2018 Building of the Year by 6sqft.com. 

United Construction and Development, which is headed by Chris Xu, vice president and nephew of founder Jiashu Xu, is the builder with FSA Capital's Brian Pun, Risland U.S. Holdings LLC and Henry Yeung.  Xu bought the site in 2015 from Citigroup for $143 million and is spending $16 million to upgrade the new entrance of the building's Court Square subway station that serves the E, M. G and 7 lines. 

Hill West is the architectural firm.  Whitehall Interiors designed the apartments. 

This 67-story tower will have 802 condominium apartments and about 15,000 square feet of commercial space . 

The original plan for the building was for it be 964 feet high.  This height was subsequently increased to 984 feet in 2016 before it was reduced to 778 feet. 

It is across the street from One Court Square, the very handsome, pale-blue, 658-foot-high skyscraper that originally erected for Citigroup and was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. 

Bottom Line

This tower will be the tallest in Queens and its asymmetric profile will contrast with the symmetry of One Court Square across the street, which has been a major landmark in the borough since it was erected in 1990.

Description

The building will be faced with blue glass and edged with clear glass. 

The tower rises from a low-rise podium and is adjacent to a mid-rise curved building of the CUNY School of Law along 23rd Street.  

The tower has small balconies that run partially up most of its corners and a light-colored and setback mechanical at its top.

Amenities

The building will have a concierge, a fitness center with a 75-foot, skylit pool, a lobby lounge, a social room with demonstration kitchen and outdoor terrace, a hot-air balloon-themed children's playroom, a business center, a package room, cold storage, a bicycle room, in-home salon services and chefs, housekeeping, a pet spa and parking.

Apartments

Apartments have floor-to-ceiling windows and 20 percent have private, outdoor terraces and stainless steel Bosch appliances. 

Apartment 4711 is a three-bedroom unit with an entry foyer next to an open kitchen and an 18-foot-wide living/dining room with a 17-foot-wide balcony. 

Apartment 1411 is a two-bedroom unit with a large entry foyer that leads to a 14-foot-wide living room with an open kitchen and  a 17-foot-wide dining room with a 17-foot-wide balcony. 

Apartment 3602 is a two-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer that leads to a 18-foot-wide living/dining room with an open kitchen. 

Apartment 3912 is a two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads past an open kitchen with a breakfast bar to 17-foot-wide living/dining room.