New York has a heritage of grand apartment buildings that date from the early decades of the twentieth century. These structures have distinctive profiles, sensitive human scale, and a classical tripartite organization of base, middle, and top. The Gotham expresses this heritage in its design, while offering most of the amenities needed for contemporary urban living.

The Gotham is located on Third Avenue between 86th and 87th Streets, in the heart of one of the city's best neighborhoods on the Upper East Side. This is an attractive neighborhood for young families who wish to live near some of the city's finest schools. Designed with families in mind, The Gotham contains 241 luxury residences, a large percentage of which have four bedrooms. At the base of the building is a variety of shops and restaurants to give it an active urban edge. Below-grade are seven movie theaters that are entered from Third Avenue. The residential condominiums are accessible from the main entrance on 87th Street. At a lower level are a pool and health spa for the residents.

The Gotham's form and articulation distinguish it as a New York building. It fills out the site with a street wall that is very characteristic of New York. This street wall has a cornice, above which are two stories that reinforce the cornice line. The eleven stories above the cornice step back a gentle slope, creating terraces and a mansard-like profile.