Upper East Siders riled over new Park Avenue contemporary architecture

The glassy downtown-esque towers rising amid Park Avenue‘s prewar apartment buildings have preservationists worried for the Upper East Side’s traditional character. Among the new buildings is 1055 Park Avenue, on the corner of 87th Street, a 12-story-tall, 19-foot-wide condo that markets itself as “a downtown building… on the Upper East Side.” But when Community Board 8 discusses an expansion of the Carnegie Hill Historic District later this month, some neighbors are sure to cite what they see as 1055 Park’s out-of-context glass façade as a reason to protect the area with landmarking. Meanwhile, some prospective buyers at the contemporary structure are willing to pay for the unique view and light in an area dominated by prewar architecture. Prices range from $7.5 million for a two-bedroom penthouse to $13.5 million for a four-bedroom triplex. [WSJ]