There’s a new king of Queens, and the throne comes with views of the Poconos.
Sky C, the crown-floor penthouse atop the Orchard in Long Island City, has hit the market for $13,350 per month. But more than its sky-high asking price is its sky-high stature — its mere elevation makes it the highest home in the entire borough. And, yes, the views stretch as far as the eyes can see.
The three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom unit sits on the 70th floor of the 823-foot tower, which BLDG Management developed on a full city block at Orchard Street and Jackson Avenue.
BLDG president Lloyd Goldman made no secret of his ambitions from the start.
“We envisioned this being the tallest,” Goldman said, recounting a prolonged negotiation with the Federal Aviation Administration over flight restrictions tied to seaplanes that land on the East River. Getting the tower to its final height required securing an FAA exemption even for the construction crane.
The unit is one of only five residences on the building’s Sky Collection floor, a tier reserved for what Goldman describes as a near-condominium experience in a rental package.
Ceiling heights reach 16 feet, with double-height windows framing unobstructed sightlines toward Connecticut, New Jersey and the Atlantic.
“You can see 20 to 25 miles on a clear day,” Goldman said.
Finishes throughout Sky C lean into luxury. The kitchen features Dacor appliances with panelized refrigeration, quartzite stone countertops and custom cabinetry.
Bathrooms include radiant-heated floors, heated elongated toilets and glass tile feature walls.
Even the laundry situation has been engineered for altitude. Goldman noted that unlike most Manhattan high-rises, where condenser dryers can take hours, “in this building your dryers are vented because you’re up at the top — takes a half hour to dry.”
The 70th floor also includes a private lounge with space for a dinner party of 12 to 14, a sky deck measuring roughly 20 by 40 feet and front-row views of every local celebratory display come July 4th.
“You’re going to be able to see the fireworks over the Hudson. You’re going to see them over the East River and you’re going to see them across Long Island,” Goldman said.
The Sky Collection listing is part of a broader inventory release at the Orchard that spans three distinct residential tiers.
The Terrace Collection ranges from $6,450 to $11,300, with oversized layouts and private outdoor spaces. The Premier and Penthouse Collection, spanning the tower’s upper floors below the sky level, runs from $4,870 to $12,710. Studios in the building start in the mid-$3,000s.
Goldman said the building’s location, just over the Queensborough Bridge from Midtown, is a central part of the pitch to prospective renters.
“If you work at Bloomberg or you work at Blackstone … basically from Grand Central to the Plaza District, you’re one or two stops from this building,” he said.
For those arriving by car, the building offers a drive court, a feature Goldman said is rare in New York.
Amenities across more than 100,000 square feet include an indoor lap pool, a resort-style outdoor pool, 13 rooftop barbecue grills, pickleball courts, a running track and a recently unveiled pro-style basketball court developed in collaboration with trainer Chris Brickley.
Goldman, whose family has owned the Long Island City site for decades, said the property was previously an industrial site once occupied by American Steel before being converted to light manufacturing and finally reimagined as residential.
He said the building’s sightlines, protected in part by the Queensborough Bridge’s ramp infrastructure which wraps the block, are expected to remain clear for generations, and on a clear day boasts views of the Atlantic Ocean and out to the Poconos.
“Since my family owns real estate for the long hold, we wanted this building to be something we’re going to be proud of for many, many years,” he said.
As for the $13,350 asking rent, Goldman positioned it as a relative value play.
“If you were going to buy this, your carry cost would be probably two to three times that of being a renter,” he said.
