Rendering of upper stories of 180 East 88th Street (DDG)
One of the most eagerly awaited skyscrapers is 180 East 88th Street, an exceptional 48-unit condo on the rise in Carnegie Hill. Decidedly different from the glass towers multiplying across Manhattan, the 32-floor building will be wrapped in hand-laid Kolumba bricks punctuated by 9’x9’ windows and concrete catenary arches at its base, waist, and crown.
According to our custom high-rise index, closing prices have risen 60% in the last six years for Manhattan’s premier condo-towers. Like the building heights themselves, prices paid within this elite sector of the market have soared, escalating from $1,479 a foot in October 2011 to $2,369 a foot today. The current figure is 25% off its peak highs achieved last year, and new developments have adjusted accordingly.
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This available 1,730-sf two-bedroom has an ask of $3.595 million (DDG)
This available 4-bedroom has an ask of $7.050 million
Several of 180 East 88th Street’s residences are up for grabs at an average price of $2,500 per foot — a departure from the pricier, $3,000+-per-foot spreads released in early 2016. Graciously-scaled two-bedrooms start at $3.595M, a three-bedroom is listed for $5.225M and a high-floor 4-bedroom has an ask of $7.05M.
The svelte tower is being developed and designed by Joe McMillan’s DDG, who is bringing the project to market with Global Holdings. Positioned near the Upper East Side’s highest point, the building stretches 524 feet above Third Avenue — making it the city’s tallest building north of 67th Street and lending buyers panoramic views of the skyline, park, and rivers. The team acquired air rights from neighboring parcels to not only grow the building larger but to also secure immediate views to the south.
DDG
The tower will stand apart from the Upper East Side's sea of conservative architecture and mostly adheres to DDG's self-created concepts and bold forms. Several of the design elements shown here are exhibited in their previous works that have all been downtown until this one. From the herringbone-patterned brickwork along the north elevation to each unit’s herringbone floors imported from Austria, the attention to detail shown here is unmatched in both quality and personality for a new development.
On a recent tour of the sales office, Joe McMillan emphasized the need to do something special and to create an experiential sequence of spaces from the moment of arrival. Serving as a “decompression zone,” the vaulted lobby will be entered from 88th street via a landscaped path shielded by a sculptural bronze canopy. The lobby’s centerpiece will be a fireplace with an elaborate custom plaster installation above it molded by German artist Jan Hooss. The floors above will house the amenities which will include a fitness room, partial basketball court, and a wine room.
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The residences will range from lofts to five-bedrooms. Conceived with an art collector in mind, they have extraordinary 14’-high ceilings, oval-shaped entry galleries, 9’-tall tilt-turn windows, and picture rails that hang a few feet below the ceiling that will ground inhabitants within the space. There will be several full-floor and duplex layouts, many with a balcony or a terrace.
Construction is now up the 14th floor and quickly climbing. The project is near many of the city's top private schools, a short walk to Central Park and "Museum Mile" and very close to both the Second Avenue and Lexington Avenue line's 86th Street station.
Live view of construction site. On the 14th floor as of mid-October (DDG)
Google Earth view with 180 East 88th (CityRealty)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
New Developments Editor
Ondel Hylton
Ondel is a lifelong New Yorker and comprehensive assessor of the city's dynamic urban landscape.
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