Madison Avenue makeover: Chipperfield tower may join 1880s rowhouses

A mixed-use development set for review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission next week will restore three 1880s rowhouses at 833–837 Madison Avenue and replace a 1956 commercial building at 831 Madison Avenue with a 16-story residential tower. 

The string of properties, once linked to the estate of Myles Lowell, were sold in recent years for over $60 million to Swiss luxury fashion house Akris Inc.

Located midblock between East 69th and 70th Streets, within the Upper East Side Historic District and just a half-block from Central Park, the site sits directly across from the prestigious pre-war condo, The Westbury, where no unit has ever sold for under $3 million. The project was approved by the local community board earlier this month, and the Landmarks hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday.

The application calls for the demolition of 831 Madison Avenue, construction of a new tower on the site, rear-yard and rooftop additions to 833–837 Madison, and the integration of all properties into one development. 

British-born architect Sir David Chipperfield, the 2023 Pritzker Prize laureate, is leading the design in collaboration with SLCE Architects. Known for a restrained aesthetic that resists trends and avoids imitation of historic styles, Chipperfield has recently shaped notable New York projects including The Bryant near Bryant Park and 17 Jane Street in the West Village. The Madison Avenue tower will reflect a similar understated approach: a sheer Indiana limestone and clay brick façade with tall picture windows on the avenue and smaller punched openings along the sides. 

Rising nearly 200 feet tall, with ceiling heights from 10’5” to 12’, the tower will remain in scale with nearby apartment houses and will offer only limited Central Park views due to the surrounding buildings. Ground floors across all properties will be dedicated to high-value Madison Avenue retail, while upper levels will hold residential units.