The Aurora, 554 Third Avenue: Review and Ratings
between East 36th Street & East 37th Street View Full Building Profile
This slender 31-story, mixed-use tower at 556 Third Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets was erected in 2002. It has 7 condomnium apartments and is known as the Aurora.
It was built by Mitchell Maidman, president of Townhouse Management Company, and its lower 29 floors have 128 long-term stay Marriott Hotel rooms.
It was designed by H. Thomas O'Hara.
The mid-block building is cantilevered a bit over a four-story building on the southwest corner at 37th Street.
Bottom Line
The full-floor apartments at the top of this Murray Hill tower have sweeping vistas of midtown and the building is not far from Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations.
Description
The gray building has dark red spandrels and some inset balconies at the four corners at the top of the tower. The tower is setback at the 7th floor.
Amenities
It has a health club, a doorman, a concierge, a canopied entrance and a roof deck. Pets are not permitted.
Apartments
The full-floor units have three bedrooms, four balconies, a maid’s room and a large entertaining space.
History
A December 18, 2005 article by Josh Barbanel in The New York Times noted that the developers originally “planned to put in three apartments per floor, under a plan designed to get a significant tax abatement for the property.” “When the city determined that the long-term hotel did not qualify for an abatement,” the article continued, “the design was changed” and “floor space was converted to balconies, and under the city rules, the building qualified for an extra floor.”
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