1020 Grand Concourse
Philip Birnbaum
1961-1963
Grand Concourse Historic District, National Register Historic District

Designed in the Modern style by Philip Birnbaum, this 23-story cooperative apartment complex contains 453 units. Faced primarily in white brick, the Executive Towers features a slightly concave elevation with curved balconies, punctured by narrow light wells running up the height of the building. Projecting outward from the building, the entrance pavilion’s jagged, sawtooth roof, supported by green and white marble columns, contrasts sharply with the gentle curves of the tower. The complex was completed in 1963, just as the middle class began its rapid exodus from the Grand Concourse. Boasting features like central air conditioning, it was touted in real estate brochures as “the first luxury skyscraper in the Bronx.” Despite the development’s aspirations, the Executive Towers could not compete with the suburbs and larger complexes like Co-op City, which contained 15,000 apartments in a self-contained community in the northeast Bronx.