'The House' topped out at 15 Central Park West.

The Robert A.M. Stern-designed luxury neo-classical building, Fifteen Central Park West, celebrated the topping out of the concrete of one of its two wings--The House. Zeckendorf Development, developers of the project, Bovis Lend Lease and building trades workers gathered on the third floor of the structure to conclude the initial stages of construction on The House, and to look forward to the topping out of the second wing, The Tower, anticipated for the end of August. The House, with 20 stories, and The Tower, with 43 stories, will be joined by a common base at street level.

Located directly on Central Park West and Broadway, between 61st and 62nd Streets, Fifteen Central Park West is an all-limestone residential condominium at the crossroads of Manhattan's most prestigious residential, cultural, and business establishments. Last month, the building set records by achieving over $1.2 billion in total sales since the sales office opened in September 2005.

"We are grateful for the countless individuals that have labored tirelessly to keep construction on schedule and enabled us to celebrate this milestone," said William Lie Zeckendorf. "It has been a thrill to see the property being transformed into a magnificent structure and we look forward to the next phase of the project when we top out The Tower at the end of the summer."

"We are proud of the accomplishments of everyone on the project for safely reaching this point on time and on budget," said Jim Abadie, senior vice president, principal in charge, of Bovis Lend Lease. "Since the ground 'raising' almost a year ago, we have poured 50,000 cubic yards of concrete and 1,450 tons of reinforcing steel. We look forward to a successful completion of the project in 2007."

The entire facade of Fifteen Central Park West will be clad in Indiana Limestone which will be cut from the original quarry used in the construction of the Empire State Building. Already, over 40% of the stone has been installed and is particularly noticeable along the western and northern walls of both The House and The Tower. Oversized windows that blend with the stone facade can now be seen in many parts of the structure.

The mechanical and plumbing systems are currently being installed in the lower floors and the beginning of interior rooms can be recognized. Additionally, the framework for some of the building's amenities such as the reflecting pool and fountains, 75-foot swimming pool and 60-seat dining room are already in place. The three fireplaces in the lobby and library already have their stone hearths in place, and the screening room, by designer Theo Kalimorakis, along with conference rooms and a terrace, located on the sixth floor, are beginning to take shape.

Over the next few months, Fifteen Central Park West will undergo a layering process that began with the pouring of concrete and vertical structural elements. Afterwards, the individual apartment's plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems will be completed. Once the basic apartment is built, the installation of the wood and stone floors, doors and hardware, individual electrical systems, bath fittings and cabinetry, kitchen cabinetry, stone counter tops and appliances, trim moldings and architectural features, finish paint and staining of various surfaces will take place.