NEW YORK CITY—Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs, founders and principals of RFR Holding, along with Yu Liang and Zhang Xu of Vanke, China's largest residential real estate developer, broke ground Tuesday on a luxury residential condominium building on east 53rd street, adjacent to the landmark Seagram Building.
RFR and Hines will work together on construction of the building through a joint development management agreement. The white tower, at 610 Lexington Ave., will rise 700 feet and stand 61 stories tall. Foster + Partners has designed the project.
"The 610 Lexington Avenue project—our first in New York City and our second in the US—truly reflects Vanke's globalization objective of forging strategic partnerships with world-class developers and learning through close collaboration," says Yu, Vanke president. "Its fine architecture will undoubtedly transform the New York City skyline and redefine modern urban living."
Adds Rosen, "It's a great endorsement of the entire team's commitment to this project that we've finally found the opportunity to realize something we've all worked towards for several years," "It's rare to have the opportunity to create a tower of such elegant proportions, and rarer still to do so in such an architecturally rich section of Midtown Manhattan. The location of our site is extraordinary, and the demand for highest-end condominiums in Midtown has never been stronger. Our goal is to combine the finest residences with thoughtful, creative amenities that enhance Manhattan living."
In shaping the design, Foster + Partners focused on the relationship between 610 Lexington Ave. and the Seagram Building, aiming to create an appropriate counterpoint to the classic office tower, which is owned by RFR.
"It's not simply about our new building, but about the composition it creates together with one of the 20th century's greatest," says Foster + Partners. "Our tower's proportions are almost impossibly slim and the views will be just incredible. Simplicity of design is often the hardest thing to achieve but in a sophisticated marketplace, people appreciate the timeless beauty that comes from it."
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
