The world’s most recognizable landmarks would not exist if not for the minds of brilliant architects who were able to think outside the box and come up with innovative designs that didn’t resemble anything that came before. These visionaries are often referred to as ‘starchitects.’ Their work is recognized all over the world, even if it is often controversial--think of the Walkie Talkie building in London or Blue Condominium in New York. But the greatest achievement of these famous architects is that their work brings attention to often neglected or underdeveloped urban areas in need of an economic boost.
We wanted to come up with a comprehensive guide of New York City starchitecture, for those design aficionados who dream of living in a starchitect-designed building in the city. We did our best to include all the big names in the field who designed residential buildings in the five boroughs.
Check out our list of 21 starchitects who designed residential buildings in New York City, and read some details about their most well-known projects.
1. Adrian Smith
American architect Adrian Smith is the mastermind behind some of the world’s most famous buildings, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building on the globe, and the building expected to surpass it--the Jeddah Tower. Chicago-born Smith joined renowned firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill in the 1960s and worked on the designs for the Burj Khalifa and the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago while with the company. After retiring from SOM, he started a new venture, namely Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, where he continued working on high-profile projects like the FKI Tower in Seoul or the Waldorf Astoria Beijing.
ASG is currently working on a big residential project in Manhattan, namely the supertall Central Park Tower at 225 West 57th Street. Upon completion in 2020, the mixed-use tower will become the second-tallest in the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere.
Central Park Tower (courtesy of centralparktower.com)
Originally part of Midtown Manhattan’s ‘Automobile Row,’ the site at 225 West 57th is now the playground of Extell Development Co., which is spearheading the construction of the tower. The first seven floors will house New York City’s first Nordstrom department store, and the rest of the building will be residential. A total of 179 condos will be available starting on the 32nd floor, offering sweeping views of Central Park and roughly 5,000 square feet of living space.
2. Alvaro Siza
Álvaro Siza Vieira is one of the most influential architects to emerge from Portugal, and is one of the most notable alumni of the Porto School of Architecture, alongside Fernando Távora and Eduardo Souto de Moura. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect is currently collaborating with Sumaida + Khurana and LENY to design his first-ever building in the U.S. The project consists of an ultra-luxury condo building at 611 West 56th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The sleek 37-story building will feature approximately 80 residences ranging from one- to four-bedrooms and penthouses, as well as an incredible plethora of amenities like a landscaped roof garden, a fitness center, a children’s playroom, and private event space. Condo sales are set to kick off this fall, with marketing efforts headed by Compass, and the building will officially open in 2020.
611 West 56th Street (courtesy of Sumaida + Khurana)
Development company Sumaida + Khurana is currently working on another condo development, designed by another famous starchitect, Tadao Ando, at 152 Elizabeth Street.
3. Annabelle Selldorf
German-born Annabelle Selldorf is the founding principal of New York City-based Selldorf Architects. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and has earned the 2016 AIANY Medal of Honor for her work. Selldorf cited the works of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe as inspiration for her own designs and was encouraged by her father, who was also an architect in Cologne, to enter the field.
Selldorf’s firm is responsible for many stylish residential projects lining the streets of hip neighborhoods like Chelsea, SoHo, NoHo, or the Village. Her work includes the 13-story residential tower at 347 Bowery, the 34,000-square-foot condo building at 10 Bond Street in NoHo, which Gigi Hadid calls home, 42 Crosby Street in SoHo’s Cast Iron Historic District, and the luxurious 19-story 200 Eleventh Avenue.
The latest NYC residential project undertaken by Selldorf Architects is the 118,500-square-foot condo building at 21 East 12th Street in Greenwich Village. Interested parties have been waiting with bated breath to check out the 22-story sleek condo tower to replace Bowlmor Lanes, one of the city’s oldest bowling alleys.
21 East 12th Street (courtesy of Selldorf Architects)
Even though the project isn’t officially complete, sales are closing fast, and just six apartments are currently available, according to CityRealty data. Four condos are available for sale: the cheapest is a two-bedroom unit priced at $4.6 million, and the most expensive is a four-bedroom unit asking $8.8 million. Two separate two-bedroom units are also available for rent at the Selldorf-designed building, with prices starting at $14,500 per month.
4. Bernard Tschumi
Lausanne, Switzerland-born starchitect Bernard Tschumi is a figure that many associate with deconstructivism, a movement in post-modern architecture that emerged in the 1980s. The projects designed in deconstructivist ‘fashion’ emphasize an absence of symmetry and give the impression that a building is fragmented and non-linear in its design. Other famous architects that are associated with this concept include Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Daniel Libeskind.
Bernard Tschumi designed his first residential project and first high-rise structure in 2007 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Dubbed Blue Condominium, the 16-story tower at 105 Norfolk Street, caused quite a stir when it was first proposed, as it was very different from the low-rise brick buildings in the surrounding area.
Blue Condominium lies at the epicenter of the Essex Crossing development plan, which will bring 1.9 million square feet of mixed-use space where large empty parking lots now lie around Essex and Delancey Streets.
Blue Condominium (courtesy of Bernard Tschumi Architects)
While the massive redevelopment project is still ongoing, Tschumi’s only U.S. project is almost fully occupied. There is only one unit available for sale at Blue Condominium, listed at $1.3 million on StreetEasy. This is one lucky homebuyer’s last chance to grab a coveted condo in this starchitect-designed building.
5. Bjarke Ingels
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels founded the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in 2006 and has since become one of the most influential and most admired architects in the world. The 44-year-old architect and his team are responsible for major projects like the 8 House housing project in Copenhagen as well as Google’s North Bayshore, California headquarters. BIG is currently working on designing the new Two World Trade Center tower in Manhattan, which is set for completion sometime around 2022.
One of Ingels’ best-known projects is VIA 57 West, a tetrahedron-shaped residential building in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. The eye-catching 35-story building was completed in 2016 and was BIG’s very first New York City project. VIA 57 West was also the recipient of the 2016 Emporis Best Skyscraper design award.
VIA 57 West (credit: Iwan Baan viavia57west.com)
The latest BIG-designed project to pop up in New York City is The XI, or ‘The eleventh.’ The project consists of two twisting residential towers dubbed the ‘X’ and the ‘I’ that will house a total of 236 luxury condominium residences and the ‘Six Senses New York’ Spa Hotel. The two-tower project spans an entire block between 17th and 18th streets and 10th and 11th avenues in Chelsea and topped out in March.
The XI (rendering courtesy of BIG via thexi.com)
6. Christian de Portzamparc
French-born architect and urbanist Christian de Portzamparc graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1970 and was the first French architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1994.
In the U.S., de Portzamparc is probably best known for the design of the LVMH Tower on East 57th Street in Manhattan in 1999, and then for the groundbreaking One 57 residential tower on Billionaires’ Row. Nicknamed ‘The Billionaire Building,’ the colossal tower was the tallest residential building in the city when it was completed in 2014; however, it only held on to that title for a few months, as it was surpassed by Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue.
One 57 (courtesy of one57.com)
The 75-story tower at 157 West 57th Street incorporates 92 condo units on top of a 210-key Park Hyatt Hotel. The building made the news in 2015 when Michael Dell shelled out $100 million for a duplex within the tower in what was the most expensive home sale to close in New York City at the time. That record was, however, shattered in 2019, when billionaire Ken Griffin paid $240 million for a penthouse at Vornado’s 220 Central Park South.
There are currently seven available units left within One 57, and they are definitely not cheap. Prices start at $3.8 million for a one-bedroom unit to a whopping $58.5 million for a four-bedroom, full-floor apartment.
Christian de Portzamparc is also responsible for the design of 400 Park Avenue South, a flashy, shard-like condo building completed in 2015 in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. The official 400 South website says that the tower is sold out. However, Corcoran lists one unit as available for sale, with an asking price of nearly $4 million. The unit features 1,888 square feet of living space that includes two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.
400 Park Avenue South (via 400pas.com)
7. David Adjaye
British architect David Adjaye is known around the world for designing the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and for designing luxurious homes for celebrities like Alexander McQueen and Ewan McGregor. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2017, for his contributions to the field of design and architecture.
This May, Adjaye celebrated the topping out of his first project in New York City, the 66-story tower at 130 William Street in Lower Manhattan. Rising nearly 800 feet above the Financial District skyline, the design of the tower was inspired by the historical architecture of its surroundings and boasts a hand-cast concrete facade instead of the shiny glass we’ve become accustomed to.
130 William Street (courtesy of 130william.com)
Sales at 130 William Street kicked off last year, and units have been selling like hotcakes. A total of 18 condos are available on the official website, with prices ranging from $1.2 million for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom to $7.1 million for a three-bedroom penthouse.
8. Frank Gehry
You can’t talk about starchitecture without your mind immediately going to Frank Gehry, who basically got the whole thing started. The massive success and popularity of his design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, spurred a flurry of big projects designed by famous architects with the aim of revitalizing neglected urban cores and creating new social and architectural landmarks.
Vanity Fair named Frank Gehry ‘the greatest architect we have today’ in a 2010 feature, and it’s easy to see why he is so admired. Some of his most impressive work includes the design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, the Dancing House in Prague, and 8 Spruce Street in New York City. Gehry has also been selected to design the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C., scheduled for completion in 2020.
Frank Gehry’s seemingly undulating tower at 8 Spruce Street in New York City is probably one of the most recognizable staples on the Manhattan skyline today. Dubbed New York by Gehry, the 76-story skyscraper was the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 2011. Developed by Forest City Ratner, the tower boasts some similarities with Jeanne Gang’s famous Aqua Tower in Chicago, which also looks like it’s moving and undulating, especially when bathed in sunlight.
8 Spruce Street (courtesy of newyorkbygehry.com)
Gehry’s first residential project in New York City includes 898 units, all of which are rentals, which is a rare find in the Financial District. The official New York by Gehry website lists eight currently available units. Prices for these units start at $3,205 per month for a studio apartment to $12,280 for a three-bedroom condo.
9. Herzog & de Meuron
Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the two starchitects behind Herzog & de Meuron, achieved international fame for turning London’s massive Bankside Power Station into the new home of the Tate Modern art gallery. Their portfolio also includes the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, the Beijing National Stadium, which was designed to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the Forum Building in Barcelona. The Basel, Switzerland-based duo earned the coveted Pritzker Prize in 2001.
Herzog & de Meuron have completed several residential projects in New York City, their first being 40 Bond Street in NoHo. The 11-story apartment building opened in 2007 and includes 27 apartment homes, five townhomes, and a penthouse. The design envisioned by the two Swiss architects was inspired by the cast-iron buildings found throughout NoHo and SoHo.
40 Bond Street extends from Broadway to The Bowery, occupying five typical narrow New York lots, and its units have sold fast.
40 Bond Street (courtesy of herzogdemeuron.com)
Herzog & de Meuron are also the masterminds behind the innovative design of 56 Leonard Street, currently the tallest building in Tribeca. Completed in 2017, ‘the Jenga Building,’ as some call it, houses 145 condominiums on 60 floors, and was developed by Alexico Group.
56 Leonard Street (courtesy of 56leonardtribeca.com)
The third residential project undertaken by Herzog & de Meuron in New York City rose at 160 Leroy Street in the West Village. The 12-story condo building was inspired by the philosophy of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and its design is described by the architects as ‘curvaceous, sensual, free-flowing, seductive and sexy.’ The 57 apartments housed within the wavy exterior offer residents views of the Freedom Tower and the Hudson River, and they are quite pricey.
160 Leroy Street (courtesy of 160leroy.com)
One unit is also still up for grabs at Herzog & de Meuron’s 215 Chrystie Street residential project in the Bowery. The 28-story, 11-unit tower was built in 2016 and also houses a 370-key hotel on the lower floors. The one-of-a-kind residences were envisioned by acclaimed British designer John Pawson and offer rare, unobstructed 270- and 360-degree views of New York City. The only available unit at 215 Chrystie features two bedrooms and is asking close to $8 million.
215 Chrystie Street (courtesy of 215chrystie.com)
10. I.M. Pei
Even though there are no recent residential projects designed by I.M. Pei in New York City, we couldn’t write up a story on starchitecture without mentioning the world-renowned Chinese-American architect. Sadly, the legendary figure responsible for the design of the Louvre Pyramid in Paris passed away this spring at the venerable age of 102, but his work continues to inspire awe in architecture fans around the world.
I.M. Pei’s most famous designs include the Louvre Pyramid, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, where he grew up, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, among many others.
Sometime in the 1950s, I.M. Pei started working on the designs for Kips Bay Towers, a massive two-building condominium project on a 7.5-acre site on Manhattan’s East Side. The sprawling development includes 1,118 units and opened in two phases, in 1961 and 1963, and is today considered a brutalist masterpiece.
Kips Bay North Tower (courtesy of Wikimedia commons user Beyond My Ken)
11. Jean Nouvel
Award-winning French architect Jean Nouvel is a well-known name among U.S. architecture aficionados. He was born in 1945, started his own practice in the 1970s, and was the co-founder of the Labor Union of French Architects. His work earned him a plethora of high-profile awards, and he was appointed Doctor Honoris Causa of the Royal College of Art in London in 2002. In 2008, he received the prestigious Pritzker Prize for his contributions to the field of architecture.
Nouvel’s first project in the U.S. was the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis, finalized in 2006. Two years later, he laid down the vision for 40 Mercer Street, a 42-unit luxury residential building located at the corner of Mercer, Grand and Broadway in SoHo, Manhattan. It was initially envisioned as a hotel, yet its purpose was changed to residential after the 9/11 attacks.
The best way to describe the project is through Nouvel’s own words, who states that ‘for the inhabitants at 40 Mercer, my intent was to focus on all five senses: when they open the vast windows, they are momentarily immersed in the sounds of sirens, escape air conditioning to breathe in the sea air and leave the protective atmosphere of their loft to indulge in the scents of Canal Street.’
40 Mercer Street (courtesy of jeannouvel.com)
Just one year after the completion of 40 Mercer, another Jean Nouvel-designed residential project started taking shape in Manhattan. The 23-story 100 Eleventh Avenue is located at the intersection of 19th Street and the West Side Highway in Chelsea and was completed in 2010. The building, which is situated just steps away from Frank Gehry’s IAC Building, features 56 apartments, alongside an art gallery and a gym.
100 11th Avenue (courtesy of jeannouvel.com)
These two projects are quite impressive works of architecture, but we’ve saved the best for last. Nouvel’s crowning jewel is 53W53 (also known as the MoMa Tower), a supertall, 1050 foot, 77-story residential tower currently under construction in Midtown Manhattan. Rising above the Museum of Modern Art, the project is being developed by Hines, Goldman Sachs and Pontiac Land Group, and officially topped out last summer. The connection to the MoMa doesn’t stop there as The Museum of Modern Art will have three new galleries located on floors 2, 4, and 5 of 53 West 53, and new purchasers will also receive a special MoMa benefactor membership. The sky-grazing tower at 53 West 53rd Street is now the eighth-tallest building in New York City.
53W53 (rendering courtesy of VUW Studio)
12. KPF
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, or KPF, was founded in New York City in 1976, headed by William Pedersen, Eugene Kohn, and Sheldon Fox. During these past 43 years, KPF has designed some of the most iconic structures around the world, including the Shanghai World Financial Center, ‘The Scalpel’ in London, and the under-construction One Vanderbilt in Midtown Manhattan. KPF was also tasked with designing the masterplan for the Hudson Yards redevelopment project, which includes the now-complete 15, 30, and 55 Hudson Yards.
KPF also left their mark on Brooklyn, and in a big way. The firm handled the design of Brooklyn Point, a mixed-use tower that topped out earlier this year to become the tallest building in the borough. Located within the City Point mega-project, the 720-foot-high, 68-story tower will incorporate 485 luxury condos starting at $872,100 for a studio apartment and going all the way up to $3.5 million for a four-bedroom.
Brooklyn Point (courtesy of brooklynpointnyc.com)
Sadly, KPF’s Brooklyn Point won’t hold on to the title of the borough’s tallest building for very long. The ShoP-designed supertall dubbed 9 Dekalb Avenue is now in the works and will be the tallest structure in NYC outside Manhattan, upon completion sometime in 2022.
Earlier this year, New York YIMBY revealed exclusive renderings of a previously discarded project at 80 South Street. Initially, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava drew up designs for a massive residential tower in Lower Manhattan, but the project was dropped as the market entered a decline in 2008. Now, developer China Oceanwide Holdings intends to bring the project back to life and released several plans that NY YIMBY suspects might have been designed by KPF.
13. Michael Graves
Legendary architect Michael Graves taught architecture at Princeton for 40 years, and though he passed away in 2015, he left behind a vast portfolio of architectural gems. After his death, The New York Times called Graves’ one of the most prominent and prolific American architects of the latter 20th century, who designed more than 350 buildings around the world.’ At the start of his career, Graves was associated with the New York Five, a group of modernist architects that reached fame in the 1970s. He went on to design iconic structures like the Portland Building, the Humana Building in Kentucky, the Denver Public Library expansion, as well as several Walt Disney-operated resorts.
Michael Graves’ legacy also includes the 54-story Midtown Manhattan landmark at 425 Fifth Avenue, which was completed in 2003. Robert A.M. Stern was originally the architect for the residential tower, yet eventually, the task of bringing the project to fruition was handed over to Graves, reportedly with Stern’s blessing.
425 Fifth Avenue (courtesy of michaelgraves.com)
The stacked design of the Fifth Avenue tower was the result of strict zoning laws in Manhattan at the time, and Graves used his skills to create a beautiful structure while respecting the zoning limitations. Residents on the upper 44 floors are able to enjoy protected views of the Empire State Building and surrounding skyscrapers, while the excellent location of the tower offers easy access to some of the most popular attractions in New York City.
14. Norman Foster
U.K.-born Norman Foster is one of the most prolific and most respected architects in Britain, as well as the recipient of the 1994 AIA Gold Medal and the 1999 prestigious Pritzker Prize. He created the now-renowned Foster + Partners architecture firm in 1999, which went on to design some recognizable landmarks like the HSBC Building in Hong Kong and 30 St Mary Axe in London. Norman Foster also worked alongside the late Steve Jobs to come up with the design for the Apple Campus 2, otherwise known as Apple Park, in Cupertino, California. The futuristic, circular design of the campus is one of the most innovative projects in the U.S. to date, and the building welcomed its first Apple employees in April 2017, six years after Job’s death.
In 2017, the Foster + Partners-designed 551 West 21st Street took shape in West Chelsea, Manhattan. The 19-story, 44-unit residential building, is strategically situated right in the heart of the Chelsea Arts District and offers residents panoramic views of the Hudson River and Midtown.
551 West 21st Street (courtesy of Foster + Partners)
Just one year after the completion of 551 West 21st, Foster + Partners got busy again in New York City. In 2018, their project at 100 East 53rd Street was finalized in Midtown Manhattan. Previously known as 610 Lexington Avenue, the 61-story residential tower took the place of the old YWCA building in Midtown, replacing it with a sleek, sky-high tower featuring 94 luxury residences. The tower offers easy access to the city’s most sought-after destinations and features a plethora of luxurious amenities, so it’s no wonder that condos have been selling fast.
100 East 53rd Street (courtesy of Foster + Partners)
15. Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly is an Uruguay-born, highly esteemed architect that is the mastermind behind iconic projects like The Curve theater in Leicester, England, the Tokyo International Forum, and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But Vinoly’s best-known work is probably the design of 20 Fenchurch Street in London, otherwise known as the ‘Walkie-Talkie.’ The structure was finalized in 2014 and gave birth to a lot of controversies due to its unusual shape and the solar glare problems it encountered, where the building’s glass exterior acted as a concave mirror, focusing light onto the streets at super-high temperatures.
Rafael Viñoly has also left a distinctive mark on Manhattan’s luxury residential market, with four major projects designed by his architecture practice. His most well-known addition to the NYC skyline is surely the 88-story supertall skyscraper at 432 Park Avenue. The tower, which was completed in 2015, is currently the third-tallest building in the U.S. and the tallest residential building in the world.
432 Park rises 1,396 feet into the air and houses 125 luxury condominiums with exquisite views of Central Park and the city skyline. While not everyone was a fan of the tower when it first topped out, some calling it too simplistic in its design, homebuyers were more than eager to grab a condo in the building. The tower had reached 90% occupancy by the end of 2015, with a tenant roster that counted celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and former Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
432 Park Avenue (courtesy of 432parkavenue.com)
Vinoly and his team also worked on the designs for 125 Greenwich Street, still under construction in Manhattan’s Financial District. Rising 72 stories high, the tower includes 273 residences ranging from studios to three-bedroom and penthouse units. Prices start at $1.2 million for a studio to $6.9 million for a three-bedroom apartment.
125 Greenwich Street (courtesy of 125greenwich.com)
Another one of Vinoly’s Manhattan projects is the 55-story, 130-unit residential tower currently under construction at 277 Fifth Avenue in NoMad. Similar in design to Vinoly’s other New York City towers, 277 Fifth topped out in 2018 and is nearing completion. A unique feature of the tower is a ‘quartet of double-height, open-air loggias seemingly carved out of the building’s corners, spiraling downward around the building from the upper floors.’
277 Fifth Avenue (courtesy of 277fifth.com)
Rafael Vinoly also designed one of the residential buildings within the $2.3 billion Waterline Square project on the Upper West Side. The masterplan, which was envisioned by Christian de Portzamparc, calls for the development of three residential towers, each designed by a different architect. One Waterline Square was designed by Richard Meyer & Partners, Two Waterline Square was designed by William Pedersen of KPF, while Three Waterline Square boasts Vinoly’s design. The three towers topped out in 2017 and are expected to be completed sometime this year.
Three Waterline Square (courtesy of waterlinesquare.com)
16. Renzo Piano
Italian starchitect Renzo Piano, the recipient of the 1998 Pritzker Prize, has designed so many iconic buildings across the world that it’s hard to name just a few--but we’ll try. His work includes the design of The New York Times Building in Manhattan, The Shard in London, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Piano, who founded the Renzo Piano Building Workshop back in 1981, is regarded as one of the most influential architects of all time and has received numerous awards honoring his design masterpieces.
The residents of 565 Broome SoHo can call themselves lucky, as they get to live in a rare Renzo Piano-designed residential building. The glass-clad complex will soar 30 stories above neighboring buildings, offering sweeping views of the city and the Hudson River, and is the first residential project designed by Piano in New York. There are 13 units still available for grabs, so if you want to live in a building designed by Renzo Piano, this is your chance. These units don’t come cheap, though: prices start at $2.3 million for a one-bedroom apartment and go up to $30 million for a four-bedroom penthouse.
565 Broome SoHo (courtesy of 565broomesoho.com)
17. Robert A.M. Stern
Robert A.M. Stern is a familiar name for New York City architects and architecture fans. The Brooklyn-born architect is responsible for the design of various iconic skyscrapers across the U.S. While he is best known for designing many of Manhattan’s tallest residential towers, Stern’s work also includes office projects like the new Comcast Center in Philadelphia.
Stern has designed numerous residential projects in New York City, and most of them have left a definitive mark on the city skyline for years to come. His work includes the residential complex dubbed Superior Ink, finished in 2007; the 35-story 15 Central Park West, completed in 2008’ the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, in 2016; 20 East End Avenue in 2016; and 520 Park Avenue, completed in 2018.
One of Stern’s most successful projects is the 69-story residential skyscraper at 220 Central Park South, completed in 2018 by Vornado Realty Trust. The tower is a recent addition to the eclectic Billionaires’ Row cluster of luxury condominium towers, located right next to Adrian Smith’s Central Park Tower. 220 CPS made the news in early 2019, when billionaire Ken Griffin paid $240 million for a penthouse in the building, marking the priciest home sale to ever close in the U.S. to date.
220 Central Park South (courtesy of Vornado)
Stern and his team have two more New York City residential projects in the works, namely the 14-story 70 Vestry in Tribeca and the 18-story building at 250 West 81st Street on the Upper East Side.
The stylish 70 Vestry development is now complete and is home to a number of high-profile celebrities like Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and power couple Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen.
70 Vestry (courtesy of Robert A.M. Stern Architects)
The Stern-designed project at 250 West 81st Street topped out earlier this year at 209 feet and features 31 two- to five-bedroom apartments with prices ranging from $3.8 to $15.7 million.
250 West 81st Street (courtesy of Robert A.M. Stern Architects)
18. SHoP
New York City-based SHoP Architecture was founded in 1996 and is led by Christopher Sharples, Coren Sharples, William Sharples, Gregg Pasquarelli, and Kimberly Holden. The name of the firm consequently stands for Sharples, Holden, and Pasquarelli. The firm rapidly gained recognition and became a well-known fixture in the architecture field after designing the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Midtown Center in Washington, D.C., the Porter House in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, the Uber Headquarters in San Francisco, and Empire Landing on Staten Island.
The SHoP team is currently working on various projects in New York City, the highlights being the 73-story 9 Dekalb Avenue, which is expected to be the tallest building in Brooklyn when completed in 2022, the 79-story Lower East Side Manhattan tower at 247 Cherry Street, to be ready in 2021, and 111 West 57th Street, an 82-story residential tower that recently topped out in Midtown. But SHoP doesn’t just design supertall residential skyscrapers. The firm is also known for taking on large-scale developments, including the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment in Brooklyn, Essex Crossing in Manhattan, and Schuylkill Yards in Philadelphia.
9 Dekalb Avenue (courtesy of SHoP)
Developers broke ground on the massive 9 Dekalb tower in 2018, and construction is expected to take around four years. Upon completion, the building will feature roughly 150 condominiums and 425 apartments, as well as 140,000 square feet of commercial space. Once it tops out, 9 Dekalb will surpass the KPF-designed Brooklyn Point, which is currently the tallest building in the borough.
19. Studio Gang
Perhaps Jeanne Gang is best known for her work in her hometown of Chicago, specifically for the mesmerizing Aqua Tower completed in 2010 and the supertall Vista Tower, currently under construction. But her architecture firm, Studio Gang, is also working on a stylish new residential project in Brooklyn.
Dubbed 11 Hoyt, the 51-story condo tower is being developed by Tishman Speyer as part of their effort to reimagine the former Macy’s department store on Fulton Street. The design of the tower was clearly inspired by Frank Gehry’s 8 Spruce Street, which is probably not a bad thing, given the praise that his project received.
Sales of the 481 condos at 11 Hoyt kicked off in the fall of 2018, according to New York YIMBY, with prices starting in the $ 600,000’s for studios, the $ 800,000’s for one-bedrooms, $1.2 million for two bedrooms, $1.9 million for three bedrooms, and $3.4 million for a four-bedroom unit.
11 Hoyt (courtesy of Studio Gang)
20. Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando is a self-taught Japanese architect who won the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1995 and the AIA Gold Medal in 2002 for his contributions to architecture. He founded his own design studio, Tadao Ando Architects and Associates, in 1968 in Osaka, and went on to design a myriad of unique architectural gems all across Japan. Some of his first projects in the U.S. include the Pulitzer Arts Foundation art museum in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas.
In 2018, a rare Tadao Ando-designed condominium building took shape in New York City’s Nolita--’north of Little Italy’--neighborhood. The seven-story project at 152 Elizabeth Street was developed by Sumatra + Khurana and features six one-of-a-kind units and a penthouse, with asking prices ranging from $6 to $15 million.
152 Elizabeth Street (courtesy of 152elizabehtst.com)
21. Zaha Hadid
Last, but definitely not least, we end our overview of NYC starchitecture with one of the most influential architects of all time. Sadly, Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid passed away 2016, but she left behind an extensive legacy of timeless architectural milestones, like the Guangzhou Opera House in China, the London Aquatics Centre, the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, and the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Hadid paved the way for women in architecture, being the first female architect to earn the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2004.
One of Hadid’s final projects was also her first and only residential endeavor in New York City. Located at 520 West 28th Street in West Chelsea, just two blocks away from Hudson Yards, the 11-story building features 39 one-of-a-kind residences and was completed after Hadid’s passing.
520 West 28th Street (courtesy of 520w28.com)
Zaha Hadid finished the designs for a second West Chelsea residential project before her death. The Moinian Group started working on the building at 220 11th Avenue in 2018, but Hadid’s designs for the 11-story project have not yet been revealed.