By: Jordan Baker

Aby Rosen, the prominent real estate mogul behind RFR Holdings, is taking a bold step forward with plans to redevelop a well-known, yet often-overlooked corner of Manhattan. The building in question?

The triangular-topped Trylons at 145-155 E. 42nd Street, a parcel that Rosen’s company owns outright. This move marks a new chapter for Rosen, who was recently ousted from his leasehold of the iconic Chrysler Building by landowner Cooper Union.

“I’m done with the Chrysler Building, but I’m far from done with the Trylons,” Rosen shared in an exclusive interview with The Post’s Steve Cuozzo. “This is a wonderful opportunity, and we’ve always had the idea to redevelop it.”

Rosen, who made his name in the real estate world through RFR Holdings, a company he co-founded with his longtime partner Michael Fuchs, has experienced both high points and setbacks in his career. Most notably, his purchase of the Chrysler Building in 2019, alongside Austrian partner Signa, was meant to cement his status as one of New York’s top developers. But things took a downturn when the landowner Cooper Union moved to terminate Rosen’s lease after he fell behind on ground rent payments, a blow that has reshaped his focus.

Despite that setback, Rosen is undeterred. With a new, more favorable ownership position at the Trylons, Rosen sees a prime opportunity for redevelopment. The site, a small 13,000-square-foot lot, is wedged between two prominent buildings— the Chrysler Building itself and 666 Third Avenue. It currently houses low-rise retail spaces designed by the late Philip Johnson, but Rosen has big plans to transform the site.

When Rosen and his partner purchased both the Chrysler Building and the Trylons for $150 million in 2019, the deal was not as bargain-basement as it appeared at first glance. The ground rent at the Chrysler Building was skyrocketing, rising from $7.5 million to $32.5 million annually, and poised to increase to $41 million by 2028. However, the Trylons came with a different advantage. Rosen’s company owns the building outright, avoiding the costly ground lease issues that bogged down their Chrysler Building venture.

The Trylons, designed in 2001 by Johnson, were initially intended as a bold homage to the Chrysler Building’s Art Deco style. However, the design—three sharp-edged glass triangles atop two uninspiring retail boxes—was not universally praised. As Rosen put it to Cuozzo, “Between you and me, it’s rather ugly.” The building housed a Capital Grille steakhouse for years, and much of its space remained underutilized.

Rosen’s vision for the Trylons is much more ambitious. He plans to demolish the current structure and redevelop the site into a space with significant commercial potential. “This can be a great site for anything from experiential retail to a flagship auto dealership, or even tech brands,” Rosen said. In fact, he revealed that several major car manufacturers have already shown interest in the space.

The parcel could support as much as 100,000 square feet of floor space as-of-right, with the possibility of expanding much further, should Rosen opt to use air rights and seek approval for increased density. Under East Midtown’s new zoning rules, the building could rise as high as 40 stories, potentially topping out “up to the level of the Chrysler gargoyles,” Rosen explained to Cuozzo. While the site is small, Rosen emphasized that he would prefer a compact, taller building rather than an overbearing tower.