New Condo to Rise Across From UN
Zeckendorf Development with Global Holdings have unveiled plans for 50 United Nations Plaza, a 44-story, 87-unit condo development across from the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
New York—Zeckendorf Development with Global Holdings Inc. have unveiled plans for 50 United Nations Plaza, a 44-story, 87-unit condo development across from the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan. The property will have the distinction of being the first residential tower in the United States designed by renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners, which is based in London.
50 United Nations Plaza, which will be adjacent to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at First Avenue and 46th Street, will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as full-floor residences measuring about 6,000 square feet. There will also be a two-floor penthouse with about 10,000 square feet of living space.
A private motor court and garden leads to a lobby and a residents-only garage with 87 parking spaces, one for each residence. When completed in late 2014, the property will include about 5,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on First Avenue.
During the recent ground-raising ceremony for the development, Zeckendorf Development and Global Holdings announced a donation of $100,000 to support Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a nonprofit dedicated to the beautification, preservation and public programming of the plaza. The funds will be used to engage a professional landscape architect to create a plan to beautify the boundary between 50 United Nations Plaza and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. The landscape architect will also be tasked with designing an entrance to the plaza’s Katharine Hepburn Garden.
In the Foster + Partners design, 50 United Nations Plaza’s exterior will be characterized by deep bay windows to accentuate the views. The windows are unified by a horizontal grid of stainless steel tubes that wrap around the building, and, according to the architect, the tower’s jewel-like quality is further enhanced by highly reflective panels that run vertically between each of the faceted bays. Residents of 50 United Nations Plaza will, depending on their spot in the building, have views of the UN Secretariat building, the East River, the Chrysler Building and the New York skyline.