20 Henry Street Conversion Getting in Gear

I grew up in this building and the court yard was one of the best parts of the building. We put on plays, bbq'd, etc. in it. It was a great meeting place for the neighbors and a place for kids to play.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 11:08 AM

43 units into 14 condos. Those are going to be some big (and pricey) condos.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 11:25 AM

I respect Linda Collins' reporting, but I don't know how she could possible question "whether the developer plans to stick with the LPC-approved plans for a four-story new building in the adjacent courtyard that fronts Poplar and Henry Streets." Those plans took a really long time to get approved, and only after repeated tweaking. (And that was with former LPC chair Sherida Paulsen as the designer!) Part of what Urban Realty Partners bought for $19.6M is the approval.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 11:40 AM

This building was intersting but always kind of a dump. The side garden was not well maintained, in fact it looked horrible. I for one do not mourn the loss of the former tenants. Hopefully the planned conversion will restore the building, which could be handsome, and will provide family-sized apartments for folks who want to move here or stay in the neighborhood as their families expand.
I think the zoning is a nightmare here but Joe Lombardi knows what he's doing. How he will deal with the new fire and building codes is another story. The whole building may have to be rebuilt inside. It is currently heavy timber framing.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 11:50 AM

11:40,
I think the LPC would be willing to consider improvements to the Paulsen design, which I think nobody really liked. The commission had just been worn down by the process and by the attorneys. The LPC chairman was just barely able to muster the minimum number of votes to approve the plan.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 11:57 AM

how can i stay updated on this building? looking to buy a condo in the near future and this seems promising.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 12:24 PM

11:57, improvements to the Paulsen design? Maybe, and JPL knows what he's doing. But a whole new design is only for the confidant or the stupid with deep enough pockets to indulge either characteristic -- 11:40.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 12:50 PM

He would not be going in for a whole new design, just adjustments. The approved design for the new building was not perfect. If I were them, I would seek adjustments. I recall that some of the units had large picture windows right on the sidewalk. yechh.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 1:45 PM

12:24, you better be ready to spend at least $1.5 b/c these things are going to be expensive!!

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 2:25 PM

I talked to the developer once, he asked me how'd I like it if he told what I could do in my apartment, if I wanted to buy the park and keep it then it's for sale.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 4:22 PM

Heartbreaking that this building was lost from the Mitchell-Lama program and all those middle income tenants -- many of them artists -- evicted. Leaves even more of a sour taste when one reads that the conversion will reduce the number of units by two-thirds.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 5:25 PM

Peaks Mason Mints!

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 5:25 PM

good riddance to the old annoying artists, don't feel sorry for them they got plenty of dough in the buyout. probably enough to keep them in weed for the rest of their days.

Posted by: guest at December 6, 2007 7:40 PM

"....they got plenty of money in the buyout"??! I don't believe there was a buyout. There were tenants. Their leases expired. They lost their homes. End of story.

Posted by: guest at December 7, 2007 10:32 AM

Let me play the world's small violin for these poor artists. Let's not forget that they got to live in such an awesome building in such a great location for so long. Let's not forget that there are people who are willing to pay more and want to live there. New York libs are so incredibly idiotic. They think the sub-prime bailout is a good thing too. What about the taxpayers? What about the investors? What about prospective home-owners who were previously priced out? There, I'm done ranting.

Posted by: guest at December 7, 2007 6:24 PM

the main people organizing the tenants were an architect and a lawyer. both residents. hardly artists.

there will NEVER be programs like ML again if people can't stick to a bargain. these tenants balked when their time was up -- soemthing they'd known was coming for 20 years.

Posted by: guest at December 8, 2007 10:27 AM

Yeah, fuck those poor people. Fuck them for complaining, most especially. They should just shut up and go live in some fucking garbage dump and not bother the rest of us who actually do REAL work like trade money, and buy and develop property. How DARE they think they get to live in a nice building for a reasonable rent for more than 20 years? Jesus, some people. Fucking communists. They should just probably be deported to Libya. or Syria. Yeah, to Syria.

Posted by: guest at May 5, 2008 9:49 PM