Steel and concrete are finally climbing at 1578 Lexington Avenue in East Harlem, where a 13-story medical office and community facility is starting to assert itself above the sidewalk. After months of digging and prep work, crews are now forming the first story at the western edge of the lot, marking a visible new chapter for a site that will blend outpatient clinics, community services and a rebuilt home for a long-time neighborhood church.
Workers are wrapping up the ground-floor slab, now packed with metal shoring, formwork and rebar, as below-grade construction nears its finish line before the reinforced concrete superstructure begins its full rise, according to New York YIMBY. The outlet notes the frame could top out before year’s end, with overall completion anticipated for June 2028. Site photos show the building starting with a five-story podium and a stepped profile as it climbs to its full height.
Plans and tenants
The project is being developed by Slate Property Group in partnership with Evenhar Development and designed by Kutnicki Bernstein Architects, according to materials from the development team. Mount Sinai Health System has signed on for roughly 150,000 square feet of space for outpatient and support services, while the East Harlem Center, a nearly 19,000-square-foot community hub operated by Children’s Aid, is slated to occupy much of the lower floors, per a release from Slate Property Group. A new home for Life Changers Church is also planned within the ground and lower levels so the congregation can maintain its foothold on the block.
Financing and timeline
The development is backed by a $119 million construction loan from J.P. Morgan and a $40 million preferred equity investment from GoldenTree Asset Management, with Walker & Dunlop advising on the capital stack, as reported by Commercial Observer. The outlet also reports that construction kicked off in 2025 and that the team is aiming for initial occupancy in spring 2028. Together, the financing package and long-term lease deals are intended to lock in Mount Sinai’s presence in East Harlem for decades.
Community space and history
Before the excavators showed up, the site was occupied by buildings owned by Life Changers Church, which were demolished in 2022, and an adjacent basketball court that came down in 2024, leaving the lot empty until work began last year, according to New York YIMBY. Evenhar purchased the property from the church in early 2023, a deal documented by The Real Deal, with developers arguing the new complex will keep a long-standing institution in place while layering in additional neighborhood services. Plans for the East Harlem Center call for classrooms, a gymnatorium and a basketball court, all meant to bring back programming that had been pushed off the block during demolition.
“1578 Lexington exemplifies our commitment to creating developments that serve the broader community,” Oren Evenhar said in a project statement, according to Slate Property Group. The developers say the design stacks clinical care, childcare and nonprofit programming into a single address, keeping key neighborhood organizations on site even as a new medical tower reshapes the corner of Lexington Avenue.
