Belaire Apartments (also known as the
Belaire Condominiums and
The Belaire) is a
mixed-use high-rise condominium apartment building in
Manhattan,
New York City. The 42-story
[1] building is located at 524
East 72nd Street between
York Avenue and the
FDR Drive. It has 183
condominium apartments, a
health club,
parking garage and
swimming pool [2]. The first twenty-one floors are used by the
Hospital for Special Surgery. The building has prominent views overlooking the
East River. It is 512 feet tall (156 m).
The building was completed in 1988, and was constructed by the Zeckendorf Company, on the site previously occupied by a parking garage owned by the Hospital for Special Surgery. It was designed by Frank Williams and Associates, and features a red brick facade. The building has a reinforced concrete structure, making it one of the tallest concrete buildings at the time of its construction.
As of 2007[update], the Hospital for Special Surgery continues to own the land, and in exchange for selling the development rights to Zeckendorf, it received use of the lower 12 floors for offices. Originally, nurses and technicians were housed there, as these individuals had a difficult time finding affordable housing in New York. Floors 13-22 are still used for housing hospital staff and guests.[3] The Belaire also houses office and laboratory space, sports injury rehabilitation areas, and guest facilities for family members of patients at the Hospital to which it is connected via a causeway on the third floor.
After construction Belaire enjoyed property taxes reduction for 10 years as result of Section 421a tax-abatement certificates, a New York City affordable housing program[4]. This become possible as another company has rehabilitated 30 apartments at Spring Creek Gardens complex in East New York and sold resulting tax benefits to the Zeckendorf Company.[5][6]
