Development Watch: 137 5th Avenue

When we checked in on 137 5th Avenue last summer, digging had recently begun to make way for a five-story new building on the vacant lot. (The new owner had just paid $1,200,000 for the property a month earlier.) We're not sure how active the site has been in recent weeks, but there are three stories of steel in place at this point. This should end up with ground-floor retail topped by four floor-through units.
Development Watch: 1357 5th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB

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what is that narrow grey cinderblock thing theyre building on the right? storage? safe room?

Posted by: goldie at January 28, 2009 3:25 PM

I'm guessing its the stairwell.

Posted by: Boerum Hill at January 28, 2009 3:36 PM

Another POS. why does the stairwell of a 4 story building take up 1/4 of the lot?

Posted by: billyboomer at January 28, 2009 3:43 PM

Maybe they are putting in an elevator?

Or, yeah, I guess it could be a fireproof stairwell so they don't need an exterior fire escape?

Posted by: northsloperenter at January 28, 2009 3:48 PM

It's for one of them new-fangled elevators I've heard about.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at January 28, 2009 4:03 PM

Walking by this the other day, I paused in disbelief. It has no northern wall. Those crossbeam floor supports are simply BOLTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ADJOINING BUILDING. It can't possibly be capable of standing on its own. Is that even legal?

Posted by: sourball at January 28, 2009 4:04 PM

It's probably a "party wall", which is historically legal for brownstones. I don't know if it's still legal for new buildings or steel frame buildings.

Posted by: zinka at January 28, 2009 4:09 PM

seems it going to look something like this...
http://lmarch.com/137_5th_ave.htm

Posted by: trastevere at January 28, 2009 4:13 PM

Wow, that looks pretty cool trastevere! I hope it turns out like the rendering!

Posted by: 11217 at January 28, 2009 4:19 PM

It seems like they only work a couple hours a day on a couple days a week and I haven't noticed any visible progress since December when third floor steel went up.

Posted by: Troy McClure at January 28, 2009 4:20 PM

Yea attaching the steel to the adjoining building looks suspect. funny how even in the beginning stages it looks like someone does not know what they are doing.

Posted by: billyboomer at January 28, 2009 4:33 PM

We live around the corner, and it has always distressed me how this corner of Saint Johns/Douglass and 5th seems to have missed out on the improvements that have taken over the rest of 5th Avenue. The bodega across the street never really recovered after a fire, and that whole building has been abandoned for some time. I was pleased to see that the vacant lot was finally being developed, and the rendering looks nice, but now this development appears to have stalled.

Posted by: likes2lurk at January 28, 2009 4:56 PM

Lurk-

The Bodega re-opened after the fire and only closed because the new owners weren't making enough cash. They also run a bodega on 4th and degraw( I think).

There were guys working on the new building Monday, but I can't tell what they were doing

Posted by: Troy McClure at January 28, 2009 5:39 PM

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January 28, 2009

Development Watch: 137 5th Avenue

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