The Powerhouse Yard, 2 50th Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 2 50th Avenue by Carter Horsley

This 12-story condominium building at 2-26 50^th Avenue in the Hunters Point section of Queens was completed in 2011 and contains 83 apartments. 

It was developed by Cheskel Schwimmer and Ziggy Brach of Chess Buildings, which also developed in 2008 the nearby Powerhouse, a conversion of a former power plant that removed its chimneys but incorporated their curves in its design. 

This development was designed by Karl Fischer.

Bottom Line

A block away from Gantry Park, this development is midway from the Vernon-Jackson subway station and the East River Ferry dock.

Description

This long building has a gray-brick façade with some sections clad in red-brick. 

It has a setback and many balconies.

The building’s lobby has reclaimed wood from old rail yards and a seating area in front of a wall of climbing vines.

Amenities

The building has a doorman, a bicycle room, cold storage, a fitness center, a package room, a garage and a landscaped roof deck with barbecue pits and a “life-size” chess-board. 

A third-floor outdoor garden also has a hopscotch, swings and a see-saw. 

Apartments

Apartment 3J is a studio unit with a 15-foot-wide living/sleeping area next to a 10-foot-wide open kitchen. 

Apartment A on floors 10 through 12 is a two-bedroom unit with a 23-foot-wide living/dining area with a balcony and a 8-foot-long pass-through kitchen. 

Apartment D on the 9^th through the 12^th floors is a one-bedroom unit with a 17-foot-long living/dining room with a balcony and an 8-foot-long, pass-through kitchen.

History

According to a February 4, 2011 article by Candace Taylor at therealdeal.com, the developer is also planning a third building at the site tentatively named “The Lighthouse.”