Some of the many paired residential towers found around New York City
The challenges of converting post-war commercial offices into residential apartments are well-documented. Large floor plates and centralized elevator cores often result in deep, awkwardly configured living spaces with limited access to natural light and ventilation. Mitigating these issues, such as by reducing floor plate sizes or inserting cores, can be costly, and views around internal courtyards are often less than ideal. Despite high office vacancy rates, residential conversions remain relatively rare.
To sidestep these challenges, developers with large building sites often opt for multiple towers on a single lot. Smaller buildings mean fewer apartments per floor, allowing for more light and air circulation, and minimizing wasted space from long corridors. In New York City, where habitable rooms cannot extend more than 30 feet from a window, typical residential floorplates range from 60 to 75 feet wide.
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Multi-tower master plans can create interesting aesthetic impacts, with massing and site placements naturally providing a dialogue between buildings. Minimizing blocked views between towers is also a priority, as seen in the offset design of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Separately, due mostly to good fortune and talented architects, the twin-pinnacling towers along Central Park West, like The San Remo and Eldorado, are cherished for their romantic appearance from the park and thoughtful layouts.
A more recent example is The Huron in Greenpoint, where two condominium towers rise from a single low-rise brick podium. Kayla Lee, a licensed associate real estate broker at SERHANT leading sales in the new development, explains how both towers offer enviable views thanks to their slender designs, setback from the lot line, and distance between tower wings. So while the East River-facing west tower would appear to be “the tower to be in,” both wings are about equally sold at about 70%.
A more recent example is The Huron in Greenpoint, where two condominium towers rise from a single low-rise brick podium. Kayla Lee, a licensed associate real estate broker at SERHANT leading sales in the new development, explains how both towers offer enviable views thanks to their slender designs, setback from the lot line, and distance between tower wings. So while the East River-facing west tower would appear to be “the tower to be in,” both wings are about equally sold at about 70%.
As the desire for light, air, and privacy remains eternal for comfortable residential living, especially after the pandemic, the rise of smaller boutique buildings and full-floor apartments has generated more slender buildings and numerous paired/multi-tower schemes throughout the city. Explore our picks of the greatest residential twinned buildings in NYC, and attractive listings within them.
Building Pairs Under Construction
Completion estimated for 2024
11 availabilities from $800K
11 availabilities from $800K
The Huron is not the tallest new tower to rise on the Greenpoint waterfront, but the massing of the two towers all but guarantees spectacular river and skyline views. In a design inspired by the area's industrial history, the gridded towers rise from a brick podium. This houses some of the common amenities, and each tower is topped with a roof terrace.
The Huron, #9BE (Serhant LLC)
Completion estimated for 2024
6 units for rent from $4,120
6 units for rent from $4,120
Between the beautifully converted Refinery at Domino and an array of eye-catching architecture, the former Domino Sugar Factory has breathed new life into the Williamsburg waterfront. On the parcel closest to the Williamsburg Bridge, One Domino Square consists of two towers on a seven-story podium. The iridescent facade reflects natural light, and the angle of the towers allows for spectacular bridge, river, and skyline views. Leasing has launched on the rental component, and the condos on the uppermost levels will enjoy high-end finishes and appliances.
One Domino Square, #1502 (Two Trees Management Co)
Completion estimated for 2024
In the Court Square section of Long Island City, a two-building development is rising on a vacant lot that once housed a gas station. Located on adjacent sites, residents of The Bold and The Italic (which is notably not tilted) will enjoy open views and access to the amenity package in each building (per developer Fetner). Construction topped out on The Italic in December 2023, and a teaser site is live for The Bold.
Completion estimated for 2025
Down the street from The Greenpoint, the neighborhood's current tallest tower, the facade is starting to rise on the tower comprising the new development at 1 Java Street. Upon completion, it will be underpinned by an all-electric infrastructure and a geothermal heat exchange system; this will make it New York's largest project to use a geothermal system to date.
1 Java Street, May 2024 (CityRealty)
Facade going up
Completion estimated for 2026
Downtown, the transformation of the former St. John's Terminal was instrumental in Hudson Square's rise to prominence. The southern portion was redeveloped into Google's new headquarters; on the northernmost portion, work is underway on a two-building development on a full-block site. The height was made possible by amended zoning and the purchase of air rights from Pier 40, and both towers will enjoy an airy atmosphere and breathtaking waterfront and city vistas.
Completion TBD
260 South Street (Galaxy Capital Solutions)
Plans for a set of new Lower East Side skyscrapers date back to 2016, when the first plans were unveiled. Among them is 260 South Street, a two-spire project set to rise from the parking lot behind housing complex Lands End II. Locals object to some of the proposed towers for the way they could block views, but the twin design of 260 South Street spares an iconic view of the Empire State Building from DUMBO.
Completion TBD
Hudson Yards and the surrounding area have utterly transformed this section of the Far West Side skyline, and new development shows no sign of slowing down. Proof of that may be found at 495 Eleventh Avenue, where two towers measuring 56 and 57 stories are set to rise on a site now being used as a NYPD parking lot. The project is aiming for LEED Gold certification and is set to bring a hotel, a new supermarket, new office space, and 350 affordable housing units (with 75 supportive housing units for the formerly homeless) to the site.
NYC's Top 12 Completed Twin Buildings
Prior to Hell's Kitchen's most recent residential renaissance, soaring, amenity-rich rentals like Silver Towers brought new housing to the area. The reflective glass towers rise from a common podium, and the apartments inside are flooded with natural light and city views.
Silver Towers, #S51G (Silver Towers Leasing)
From the Listing: Gorgeous one-bedroom, one-bath home! Features plank hardwood flooring and custom roller shades. Streamlined open kitchen, stainless steel appliances, and in-unit Bosch washer and dryer. Business center, conference room, health club, 75' swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts are some of the amenities available in addition to white glove services. One month free rent on a 13-month lease. See floor plan and full details here.
When the full-block 860-870 United Nations Plaza rose in 1966, the Modernist complex was the first twin-towered residential project to take shape on the East Side. Decades later, even in the wake of a Midtown East rezoning, nothing in this neighborhood has come along to rival it. The towers sit on a six-story commercial base, and residents of both towers enjoy beautiful views of the United Nations headquarters and the East River.
860 United Nations Plaza, #Penthouse37E
$3,125,000
Turtle Bay/United Nations | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 6+ Baths
860 United Nations Plaza, #Penthouse37E (Sothebys International Realty)
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In the Central Park West Historic District, full-block development The Century's two-towered design keeps it from ominously looming over its surroundings. Indeed, the Art Deco-inspired architecture makes it a pleasing addition to the Central Park West skyline. The building was once famously home to Jeff Bezos before he purchased a massive spread on Madison Square Park.
The Century, #7Q (Corcoran Group)
While most multi-towered buildings are connected via a sky bridge or podium, the two towers of Lantern House are connected underneath the High Line by a private garden and attended lobby. The bay windows in each tower allow for abundant natural light and open views, and residents of both buildings have access to the curated amenity package.
(Colin Miller)
Lantern House, #1204 (Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group)
One High Line (Evan Joseph)
At the full-block One High Line, the two towers are angled to make the most of Manhattan skyline and Hudson River vistas. The East Tower apartments start on top of New York's first Faena Hotel outpost and feature interiors by Gilles & Boissier. The all-residential West Tower has interiors by Gabellini Sheppard. The towers are connected by a pair of sky bridges, and residents of both towers have access to an extensive amenity package.
(Credit: Evan Joseph)
One High Line, #EAST22B (Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group)
The forthcoming 260 South Street (see above) is a notable example of two-towered residential design for this section of Lower Manhattan, but it was not the first. Chatham Towers presents a pair of Brutalist buildings that stand out for their towering height as well as their unique balcony design.
Chatham Towers, #13A (Cicada International LLC)
#6. Deutsche Bank Center, Central Park West
An unofficial landmark where Midtown West gives way to the Upper West Side, the two towers of Deutsche Bank Center rise from a curved, low-rise base that houses The Shops at Columbus Circle. The north tower houses a Mandarin Oriental hotel and a residential component on top; the south tower houses the condos of One Central Park; and both towers were designed to align with Broadway.
One Central Park, #54E
$3,995,000
Central Park West | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 1,433 ft2
One Central Park, #54E (Keller Williams NYC)
Residences at the Mandarin Oriental, #65D
$10,999,000
Central Park West | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 4 Baths | 2,159 ft2
Residences at the Mandarin Oriental, #65D (Sothebys International Realty)
Designer OMA Architects has described Eagle + West as "a ziggurat and its inverse." In addition to making a powerful statement in the new Greenpoint skyline, both towers are angled to make the most of natural light and waterfront views. Oversized windows fill every unit with natural light, and residents of both towers enjoy access to an extensive amenity package.
Eagle + West, #1-105 (Brookfield Properties)
From the Listing: Large sunny 1 bedroom with private terrace. Custom built appliances in your new open kitchen with dishwasher. In unit washer and dryer. You will love coming home.
Echoing the subtle design details of its communal spaces, all of Eagle + West residences are imbued with a natural, tactile spirit. See floor plan and full details here.
Before the stock market crash, a single 45-story tower with a dining room and ballroom was planned for 115 Central Park West. The combination of the Great Depression and a newly enacted multiple dwellings law resulted in the project being scaled back and one tower becoming two rising from the base.
The Majestic, #2F (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
On the East River waterfront, The Copper stands out for two soaring, slanted towers that make the most of skyline and river vistas. They are connected by the highest sky bridge in New York City, where residents can enjoy spectacular views from the lap pool inside.
The northernmost of Emery Roth's multi-tower buildings on Central Park West, The Eldorado is further distinguished by its ornamented setbacks, geometric spires, and Art Deco-style design. Such features were instrumental in its designation as a New York City Landmark and a contributing property to the Central Park West Historic District.
The Eldorado, #16B (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
The one that started it all! The San Remo was the first building in New York City to use two towers, and it remains a standout in the Central Park West skyline decades later. Smaller floor plates in the towers mean fewer units per floor, which in turn leads to greater privacy and light, two qualities that remain eternal for comfortable high-end living.
The San Remo, #4C (Corcoran Group)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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