Rumblings & Bumblings Responses: No. 188 Pencil

Thursday, February 23, 2006, by Joshua

[Readers – man, they're good. Answers, and more questions, inspired by Tuesday's questions posted below. More to tips@curbed.com or in the comments below.]

1) Lower East Side: Looks like they may be sharpening the space above for "The Pencil," a 23-story tower developed by Edison and designed by Costas Kondylis & Partners. Building permit for 188 Ludow here. Notes a commenter, "They must be using the air rights from the adjacent lot. The plans call for 209,499 sqft area and this lot has only 156,810sqft allowed. Also this means that there will be only an avg of 9000sqft per floor, one skinny building since the lot is 26,000 sqft." They ain't calling it The Pencil for nothing. According to "The Internet," This space was the subject of some community opposition way back in '02. Anybody got the skinny (oh, ooh, our sides hurt) on the intervening four years? (N.B. We hear the Sun had some news on this in this story last week, but, alas, it doesn't appear in the first four paragraphs.)
2) Cobble Hill: We have it on high anonymous commenter authority that the "[b]uilding where Cousins was on Court St. just sold for $2.6m. I think guy owned restaurant and bldg." However, Anonymous II notes, "The Building Permits posted in front of Cousins indicate that there will only be ground-floor and cellar interior renovations to a food service establishment. Maybe its not going anywhere after all."
3) Upper West Side: Looks like Whole Foods fatigue has set in. No one cared to speculate on the latest rumored expansion on 93rd and Bway. One commenter offers this rumor instead: West Elm furniture.
4) Gramercy: Big condo project on 23rd and 1st. The Real Deal's got the goods: Randy Gerner-designed wall o' glass, 23 stories, 200 apartments, 400 to 2,500 sqft. We'll let the marketing agent, a Mr. M. Shvo tell you the rest: "This is high end, with no expense spared, letting us go to the next level, with a technological control system of services within the apartment."
5) Fort Greene: Regarding 181 Clermont, "I think I read condos. The people at the Armory know all about it and new tenants on that side of the building are being asked to sign a rider to their lease stating that they are aware that they will be living next to a construction site and, eventually, having their views/light blocked." People of the Armory, step forward and tell your tale!
6) Boerum Hill: As for the space on Nevins and Pacific, there is this: "[I]t was stuck in limbo for years by an owner who was in tax arrears, and every time it was about to be taken over by the city, he paid just enough to keep it. Someone who wanted to buy it for years finally got it, and is planning on building up. Not sure how many floors, but I believe the current facade will be saved."
· Rumblings & Bumblings: More Court St. Closings? [Curbed]

Filed under Brooklyn: Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn: Fort Greene, Manhattan: Gramercy/Flatiron District, Manhattan: Upper West Side/Columbus Circle, Real Estate Development, Restaurants, Rumblings and Bumblings,

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Comments (6 extant)

Heard the SHVO project in Gramercy was to be another Phillipe Stark project....

By Kerry at February 23, 2006 10:51 AM

i remember the big protests associated with the development of the property at ludlow and houston back in 02. at that time the LES didn't have any modern 20 story towers, and no one really knew THOR would grow as large as it did (check lockhartsteele.com's early thor chronicals). now that it's pierced the skyline, so-to-speak, look at all this development... BLUE, Orchard Hotel & Condos, Blue Moon and now Ludlow/Houston. was there a recent change in LES zoning?

By kevin g at February 23, 2006 7:46 PM

Re: Fort Greene, 181 Clermont aka 174 Vanderbilt

The site is owned by the owners of Court Street Stationers, Jacob Gutman and Lazar Abramowitz. For ten years they used the one story building as a warehouse and office for Court Street Stationers and sublet the Clermont Ave side to a wholesale book seller. The building is now demolished and messrs. Gutman and Abramowitz have entered the realm of real estate development. They plan to put up a luxury condominium building of a 100 plus units designed by Marvin Meltzer of Meltzer Mandl Architects of Greene House Condos fame. Plans have not yet been approved by the Dept. of Buildings. Although the developers or the architect have not been very forthcoming in sharing their vision, we have learned that the building will be 6 or 7 stories in two wings, one facing Clermont and the other Vanderbilt, atop a one story base with a raised courtyard in between, similar in massing to the Clermont Armory. Unfortunately, each wing will be built to the full width of the lot with no setback or sideyards and thus all south facing windows in the adjacent Clermont Armory will be faced with a blank wall 5 ft away.

By Samy at February 23, 2006 11:19 PM

Anyone walking past the building at 93rd and Broadway would be able to tell that there's no way a Whole Foods would fit. Nor a West Elm. My guess is another bank... I don't think there's a Chase in at least 3 blocks.

By JoeM at February 24, 2006 3:48 PM

By JoeM at February 24, 2006 3:50 PM

re 93rd / broadway

joe m. - according to Friedland website the space is 3 floors of retail totalling 25,000SF, likely small for WF but not impossible, fine for a west elm...but thanks for the analysis

By Anonymous at February 27, 2006 1:42 PM