For those who like to crane their necks backward to appreciate the joys of high-rise construction, 57th Street between Third and Second Avenues may not be paradise, but it will do in a pinch.

Almost directly across the street from one another are two luxury condominium towers now under construction: Place 57, a 36-story, 67-unit, glass-and-steel-clad development of The Clarett Group at 207 East 57th Street, and Sutton 57, a 24-story, red-brick-and-light-colored-cast-stone-clad building at 212-6 East 57th Street, a development of Sutton 57 LLC (Broadway Management Co.).

Place 57, which has been designed by Ismael Leyva & Associates, is now up to the 8th floor where the completed building will set back and its western facade will be angled rakishly back from the 57th Street towards the northeast for about half its length. The corner apartments at this "prow" will be somewhat similar to those in the larger Metropolitan Tower at 136 West 57th Street, one of the city's sleekest mixed-use towers.

The new building is replacing the former Sutton movie theater on the site. Most floors will have only two apartments and the building will have a doorman, a fitness center, a residents' lounge, a children's playroom and individual storage compartments. The building will have a Baccarat lobby and Baccarat Crystal Garden designed by Vincent Wolf.

In contrast to the slick modernity of Plaza 57, Sutton 57, which has been designed by H. Thomas O'Hara, is a more conventional Post-Modern design. It has been recently topped out and the facade is up on all but the top six floors. It has a setback at the 10th floor and the central portion of the base is highlighted by very handsome and large corner windows.

The building will have 38 apartments, a large entrance marquee leading to a curved lobby with a concierge and it will have rooftop illumination as well as a fitness center.