Construction crews are making significant progress on the exterior facade of The Willow, a 19-story residential tower rising at 201 East 23rd Street in Manhattan's Gramercy neighborhood. The 210-foot-tall building, designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by Naftali Group, will deliver 69 residential units ranging from one to three bedrooms when completed.
The development will feature a luxury four-bedroom penthouse on its upper floors and ground-level retail space. Positioned at the prominent corner of East 23rd Street and Third Avenue, the project benefits from high visibility and excellent transportation access. Rockwell Group has been tasked with designing the building's interior spaces and amenities, while COOKFOX Architects also handled the facade design and residential unit layouts.
Recent construction activity has focused on installing the building's distinctive exterior elements. Workers have been steadily fitting floor-to-ceiling windows with black mullions into both square and arched openings throughout the structure, showing marked progress since the last construction update in mid-April. The signature red brick facade is now being installed on the lower levels of both the southern and western sides of the building, with construction crews operating from suspended platforms to complete the intricate brickwork.
Meanwhile, structural framing work continues on the upper floors, though much of this activity remains hidden behind the extensive scaffolding and protective black netting that currently surrounds the building. The construction process demonstrates the careful coordination required for such a complex mixed-use development in one of Manhattan's busiest neighborhoods.
Architectural renderings reveal The Willow's complete design vision, showcasing the building from the southwestern corner where East 23rd Street meets Third Avenue. The structure features multiple setbacks that create terraced levels, each topped with trees and landscaping that will provide residents with green outdoor spaces. The detailed imagery highlights the sophisticated textural variations in the brick bonding patterns, along with upper-level terraces, distinctive arched open-air voids, and a fully landscaped roof deck.
The building's window frames will be finished in black to complement the metal terrace railings and main entrance design. The structure culminates in a 50-foot-tall central bulkhead that maintains the building's aesthetic consistency with matching red brick and rectangular metal ventilation screens that blend functionality with visual appeal.
The main residential entrance will be positioned along East 23rd Street near the southern corner of the property, providing residents with direct street access. Ground-floor retail space will occupy the remaining L-shaped frontage area near the intersection with Third Avenue, creating an active street presence that contributes to the neighborhood's commercial vitality.
One particularly striking feature shown in the architectural renderings is an uppermost terrace that will include an outdoor dining area positioned beneath an arched trellis. This design element echoes the arched fenestration found throughout the building, creating visual continuity between the structure's architectural details and its outdoor amenity spaces.
Compass real estate firm has been selected to handle sales and marketing for The Willow's residential units. Confirmed amenities include a private landscaped courtyard and individual storage spaces for residents. Development representatives indicate that additional amenity offerings will be announced as the project approaches completion.
The location offers excellent public transportation connectivity, with the nearest subway access provided by the local 6 train at the 23rd Street station, located to the west along Park Avenue South. This transportation link provides residents with direct access to both Midtown and Lower Manhattan destinations.
Construction of The Willow at 201 East 23rd Street is expected to reach completion around the middle of next year, bringing a significant new residential option to the Gramercy area's growing luxury housing market.
