A very long process has finally reached its resolution. On Thursday, the plan to convert the landmarked former First Church of Christ, Scientist in New York City at 361 Central Park West into condominiums was voted down by the Board of Standards and Appeals.
An anonymous New York investor has acquired, for $15.4 million, the six-story, 13,150-square-foot former residence and studio of artists Madeline Arakawa Gins and Shusaku Arakawa at 124 West Houston Street, in Greenwich Village. The new owner plans to convert the building’s ground and cellar levels into retail space and turn floors two though six into residential units, according to Commercial Observer. The building is vacant, except for a rent-controlled apartment on the fifth floor. It’s not clear if the apartments will be rentals or condos, but the future residential floors contain 14-foot ceilings and large floor plates. The property is located within the South Village Historic District, which means the Landmarks Preservation Commission would have to approve any exterior alterations.
As this month got underway, we brought you the unfortunate news regarding the landmark Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava at 15 West 25th Street, designed by Richard Upjohn, the architect of the Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan. The 1855 building, which was the city’s only house of prayer servicing the Serbian Orthodox community, was reduced to a charred stone shell on the evening of May 1, just hours after the Orthodox Easter celebration. While the church is collecting donations for reconstruction, the authorities are investigating the fenced-off site for the cause of the conflagration, while engineers keep an eye on the ruined building’s stability. The building is a New York City landmark and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Although the city’s laws protect the building from further demolition, the stone shell may be torn down if ultimately deemed dangerously unstable. Fortunately, the walls appear to be structurally sound for the time being, though serious reinforcement work would be permitted only after the investigations are complete.
Trans World Equities has filed applications to redevelop the two four-story commercial buildings at 308-310 Canal Street, in TriBeCa, into a six-story, eight-unit mixed-use structure. The buildings will get a two-story, 3,554-square-foot vertical expansion. Once complete, the redeveloped building will measure 13,776 square feet. There will be 2,146 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, followed by residential units on the second through sixth floors. The units should average 1,454 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums, and the top two floors will house two duplex apartments. Paul A. Castrucci’s Lower East Side-based architecture firm is the architect of record. The properties are located within the TriBeCa East Historic District, which means the Landmarks Preservation Commission will have to approve the expansion. Curbed NY reported on the project.
Back in October of 2014, developers of the planned six-story, multi-use commercial building at 19 East Houston Street, in SoHo, met with city and community officials and agreed to limit the project’s retail space to under 10,000 square feet, as well as widen the sidewalk. That was after the City Planning Commission already approved the proposal with more retail in August of 2014. Last week, Madison Capital and Vornado Realty Trust closed on the purchase of the triangular, 6,174-square-foot development site for $25.8 million from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Wall Street Journal reports. The latest building permits indicate a 98-foot-tall, 41,267-square-foot building is planned. The commercial space will be broken up between 11,500 square feet of retail space on the cellar through second levels, and 22,751 square feet of boutique office space on the third through sixth floors.
