Morningside Heights Tower Tops Out At 33 Stories

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — A luxury apartment building set to become one of Morningside Heights' tallest buildings officially topped out this week at 385 feet above street level, developers announced.

The Vandewater, developed by the real estate firm Savanna, rises 33 stories above West 122nd street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. The 316,416-square-foot development will contain 183 market rate apartments.

Developers hail the building as "a new level of modern living to the neighborhood while" that creates a "visual identity consistent with the iconic architecture of the surrounding area," but at least one local elected official disagrees.

City Councilman Mark Levine called the Vandewater "Exhibit A for the kind of out-of-scale, out-of-context development which NYC needs to rein in," in a tweet this week.

"5 stories in the midst of historic, low-lying Morningside Heights. Zero affordable units. Neighborhood needs to be protected with a rezoning asap," Levine added on Twitter.

SLCE Architects is the architect of record for the building. The Vandewater and its interiors were designed by INC Architecture & Design and the development's landscaping is being handled by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, developers said in a press release.

Sales are expected to launch in 2019 with construction wrapping up in early 2020, developers said.

Photo courtesy Costas Picadas