249 E 48th St

Turtle Bay House

Recessed penthouses and beveled corners on upper levels have a humanizing effect that sets Turtle Bay House apart from the steel-and-glass skyscraper across the street — which was responsible for demolishing a building containing one of Andy Warhol’s Factories. However, with automatic sliding front doors that open to a recently renovated stone-tiled lobby, brass-accented elevators and 24-hour front-door service, 210 East 48th Street reflects Midtown East’s high standard of living. For units near the top of Turtle Bay House, terraces let residents take in the high-rise sights and sounds, which can include partial East River views. A private, underground parking garage and laundry room complete the shared amenities, and full-service staff includes a live-in superintendent, handyman and porter. “One very attractive attribute of the building are the reasonable monthly fees,” says Katy Quinton, a real estate agent at Engel & Völkers NYC. “Relative to other buildings in the area, the lower monthlies are certainly one of the standout features that draw buyers to the building.” Here, studios create a sense of separate spaces by using galley kitchens in their layouts, which, depending on the floor plan, can also make room for small dens or dining areas. One bedrooms often place the bathroom entrance in the sleeping quarters, and they can range from compact 600-square-foot setups to 950-square-foot spaces with alcoves for a desk or dining table. In two-bedroom units, layouts can include spacious features such as multiple walk-in closets, second bathrooms, dens and terraces. Three-bedroom units expand upon this arrangement by adding a third bathroom and, on higher floors, an additional mini terrace. “Layouts in the building offer excellent value for space. For instance, room proportions throughout are quite generous, and there are several two-bedroom lines that can easily be converted to three-bedroom units,” Quinton says. Considering Turtle Bay House is over 65 years old, interiors vary widely based on previous owners’ tastes. Flooring can be hardwood, parquet or, in some cases, carpet, and kitchens run the gamut from composite countertop material and plain white tiling to granite surfaces and natural wooden cabinets. Dishwashers are standard, but washer-dryers are rare and only allowed on a case-by-case basis. Prices for studios start just above $500,000, and one bedrooms begin just past $800,000. Two bedrooms jump to $1.6 million, and three bedrooms are all above $2 million. Common charges range from $500 per month for studios to nearly $1,400 for two bedrooms, and monthly taxes range from $750 to $1,500 across those same layouts. “Subletting is allowed, and the process to do so is fairly straightforward,” Quinton says. Aside from the expected application fee, there aren’t significant costs, restrictions or rental caps for owners who want to sublet. A basement laundry room supplements the general lack of in-unit washer-dryers, and an underground parking garage is helpful in this part of Manhattan, where street parking spots are metered and can be hard to come by. Although the building doesn’t have shared spaces such as a fitness center or roof deck, on Second Avenue, the ground floor has a string of convenient businesses that include a pharmacy, dry cleaner, barbershop and nail salon. Turtle Bay, the namesake neighborhood surrounding 249 East 48th Street, is best known for its office buildings, mix of casual lunch spots and fine-dining restaurants, and proximity to the United Nations headquarters. A few blocks northeast, residents can walk on the East River Esplanade — which has a dog run — to decompress from the Midtown scenery. In the other direction, Fifth Avenue has excellent shopping, and farther west are Broadway shows. The closest subway stations may be a few blocks away, but with access to 4, 6, 7, E and M trains, residents can easily go uptown, downtown and into Queens and Brooklyn. Grand Central Terminal is nearby with Metro-North and Long Island Railroad trains, and one block down, 47th Street has a sizeable CitiBike station. For car owners, the building’s on-site garage saves them from spending time and money on scarce street parking.