The Building

When Robert Stern founded Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) fifty-two years ago, he became instantly known for building homes people loved. Today, he can rightly be considered the architect of the 21st century New York skyline. A modern traditionalist and former dean of the Yale School of Architecture, he favors timeless classic design with beautiful proportions and details. But more importantly, for the remarkable new 200 East 83rd, he is at heart a native Upper East Sider who fully embraces the romanticism of the city—an attitude that his fellow New Yorkers appreciate. With 200 East 83rd, Stern and his partners have created one of the great apartment houses of New York, in keeping with the city’s historic tradition but at heights that are truly new and modern. This is the team that designed New York’s most successful residential buildings of our time: 15 Central Park West, 220 Central Park South, 20 East End Avenue, and 520 Park Avenue.

The residences have breathtaking views west to Central Park and east to the East River, as well as iconic cityscapes north and south. 200 East 83rd is a short walk from Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or in the other direction, a stroll to the East River esplanade. Stern and his partners at RAMSA have long studied the typology of New York residential living. For this building, they drew inspiration from the grand structures along Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Madison Avenue, as well as the historic clubs, such as the Racquet Club, the Union League, and the Metropolitan Club. For detailing, they turned not just to the treasures of the nearby museums but their façades— the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the museums housed in converted mansions, such as the Neue Galerie, The Frick Collection, and the Jewish Museum. “When I want to see the most exquisite buildings by the best architects in New York, I go to the Upper East Side,” says RAMSA partner Paul Whalen. “In addition to the greatest and most beautiful townhouses and townhouse rows, as well as incomparable museums and consulates. The tree-lined streets take the light in a particular way and the eye finds clean, crisp lines everywhere. I consider this neighborhood the Rome of New York. It’s an honor to work in the midst of these great buildings, and they push us harder to do our very best.”

RAMSA Partner Michael D. Jones explains, “Perhaps the most visible of the ideas that we and our clients discovered together was the decision to lift the pool and health club up to the middle of the tower, rather than setting them in a more typical location in the lower floors of a building or even the below grade, as other developers do. It’s boldly expressed on the façade, announcing its presence to all who view the building.” Whalen adds that it’s also characteristic of New York’s best buildings to draw on an eclectic variety of historic styles. For 200 East 83rd, RAMSA synthesized a unique design language: Modern Classical woven through with elements from Art Deco, Venetian, and Byzantine sources. All talents in this project shared a unified vision. “Naftali Group and Rockefeller Group, the developer clients, were personally engaged in the design process,” says Whalen. “It became almost like the relationship we have with our private house clients. Their goals for the building and their point of view were aligned with ours from the very start. As architects, it’s wonderful to work for developers who are as passionate as we are about what they do. They value excellence; they know quality; they love the classical tradition of Upper East Side architecture and are committed to carrying it forward with us.”

The tower offers expansive views to Central Park, the cityscape, and the rivers, yet at street level, it is steps away from so many longstanding cultural and educational institutions. Stern also thinks of it from the perspective of a local resident, which he himself is. “I have lived on the Upper East Side since the 1970s— it’s a real neighborhood!” he says. “Paul Whalen, Michael Jones, and I have become serious scholars of the typology of the New York apartment house. We worked very hard to figure out how to combine a motor entrance with a garden on this site. And then there’s the crown of our building. We always pay careful attention when designing a building, whether it’s a single-family house or an apartment building or an office building, to how it meets the ground and how it meets the sky.” The building adds an important marker to RAMSA’s architectural history. “We grow as architects with each building we design,” says Whalen, “and we’re particularly proud of the sculptural qualities that we’ve been able to bring to 200 East 83rd Street—its ornamental program, the depths of its moldings and arches, the sparkle of its sconces and metalwork. Our two decades of experience with the residential apartment tower enables us to bring both a high level of care and a confident imagination to our design for this building.”