Developer Seeks To Demolish 2 Upper East Side Buildings

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A developer filed permits with the city to demolish two separate buildings on the same Upper East Side block that is being redeveloped into a new 12-story Giorgio Armani flagship store.

The permits were filed Wednesday on behalf of owner SL Green Realty Corp., seeking to demolish 21 East 65th St., a five-story brick building dating to 1929, and 762 Madison Ave., a five-story brownstone built in 1876.

SL Green had previously filed plans to knock down the corner retail building at 752-760 Madison, currently home to an Armani store, to make way for the 12-story tower, which would house the Giorgio Armani flagship boutique along with apartments on the upper floors.

According to a presentation given to the Landmarks & Preservation Commission last year by COOKFOX Architects, those two buildings will only be partially demolished, and their façades and storefronts will be restored as part of the redevelopment.

The commission did not vote to take any action on the Armani development last year, according to City Realty. The planned development has attracted notice in the fashion world, signaling a shift away from products and toward complete "experiences," the New York Times reported last year.

Click here to view the 2019 presentation before the Landmarks & Preservation Commission about the planned Giorgio Armani flagship on Madison Avenue.