Foundations Underway at 1393 York Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side

Jan 15, 2024

By: Michael Young and Matt Pruznick 8:00 am on June 7, 2023

Foundation work is underway at 1393 York Avenue, the site of a 17-story student housing complex in the Lenox Hill section of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Designed by Perkins + Will and developed by Weill Cornell Medical College, which purchased the property from Church of the Epiphany for $68 million in 2018, the 202-foot-tall structure will span 128,205 square feet and accommodate 272 students in 221 residences with an average scope of 657 square feet. The program includes 163 studios, seven one-bedrooms, and 51 two-bedroom units, as well as an additional 20,390 square feet of residential space, presumably for faculty housing. Turner Construction is the general contractor for the project, which is located at the corner of East 74th Street and York Avenue.

Recent photos show crews working to form the reinforced concrete foundations, with wooden formwork supporting portions of the excavated walls. Rebar can be seen protruding across the site at the locations of interior columns.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The below Google Street View image shows the church that occupied the site until the conclusion of its demolition earlier this year. The congregation relocated to 351 East 74th Street in 2022.

The former Church of The Epiphany. Image via Google Maps

Renderings of the project show a fairly orthodox massing clad in light gray stone, with a grid of floor-to-ceiling windows grouped into two-story-high rows. The main entrance will be positioned at the southern corner and adorned with Weill Cornell Medicine signage. Directly adjacent to the entrance is a cutout in the main building volume that runs the height of the structure to the 16th story setback, and appears to be lined with reflective gold-hued paneling. A tall mechanical bulkhead enclosed in gray metal paneling caps the building.

1393 York Avenue. Designed by HOK Architects

Amenities will include multiple study areas and lounges, a fitness center, yoga rooms, a basketball court, a multipurpose activities room, event spaces, and an outdoor rooftop terrace. There will also be two cellar levels and a 30-foot-long rear yard featuring a garden. The nearest subway from the development is the Q train at the 72 Street station along Second Avenue.

1393 York Avenue's anticipated completion date is slated for the summer of 2025, as noted on the information board. Weill Cornell Medicine's website indicates excavation and foundation work to conclude within the fourth quarter of this year, followed by 20 months of construction.

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