Construction Update: 219 East 44th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JUNE 11TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM
219 East 44th Street
Demolition is complete at 219 East 44th Street, where an Even Hotel will soon rise; the site is just to the west of 235 East 44th Street, where construction is also getting underway. Peter Poon is the architect of record, while Raber Enterprises is developing.
Permits were approved last November, and excavation appears imminent. The 35-story building will rise 415 feet to its mechanicals, while the actual roof will be 365 feet up; 219 East 44th Street will have 230 rooms spanning 100,749 square feet, and from floors 28 through 34, another 19,542 square feet will be split between eleven residences.
219 East 44th Street
Renderings have shifted as the site has been stalled for several years, but the most recent images via Massey Knakal contain a vague depiction of the overall design, noting the developer will have “the ability to redesign the space at will in order to deliver a truly unique Midtown residential experience,” which is certainly ambitious considering the neighborhood.
With a total height of just over 400 feet, 219 East 44th Street would be tall in most cities, but it will be dwarfed by neighbors in Midtown and Murray Hill. Proximity to the 42nd Street corridor guarantees near invisibility on the overall skyline, though the Massey Knakal PDF highlights future views from the upper residences, which will still be relatively impressive.
While zoning diagrams indicate the development will fall back from the street-wall after the first floor, the overall appearance should be slightly better than typical mid-market hotels, given the residential component. 219 East 44th Street presents an opportunity for beneficial infill, though the neighborhood’s full potential remains unrealized, especially considering its proximity to the heart of Midtown.
219 East 44th Street
No completion date has been announced, but an announcement from 2012 gave a late 2014 date, which would seem rather ambitious at this point; 2015 would be a more reasonable estimate.
