Beckford House, 301 East 81st Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 301 East 81st Street by Carter Horsley

Beckford House is a 19-story building at 301 East 81st Street and Beckford Tower is a 29-story at 301 East 80th Street.  Both are very elegant condominium apartment buildings and they were both erected in 2019 by Icon Realty Management and designed by Studio Scofield and SLCE Architects.  Studio Scofield, which is led by William Scofield, designed the handsome apartment building at 135 East 79th Street that is notable for its sculpted entrance. 

Beckford House, which is also known as 1562 Second Avenue, has 32 apartments.  Beckford Tower has 72 apartments.  It has retail on its ground floor and in its cellar. 

Floors two through five at Beckford House will house three units per floor, levels six through 12 will have two per floor, the 13th to the 17 floors will have full-floor homes, and a duplex penthouse on the 18th and 19th stories will cap the project. 

The Tower's 72 one- to six-bedroom units will be divided between five units per floor on the second through sixth floors, with no more than three units per floor the rest of the way up for optimal privacy. 

According to offering plans filed with the AG's office, a $186 million sellout is projected for Beckford House and a $531 million sellout is projected for Beckford Tower. 

After a decade or so of disruption due to construction of a short strip of the Second Avenue Subway, these two, non-contiguous towers are the probable vanguard of a renaissance for the artery.  They look like they belong on the best residential blocks of Fifth and Park Avenue.

Bottom Line

These two mid-rise, corner towers are the classiest on Second Avenue on the Upper East Side with their pre-war-style, stone and grey brick façades and very large layouts.

Description

The Beckford House has hand-carved, hand-laid variegated Indiana limestone and custom-blend gray brick and some upper residences have terraces. 

In addition, the façades are enlivened by some Juliet balconies, nice ironwork and some setback terraces and a few arches as well as window under- and over-scores. 

The fenestration is multi-paned. 

The buildings have canopy entrances with distinctive hanging entrance lanterns and some landscaping. 

Amenities

Both buildings have 24-hour concierges, fitness center with yoga studios and cold storage for groceries.  The Tower has a 65-foot-long swimming pool,  a basketball court, several communal lounges, a children’s playroom, a shared roof deck, a laundry room, a bike storage room, a mail and package room, and additional residential storage.

Apartments

Ceilings are up to 13-feet and floors are rift-sawn white oak.  

Kitchens have custom millwork by Christopher Peacock, statuary marble countertops and backsplashes and appliances by Sub-Zero, Wolf and Miele. 

Master baths are floor-to-ceiling honed white statuary marble with a Kohler bathtub below a large picture window. 

Apartment 16 is a full-floor, 5-bedroom unit at Beckford House with 4,505 square feet, a 13-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 30-foot-long living room, a 15-foot-long dining room and a 15-foot-long kitchen with an island that leads to a 12-foot-long breakfast room with two windows. 

Apartment 6D in the Tower is a four-bedroom unit with 2,933 square feet and a 15-foot-long entry foyer that leads past a 22-foot-long eat-in kitchen with a window to a 9-foot-wide gallery between a 27-foot-long living room and a 16-foot-long dining room. 

Apartment 10A in the Tower is a three-bedroom unit with 2,615 square feet with a 6-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 25-foot-long gallery that leads to a 26-foot-wide living room, a 15-foot-wide dining room and an 19-foot-long eat-in kitchen with an island and three windows. 

Apartment 12A at Beckford House is a four-bedroom unit with 2,523 square feet with a 9-foot-wide entry foyer that leads past a 24-foot-long eat-in kitchen with a window to a 32-foot-long living/dining room. 

Apartment 9A at Beckford House is a three-bedroom unit with 2,116 square feet with a 5-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 25-foot-long gallery that leads past a 22-foot-wide windowed kitchen to a 30-foot-wide living/dining room. 

Apartment 12B at Beckford House is a two-bedroom unit with 1,655 square feet and a 12-foot-long entry foyer that passes a 12-foot-wide library and leads to a 17-foot-wide living/dining room and a 19-foot-long eat-in, windowed kitchen. 

Apartment 4D in the Tower is a one-bedroom unit with 1,088 square feet with a 6-foot-long entry foyer that leads past an 11-foot-long open kitchen with a breakfast bar to a 19-foot-long living/dining room.