Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced an updated design for MSK’s forthcoming Kenneth C. Griffin Pavilion at MSK, which includes a reduction in the originally proposed height of the building by 76 feet. The newly-designed Griffin Pavilion, slated for construction on MSK’s main campus on the Upper East Side, responds to requests from Council Member Julie Menin to examine options for lowering the height of the building while continuing to deliver a state-of-the-art building to address the increasing demand for cancer care, as projected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The updated building design follows two years of engagement with Council Member Julie Menin as well as input from Manhattan Community Board 8 and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. MSK’s clinicians and architects have worked to reduce the building’s scale while ensuring that it could still meet the demands associated with a projected 50 percent increase in cancer incidence by 2050.
“The new design of the Griffin Pavilion will ensure that we have state-of-the-art cancer care for decades to come that is equipped to handle the rising volume of new cancer cases predicted by the CDC,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, President & CEO of MSK. “We will meet that challenge with an updated design that addresses the neighborhood’s desire for a lower profile.”
“Memorial Sloan Kettering’s announcement of the redesign of the Griffin Pavilion—reflecting a reduction in height of 76 feet from the originally proposed height—follows months of discussions with my office seeking to minimize and mitigate the impact of constructing a state-of-the-art building on our community’s quality of life,” said Council Member Julie Menin. “By lowering the height and reducing the environmental footprint of the construction yet maintaining the overall number of hospital beds, we have achieved real benefit to the community. This announcement is the latest in a broader package of accommodations we negotiated that not only meets but exceeds environmental requirements to assure constituents with confidence that MSK and our office are doing everything to protect the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers. We look forward to continued collaboration through the Griffin Pavilion Construction Working Group to monitor any community concerns.”
In the coming decades, cancer rates are expected to climb significantly as a result of the growing and aging population. The Griffin Pavilion will provide MSK the required clinical space to meet the increased demand for cancer care and address disparities in cancer care access among medically underserved communities.
“Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center heard the concerns of our community and committed to Community Board 8, even before the ULURP process began, that it would endeavor to reduce the height of the Griffin Pavillion,” said Valerie S. Mason, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 8. Today’s announcement is evidence that they were listening. We very much appreciate the height reduction and our continuing dialogue with our neighbor, MSK.”
Located on York Avenue between East 66th and 67th Street, the Griffin Pavilion will be devoted exclusively to patient care. As designed, the new Griffin Pavilion will stand at 481 feet, be a LEED Certified facility, and connected to Memorial Hospital via a patient bridge. The new facility will also house advanced technology and an improved digital infrastructure required to treat patients on an inpatient basis that MSK’s current facilities cannot accommodate.
Construction on the Griffin Pavilion is scheduled to begin 2026. Remediation and demolition work on the site is currently underway. The Griffin Pavilion is expected to begin serving patients in 2030.
CONTACT:
Andrea Fassacesia
mediarelations@mskcc.org