Tall & Urban News

A residential building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, 200 Amsterdam Avenue, just completed its façade. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the façade uses a mix of granite and limestone, ornate decorative panels, and dramatic oversized windows to achieve an Art Deco-inspired style.

The project is 204 meters tall (668 feet tall) and contains 112 condominiums plus numerous health and wellness amenities. Such amenities include a 23-meter-long (75-foot-long) saltwater pool, a sauna and steam room, a fitness center, and a meditation room. There is also a library, communal lounges, a golf simulator, a pet spa, and an outdoor terrace. 

Developers for this project are SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America while the interior designer is CetraRuddy.

The project’s development has been challenged numerous times. Backlash arose from both neighborhood groups and members of the New York State Supreme Court. Opponents argued that permits issued by the New York City Department of Buildings were based on an incorrect interpretation of laws pertaining to the assemblage of partial tax lots with whole lots that facilitate the construction of taller, denser buildings. Some argued that the developer needed to remove 20 floors that are already fully constructed. However, New York City’s Board of Standards and Appeals upheld the DOB’s position in three separate lawsuits filed by community groups. 

Despite these challenges, the project has endured, and it is expected that residents will move into the building this fall. 

For more on this story, go to New York YIMBY.