Thu Tredwel

INC Architecture & Design

Client: Dart Interests and Zeckendorf Development

The Treadwell sits at the intersection of Midtown and the Upper East Side, and its contextual design blends elements from both neighborhoods. The cool modernism of Midtown’s Art Deco towers, such as the Chrysler Building, is warmed by the textured Romanesque character of the Upper East Side’s historic residential architecture.

The facade’s central verticality, framed by horizontal bands, draws inspiration from Manhattan’s great residential Art Deco towers like The Ardsley, The Majestic, and The Century. This “undecorated Deco” approach adapts Art Deco’s formal strategies while omitting heavy ornamentation, resulting in a contemporary interpretation that feels both modern and inviting. Fluted terracotta panels, framed in bronze bands, bring an artisanal sensibility to the facade. A basketweave of horizontally and vertically oriented limestone-colored terracotta anchors the corners of all four elevations and the 2nd Avenue base. Vertical fluted panels define the central facade zones, where bronze bands rise upward and culminate in curved ribbons that meet at the roofline, emphasizing the tower’s height. The 360-degree penthouse sits at the cruciform intersection of these elements. The residential entrance is located on the quieter 62nd Street, within the building’s low-rise portion. Here, the woven terracotta motif is simplified to recall the scale and rhythm of a brownstone. The base is clad in fluted Elegant Brown Quartzite, and a horizontal bronze band lifts away from the facade to form a greenery-draped canopy. Stone cladding, a woven bronze screen, and fluted tiered glass lanterns distinguish this entrance from the tower above. Inside, the metal banding from the exterior is reinterpreted to create a seamless transition. The grand lobby features a rustic limestone base and fluted wood paneling articulated with light bronze bands. Graphite Marble floors, trimmed in bronze, ground the space. A grid of tiered ribbed-glass and bronze chandeliers, paired with circular cove lighting, illuminates the room. The amenities continue this warm palette of natural woods, stone, bronze, plaster, wool, and leather, extending the architectural language indoors while broadening its textures. The Community Room echoes the lobby’s wood-and-metal detailing but uses darker oak to evoke a classic library. Its tiered circular cove and central chandelier draw inspiration from the iconic ceiling of the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. The Treadwell establishes a new design idiom by uniting the rusticated Romanesque character of the neighborhood townhomes with an understated Deco sensibility drawn from New York’s heroic early 20th-century residential towers.