| North Shore Towers | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential & Retail |
| Address | 27240 Grand Central Parkway Floral Park, NY 11005 United States |
| Current tenants | 3,500 residents |
| Groundbreaking | 1971 |
| Completed |
|
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 342 ft (104 m) Chimney |
| Roof | 305 ft (93 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 3 buildings 110 acres (450,000 m2) |
| Floor count | 34 per building |
| Floor area | 3,520,000 sq ft (327,000 m2) |
| Elevator count | 24 total |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | North Shore Towers Apartments, Incorporated (Cooperative) |
| Main contractor |
|
| Architect | A.H. Salkowitz & Carl Heimberger |
| Developer | Sigmund Sommer |
| Engineer |
|
| Other information | |
| Number of units |
|
| Website | |
| northshoretowers.com | |
The North Shore Towers and Country Club is a three building residential complex located mostly in Glen Oaks, Queens along the Grand Central Parkway. It is on the border of Queens and Nassau County. A small part of the complex crosses the border and is in the Village of Lake Success. The complex is located next to the Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
The three residential buildings, which sit on a 110-acre (0.45 km2) property, are some of the tallest structures on Long Island with 34 floors each and being that they are situated on top of a hill they are easily seen from as far as Long Island City. [1] The towers are constructed on the highest point of land in Queens, a hill that’s 258 feet (79 m) above sea level. This hill is part of the terminal moraine of the last glacial period.[2] The North Shore Towers complex contains a total of 1,844 apartments ranging from studios to 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms up to luxurious penthouses. [3]
The North Shore Towers complex has an 18-hole golf course and its own power plant that produces electricity independent of local power companies. The community also has an indoor shopping concourse that connects the three residential buildings with 22 retail units, as well as fitness center that includes 5 swimming pools and 5 tennis courts.
The North Shore Towers is the only gated residential community in New York with its own United States Postal Service zip code (11005).[1] For historical reasons, the postal name for the zip code is Floral Park, though the towers are not adjacent to the Floral Park neighborhood of Queens, and are 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away from the Nassau County Village of Floral Park.
The complex has been visited by many politicians and dignitaries for speaking engagements over the years.
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Glen Oaks, the neighborhood where the North Shore Towers were built, was a rural, unnamed section of Flushing, part of a 20,000-acre (81 km2) land grant to Massachusetts settlers. In 1923, the Glen Oaks Golf Club was built, created on 167 acres (0.68 km2) purchased from William K. Vanderbilt II’s country estate. By 1971, the golf course was replaced by the North Shore Towers. [4] The North Shore Towers were constructed in Glen Oaks because of Queens’ lax zoning rules that are less restrictive than those in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. [5]
Some Glen Oaks residents, mostly single-home dwellers, protested the construction of the North Shore Towers because they were afraid it would dominate the horizon. [6] However, it was a highly anticipated “big Queens project” for most New Yorkers. [7]
The buildings are considered fireproof by the New York City Fire Department because partitions between individual units are designed to stop the spread of flames, also known as compartmentalization. This is evidenced by a 2004 fire caused by a cigarette where no one was seriously injured because the fire was self-contained. [8]
In 2000, a North Shore Towers resident noticed a zip code error when making an online purchase. After further investigation in 2001, it was determined that the North Shore Towers was one of four zip codes that were mistakenly charged a Nassau County sales tax of 8.5% instead of the New York City sales tax of 8.25%. This is because the zip codes cross the city line. Residents argue that New York City should receive their tax dollars and not Nassau County. This error has since been corrected. [9]
The North Shore Towers were originally built as rentals, but in 1985 it was filed with the New York State Attorney General’s office to convert the complex into cooperative apartments. At the time, this was touted as the most expensive conversion in New York City’s history. [10] In 1987, all but 150 units of the North Shore Towers complex were successfully converted to a co-op under a noneviction plan. [11][12]
The North Shore Towers complex has a self-generating power plant that produces electricity independent of local power companies. This was noted during the New York City Blackout of 1977 when the entire city was without power but lights were still visible in the North Shore Towers. [13]
During the Northeast Blackout of 2003, the North Shore Towers continued to produce electricity unaffected. This resulted in extensive media coverage on the co-op's self-sufficiency with regard to energy. After seeing this news coverage of North Shore Towers’ ability to produce power during the blackout, city tax collectors sent energy tax bills to North Shore Towers and the Penn South co-op in Chelsea, Manhattan. The tax bills were for $1 million each, representing unpaid fuel taxes going back 20 years. This was extremely controversial because both co-ops produce their own power. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Councilman David Weprin (D-Queens), then Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), and other city officials worked towards settling the tax bills and removing future energy taxes for the co-ops. Then Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) commented that such co-ops “should be rewarded, not punished for providing their own energy.” [14]
As a gated community and private country club, the North Shore Towers offers a variety of amenities for residents and guests. The on-premise security is always present at the front gate guard booth and in the dispatch office. There are also security patrols 24-hours a day. The on-site management company is Charles H. Greenthal Management Corp., which also manages upscale residential buildings in Manhattan. Superintendents, maintenance staff, doormen, and concierge are staffed in each building 24-hours a day.[12][15][1]
The North Shore Towers Country Club offers several areas dedicated to recreational sport, including an 18-hole, par 70 private golf course, 5 tennis courts, basketball court, shuffleboard court, ping pong tables, billiards room, card rooms, and a clubhouse. The health club includes 5 indoor and outdoor pools, a 20-person jacuzzi, fully equipped gym with personal trainers, aerobics classes, saunas, steam rooms, lockers, and showers.[12][15][1]
The three buildings that comprise the North Shore Towers are connected by an indoor shopping concourse. This indoor mall includes a 460-seat movie theater, restaurant, Chase bank branch, supermarket, dry cleaner, laundromat, fruit and flower shop, pharmacy, boutique, spa, beauty salon, golf pro shop, convention center with catering hall, videographer, library, art gallery, public lounge rooms, courtyard garden with snack bar, children’s playground, dentist, and notary. North Shore Towers has three in-house television channels and two monthly newspapers, the independently published Tower Times (established 1995), and the North Shore Towers Courier (2004). Complementary flu shots are given to residents each fall.[12][15][1]
The North Shore Towers community also has many social activities, including day and evening trips, cultural events, book clubs, walking clubs, photography clubs, gardening clubs, concerts, guest speaking events, and holiday dinner dances. "In most cases, the residents are the ones who develop and implement all these things," said Phyllis Goldstein, a board member who is in charge of the enhancement committee. "This is small-town living," she added, "and when you interact in the club, the movie theater, the coffee shop, over the years, you get to know everybody." "What you get is a lifestyle, not just an apartment," added Linda Rappaport, the on-site sales specialist for the Charles H. Greenthal sales firm. [16][12][15][1]
There is above ground parking and three levels of underground parking available, able to accommodate 2,800 cars. A car wash, detail, and repair service is available to residents in the underground parking lot. The concierge service offers courtesy bus rides to local shopping destinations. Express metro buses to Manhattan leave regularly from the front of each of the three buildings.[12][15][1]
The North Shore Towers Board of Directors consists of nine directors, each elected for 2-year terms. Each of the three buildings at North Shore Towers has its own on-site election district. Voting for both United States government elections and in-house board elections are done on the premises. North Shore Towers regularly contracts an outside election company for such occasions. [17]
The North Shore Towers has an annual budget of $43 million. [12] Their General Manager is Glen Kotowski and their Controller is Robert Serikstad, CPA. [18]
Those looking to live at the North Shore Towers must prepare for an interview with the co-op's Board of Directors, a screening process that is taken very seriously. [19]
The North Shore Towers Political Action Committee frequently organizes events to show support for lawmakers and to raise awareness on a number of important issues. [20] Politicians running for office often visit the North Shore Towers during their campaigns in an attempt to win the Jewish vote. [21]
Politicians that have campaigned and spoke at the North Shore Towers include U.S. Congressman Gary Ackerman,[22] U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman,[23] then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani,[21] then U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton,[24] New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, NYS Senator Frank Padavan, NYS Assemblywoman Ann Margaret Carrozza, NYC Councilmann Mark Weprin, NYC Speaker of the City Council Christine Quinn, NYC Comptroller William Thompson, NYC Finance Chairman Councilman David Weprin, NYC Commissioner of Finance Martha Stark, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, and Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi.