432 Park Ave

432 Park

New York City is awash in iconic buildings that have demarked various eras in its ever evolving and densely layered history. Denoting the emergence of what would eventually be dubbed Billionaires’ Row — a series of especially high and slender ‘pencil towers’ congregated around 57th Street — 432 Park irrevocably altered the New York City skyline when it topped out in 2015. The 1,396-foot-tall, 125-unit, 1:15 ratio supertall is identified by its distinct cubic profile and poured-in-place Portland cement lattice facade – an ode to the rational proportioning evident in many of proto-modernist Josef Hoffmann’s furniture designs. This feat of structural engineering was headed up by powerhouse developer Harry Macklowe and was, for a moment, the tallest residential building in the world. The Rafael Viñoly-designed ultra-high-net-worth landmark continues to have some of the costliest and most sumptuously appointed residences in the city, including one top-floor unit owned by celebrity interior designer Kelly Behun. She often posts Instagram videos of “being above the clouds” on overcast days. “Among the many singular things about this building are not just the shape or size of the windows, but the integrated window seats,” she describes in a Dboxglobal YouTube video interview. “There’s just something terribly compelling about being in between the inside of the apartment and perched out over Manhattan. I see people sit in them, and they just don’t want to leave.” Behun initially staged the $40 million 92nd-floor unit she now utilizes as a pied-a-terre. The sprawling half-floor residence covers 4,000 square feet of space, the median size at 432 Park, and includes three bedrooms. “What’s special about this apartment is how it changes during the day, it’s very cinematic. I chose finishes that were simple and elegant. Everything needed to feel elevated, quite literally. There’s a beautiful golden light that suffuses the principal suite at the end of the day, and we tried to support that [with various design elements]." Since taking up residence in the unit at the end of 2017, she’s witnessed the surrounding skyline change dramatically. More and more residential towers and office colossuses have filled in the views but not to the point of obstruction. One can still watch the planes come into land at nearby LaGuardia Airport or the colored lights glimmer off both the Empire State and One World Trade buildings at night. Living so high up in such a slender edifice comes with its challenges, however. Mitigating the sway of even minor winds, let alone those that come off Nor’easters, is no trivial matter. 432 Park is literally held in place by 60 rock anchors embedded 60 to 70 feet into Midtown Manhattan’s, especially solid bedrock. Similar to other Billionaires’ Row supertalls that went up after, the building’s top-level houses two tuned massing dampers: a device mounted in structures to reduce seismic vibrations. Implemented after intensive extreme condition stress tests conducted by engineer Derek Kelly, both strategies ensure stability. The building forms around a core superstructure that houses stairwells and six elevator shafts, allowing for periodic breaks in the massing every 14 floors. These levels have been left open for better air and wind pressure management. As with any skyscraper that rises above 30 stories, creaking noises and ghostly whistles are common, but perhaps more so here. Though the building’s innovative engineering has been widely touted, problems have arisen over time. As New York Times writer Stefanos Chen reported in a 2021 report, residents had complained about maintenance issues mostly surrounding burst pipes and subsequent flooding but also downed elevators due to extreme wind conditions and the “flapping of cables.” These issues were joined by rising maintenance and condo contribution fees – including a mandatory $15,000 spend for food at the in-building Michelin-star restaurant. As would be expected, residents formed into different advocacy groups: those pushing for developers to rectify many of the problems and others – many of whom live elsewhere during the year – who were less concerned or willing to invest additional capital. It’s a problem that plagues many luxury buildings in this neighborhood that have been predominantly purchased by shell corporation-shielded financiers and celebrities and traded as investments. For any Manhattanite or Brooklynite who has a view of this imposing tower at night, it’s clear that many of its floors remain dark and, hence, unoccupied. 432 Park’s 125 units are separated into different categories. While floors 28 and 29 feature 351 to 500-square-foot studios hovering around the $1.5 million mark, floors 34 to 90 include one to six-bedroom units that increase in price as they get higher. Floors 91 to 96 incorporate premium residences, with one full-floor penthouse on the 96th floor sold by media-famous agent Ryan Serhant for $169 million. Half-floor 4,000 square-foot residences with three bedrooms go for between $18 million and $42 million, depending on the position in the buildings. All units feature 15-foot-high ceilings, square 10-by-10-foot windows and pale hardwood floors. “Viñoly created pure symmetry,” says Deborah Kern, an agent with Corcoran who has been selling in the building for many years. “The layouts of residences are very clean and generously proportioned based on the square grid he introduced. There’s white marble, cabinetry and stone throughout. It’s definitely a Viñoly meets Macklowe aesthetic.” To say that there are sweeping views of the entire city and Central Park is an understatement. Some units were left bare for potential homeowners to add their own specifications. However, only a few of these original sponsor units are left. Most that come on the market are resale and reflect alterations made by previous homeowners. Unsurprisingly, 432 Park has attention-grabbing amenity space — 30,000 square feet worth of it that includes the previously mentioned 8,000 square-foot restaurant. “There are two distinct areas, one for formal dining, which is gorgeously set up for occasions like Mother’s Day and also features a piano bar,” Kern describes. “Then there’s an area that’s more like an open kitchen which goes out onto a nice outdoor terrace where residents can sit for breakfast or lunch during the summer. There’s beautiful greenery here. There’s also a wine room for private dinner parties.” There’s also a residence lounge, board room, billiards room, screening room and an Assouline publishers-stocked library with a wood-burning fireplace. An elevated 75-foot indoor pool, occupying a double-height space, is joined by a full-service spa and top-of-the-line fitness center replete with a golf training center. All the common spaces were tastefully outfitted by leading New York architecture firm TenBerke. The soft product includes a dedicated concierge desk, 24-hour door attendants, in-unit dining service and on-site parking. Residents can also enter the building through a covert entrance and set of elevators. That’s not even close to all of it. In many ways, 432 Park demarcates the transition from Midtown Manhattan to the Upper East Side. Residents benefit from being near everything from 5th Avenue’s luxury shopping and Museum Mile to the massive park and a peppering of prestigious dining options in all directions. Getting out of town is easy, given the tower's proximity to the Ed Koch Queensboro bridge. Those feigning interest in riding the subway can do so from the 59th Street / 5th Ave station, which is served by the N, R and W lines.