335 Eighth Avenue’s Brick Façade Nears Completion in Chelsea, Manhattan

Rendering of 335 Eighth Avenue – Courtesy of MAG Partners, COOKFOX Architects

By: Michael Young and Matt Pruznick 8:00 am on January 10, 2025

Exterior work is nearing completion on 335 Eighth Avenue, a seven-story residential building in Chelsea, Manhattan. Designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by MAG Partners and Mutual Redevelopment Houses, Inc., the 200,000-square-foot structure will yield 188 rental units in studio to two-bedroom layouts, as well as a 23,000-square-foot Lidl supermarket and additional ground-floor retail space. Thirty percent of the homes will be reserved for affordable housing. Urban Atelier Group is the general contractor for the property, which is located at the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street within the Penn South affordable housing cooperative, officially known as Mutual Redevelopment Houses.

Almost all of the red brick façade was installed since our last update in late August, when the grid of floor-to-ceiling windows was finishing enclosing the voids of the topped-out reinforced concrete superstructure, but the rest of the exterior remained covered in yellow insulation boards. A dense assembly of scaffolding and netting shrouded the building shortly thereafter, obscuring the progress on the envelope. This has been recently disassembled from the southern and eastern elevations, but remains covering the upper-level setbacks and roof parapet along with the northern face.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The windows on 335 Eighth Avenue feature a pattern of glazed dots to reduce the incidence of bird collisions.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Ninety percent of the residential inventory will be studios and one-bedrooms, with two-bedroom units making up the remaining 10 percent. Amenities at 335 Eighth Avenue will include a fitness center, a library, a media lounge, a coworking lounge with private workspaces, a dining area with a catering kitchen, and outdoor rooftop gardens with dining areas and a grilling terrace.

The Lidl supermarket will feature a bakery, fresh produce, a floral shop, meat and seafood, and other typical everyday essentials. The Germany-based supermarket is also expected to partner with Hire NYC to offer employment to local residents and provide comprehensive benefits such as healthcare for all full- and part-time employees, regardless of hours worked per week.

JLL Capital Markets arranged a $151.4 million capitalization for the project with financing secured from Bank OZK and MetLife Investment Management.

The property is a short walk from the C and E trains at the 23rd Street station to the south.

335 Eighth Avenue’s anticipated completion date is slated for the third quarter of 2025, and is on track to receive Passive House and LEED Gold certifications.

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Brick Façade Reaches Pinnacle of 300 East 50th Street in Midtown East, Manhattan

300 East 50th Street. Rendering courtesy of BKSK Architects

By: Michael Young 8:00 am on January 12, 2025

Façade installation has reached the top of 300 East 50th Street, a 23-story residential building in the Turtle Bay section of Midtown East, Manhattan. Designed by BKSK Architects and developed by MAG Partners in collaboration with Global Holdings, KRW Realty Advisors, Krown Point, and Safanad, the 275-foot-tall structure will span 170,000 square feet and yield 194 units, with 30 percent allocated to affordable housing, as well as ground-floor retail space, a cellar level, and a 30-foot-long side yard. 300 East 50th Street Owner LLC is listed as the owner and Urban Atelier Group is the general contractor for the property, which is located at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and East 50th Street.

The gray brick envelope has finished enclosing the top of the reinforced concrete superstructure since our last update in late October, when crews were closing in on the final story and roof parapet. Recent photographs show the two main sides of the building facing east and north almost completely clad, including the grid of floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Only the ground level and its set of perimeter columns and walls remains exposed behind the wraparound sidewalk shed.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Work is also nearing completion on the southern lot line wall, which is finished largely in tan-painted concrete with a grid of smaller windows. A portion of the main brick façade wraps around the edges. The bulkhead is also visible from this angle.

Photo by Michael Young

The property was formerly occupied by a row of low-rise buildings, seen in the following Google Street View image.

300 East 50th Street in Midtown East, Manhattan via Google Maps

The main rendering looks at the northwestern corner of the building along Second Avenue. The first setback is situated on the 16th floor, topped with landscaped private terraces, while additional setbacks are found on the 18th floor. The roof parapet and mechanical bulkhead are lined with metal screens. The property will also feature 100 feet of ground-floor retail frontage on the northern and western elevations, with large windows framed by bronze-hued paneling.

300 East 50th Street is planned to house ten to 12 apartments per floor on levels two through 15, and five to seven apartments per floor on levels 16 through 23. Amenities include a shared rooftop deck, bicycle parking, a lounge, a fitness center, and an inner courtyard.

The nearest subways from the property are the local E and M trains at the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street station, and the local 6 train that connects underneath at the 51st Street station.

300 East 50th Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for the fourth quarter of 2025, as noted on site.

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