In 2018, Frank Mazzotta, the president of Armour Heights Developments, went to New York City on a reconnaissance mission of sorts, touring a handful of Manhattan’s iconic pre-war buildings.
“We walked through, taking pictures. We wanted to see how these developers (built) in tight places, and what materials they [used],” says Mazzotta, extolling the structures’ soulful facades with their old-school masonry and, inside, the ceiling heights and grand layouts.
At the opulent Baccarat Hotel and Residences in Midtown he especially liked the use of privacy screens in the grand salon. His team also made note of 815 Fifth Avenue as well as The Kent on the Upper East Side and The Leonard in Tribeca.
The buildings, especially The Kent, would inspire his latest project, a 20-storey boutique dwelling, 89 Avenue Road, that is slim at just 45 feet wide.
“I didn’t want to build a glass tower in the Yorkville core,” Mazzotta says, feeling a sophisticated pre-war project would be a better fit.