A major new tower may rise across from the United Nations complex on First Avenue.

An article by Julie Satow in today's issue of Crain's New York stated that Macklowe Properties has purchased 823 U. N. Plaza from the Anti-Defamation League for an undisclosed price," adding that "the 11-story office building, which was built in 1952, will eventually be torn down and replaced with a residential high-rise, according to brokers familiar with the plans."

A spokesman for the Macklowe organization told CityRealty.com today that Harry Macklowe, the head of the company, had "no comment" and phone calls to the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rth were not returned.

The limestone building, which occupies much of the eastern half of the block bounded by First and Second Avenues and 46th Street and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz in 1952 for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a renovation in 1995 was designed by Der Scutt.

The Anti-Defamation League has occupied about half of the 150,000-square-foot, limestone-clad building since 1979. Other tenants are the Chase Bank and the Austrian and Belgian missions to the United Nations. The Crains article indicated that "The nonprofit, which will probably not move from its offices until late next year or early 2007, has hired brokerage CB Richard Ellis."

The building is across Dag Hammarskjold Plaza from the Trump World Plaza and the Japan Society.

It is also a few blocks north of another major residential development site, former properties owned by Con Ed that have been acquired by Sheldon H. Solow and Fisher Brothers.

A front-page article by Charles V. Bagli in The New York Times Sunday entitled "Developers Find Newest Frontier on the East Side" highlighted the Solow project, which was not new news, without mentioning Fisher Brothers and without any mention of the Anti-Defamation League site.

In their fine book, "The A.I.A. Guide to New York City, Fourth Edition" (Three Rivers Press, 2000), Elliot Willensky and Norval White describe the Anti-Defamation League building as "A modest but dated modernist building."

The building site is large enough to easily accommodate a mixed-use building of skyline significance.