The Willow
The Willow, located at 201 East 23rd Street, is a new residential building at the edge between two neighborhoods acting as a refined mediator between historic Gramercy and Kips Bay. Situated at the corner of 23rd Street and Third Avenue, the project looks at adjacent Gramercy for inspiration: brick townhouses, carriage houses, and hidden gardens but also eclectic high rise, and tall masonry buildings while introducing new forms that strengthen the urban fabric of this corner of Manhattan.
The warm masonry façade grounds the building mass within its context. Ironwork and railings reference a decorative mermaid ornament discovered on the site’s earlier structure—a fragment of unknown origin that continues here as an emblem of the neighborhood’s layered history. Open loggias echo the porches and garden thresholds that distinguish the district, offering intimate outdoor spaces that connect residents to both street life and landscape.
Masonry arches are central to the building’s expression. The arch, in this case one that is slightly flattened, with its rounded and familiar lines endures as an archetypal form—humanizing, expressive, and timeless. Segmental arches frame windows and terraces, softening the building’s presence while creating intimate, generous views. Their varied repetition across the façades establishes a rhythm that balances continuity with playfulness, ensuring the arches remain an integrated and defining expressive element rather than a singular motif.
The Willow is also conceived as an ultra-low-energy building, fully electric; the project demonstrates how sustainability and design quality can reinforce one another. Its designation as an ultra-low-energy building allowed for additional FAR, while strategies such as high-performance windows and all-electric systems establish a path toward long-term carbon neutrality.
From an urban fabric point of view, the building transforms its corner site. Once a transitional edge, the intersection of 23rd Street and Third Avenue now offers a sense of permanence and place. The Willow contributes to the experience of the street, extending Gramercy’s character outward and strengthening the continuity of the neighborhood.
Through carefully detailed masonry, expressive arches, and high-performance sustainable design, The Willow brings forward Gramercy’s traditions while adapting them to contemporary needs. The project enhances the neighborhood not through imitation, but through continuity—celebrating the qualities that have long made Gramercy a refuge within the city, and ensuring they endure for generations to come.
Collaborators
The Willow is developed by Naftali Group. The project team also includes: Titanium CS, Ventrop Engineering, DeSimone Engineering, GGA Studios DPC, Ancora Engineering, Rockwell Group, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Ventresca Lighting Designers, Frank Seta & Associates, Domani Consulting, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Future Green Studio.
Project team
