See how Keith Rubenstein’s trio of South Bronx towers will transform the ‘Piano District’ skyline

Controversial South Bronx Developer Keith Rubenstein of Somerset Partners, along with the Chetrit Group, received approvals earlier this summer for a two-site, six-tower, mixed-use master plan on the Mott Haven banks of the Harlem River. This is the same project that Rubenstein touted as part of his campaign to rebrand the southern portion of the borough as the “Piano District,” a marketing ploy that nodded to the piano manufacturers that dotted the area 100 years ago, but that featured a misguided party with burning trash cans and a bullet-ridden car, referencing the horrible “Bronx is burning” days of the 1970s.

Contention aside, the development is moving ahead, and CityRealty.com has a 360-degree look at how the first site’s three towers (two at 20 stories and one at 25) will transform the South Bronx skyline. These buildings at 2401 Third Avenue will rise just to the northwest of the Third Avenue Bridge, the former site of an 1880s iron works building that will soon boast $3,500/month apartments.

The three residential towers will share a common base and have several upper-level setbacks that create outdoor terraces. Initial filings list amenities that include on-site parking, recreation room, and a common roof deck. Goldstein, Hill and West are the architects of record, and there’s expected to be a total of 370 rental apartments. On the opposite side of the Third Avenue Bridge will be the other three towers of the master plan, set on a larger, full-block site at 101 Lincoln Avenue. Here, there will be 826 apartments total.

This sprawling residential complex is set to rise on a 60,902-square-foot site across from Rubenstein’s proposed Bruckner Market, an “affordable” food hall and beer garden. In July, as 6sqft reported, he purchased a 16,000-square-foot warehouse (expandable to 30,000 square feet) at 9 Bruckner Boulevard for $7.5 million” to house the food hall. He said of the project, “It will provide great food and beverage options at affordable prices for the existing community and new community.” Despite this statement, Rubenstein has been accused of accelerating gentrification in the South Bronx, due to his backing of trendy new businesses like Filtered Coffee in Mott Haven and the aforementioned Piano District mishap.

To get a better idea of how 2401 Third Avenue will transform the South Bronx skyline, check out CityRealty.com’s video here:

[Via CityRealty.com]

RELATED:

• Trendy, ‘Affordable’ Food Hall and Beer Garden Headed to the South Bronx
• The Bronx Dethrones Brooklyn for Most Residential Permits Issued
• Going Green and Curbing Gentrification: How the Bronx Is Doing It Differently

All Google Earth renderings and video via CityRealty.com