The Cielo

The Cielo opened in the mid-2000s on York Avenue at East 83rd Street, in Yorkville, the Upper East Side neighborhood long known for its German and Eastern European immigrant history. J.D. Carlisle Development Corporation developed the building and hired Perkins Eastman to design its setback tower, with corner windows and vertical piers meant to emphasize height.

The building's best-known feature isn't inside it. In 2006, the developer commissioned artist Richard Haas to paint a large trompe l'oeil mural on the building directly across the street at 455 East 83rd Street. The mural depicts an elaborate mechanical glockenspiel with painted figures of mounted New York City police officers rather than the medieval soldiers found on German town-square clocks, a nod to Yorkville's immigrant history. CityRealty describes it as a 77-foot-wide mural that cost roughly $200,000.

Inside, The Cielo leaned into an arts-and-culture angle from the start: CityRealty's overview notes the lobby features paintings by artist Betsy Eby, and that original buyers received complimentary Whitney Museum memberships as part of an 'art concierge' service the developer offered. Apartments range from studios to penthouses, with 10 to 11 foot ceilings, Bulthaup kitchens, and many units with wraparound terraces.