Circa Central Park

Circa Central Park is an 11-story mixed-use building with 38 one-to-five bedroom luxury residences and an additional 10 units that are designated as affordable housing. Located on a prominent site on Frederick Douglass Circle in Upper Manhattan, Circa offers modern, indoor-outdoor living with sweeping views of Central Park.

The building’s curved geometry is inspired by its cornerstone site. Tiered arcs of banded glass gradually set back and peel open, shifting orientation from the roundabout toward the park.

The façade—an abstract geometric composition of curves and colored fins—seeks a performative balance of panoramic views, privacy, and solar control within the residences.

The design team selected brick to create a specific narrative of what this building wants to say about a place, in particular, the context of Harlem and surrounding late 1880s architectural styles.

Glen-Gery brick was chosen due to its wide range of color and brick options available. This allowed the design team to tailor the design in a singular way that enhances the overall building aesthetic. The building is an architectural essay in arcs and lines–and the design of each unit reflects that. On the park side, a progressive stepping of arced setbacks provide multiple terraces, park views from the building’s north wing and a graceful form that will be the focal point for the circle.

The building is a series of terraces that arc off of the curve and slowly peel away from the form, giving way to a series of penthouses overlooking the park. The design team was able to meld preoccupations of sustainability with great views of park by using the curve of the building to its advantage.

A series of fins on westward-facing glass optimize Central Park views and block out the western glare and heat. The design team took an opportunity with the fins to make a colorful expression. On the park side, the fins are green and from the city side, they are a burnt orange color.

The building occupies a remarkably privileged location on the northwest corner of Central Park. Like its sibling, Columbus Circle,  Frederick Douglas Circle  forms a monumental entry fitting New York’s most iconic park. The building’s confident contemporary design conforms to the contours of the circle, hence “Circa”.