Work has yet to commence at 335 Fifth Avenue in Koreatown, where a 26-story mixed-use residential building is expected to rise. Pi Capital Partners filed permits last August for the site, which is located at the corner of East 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue. The 283-foot-tall building is being designed by Raymond Chan Architect and will span 85,224 square feet. Eighty-two residences are expected to be created, averaging 682 square feet apiece.
Tectonic’s photo shows that demolition preparations have not yet begun for the existing structure on the plot. Current tenants include a Wendy’s fast food restaurant, a money exchange service, a souvenir shop, and an artisan handbag company. The site is directly across Fifth Avenue from the Empire State Building.
335 Fifth Avenue via Google Maps
The development will include 55,977 square feet designated for residential space and 11,026 square feet for commercial use. 335 Fifth Avenue is two blocks from the 33rd Street subway station, serviced by the 6 train. The B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W, and PATH trains are also nearby at the 34th Street-Herald Square station under the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Broadway. The address is also a short walk from a number of retail flagships that line Fifth Avenue.
At 26 stories, the new building will fit into the general context of the neighborhood. Its location across from New York’s most famous building will likely be a draw for future residents and an incentive for providing a shared roof deck. No official list of amenities has been announced, nor has a start date for the demolition. YIMBY will be on the lookout for a finalized rendering and timetables for construction.
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My face and skin are in a Japanese style, I’m not lying and I tell the truth; that I look in the mirror: Thanks to Michael Young.
I tend to roll my eyes at commenters’ pleas to incorporate every old structure facing the wrecking ball into the next structure, but if there was any opportunity to do such a thing, this it. That building would make a phenomenal base for whatever structure replaces it and set these units apart from the various new residential buildings in its vicinity. What a waste.
I agree CJ, this is a “diamond in the rough”, that needs a good polishing, and it would be an asset to a mixed use tower above, to balance the past with the future. But unfortunately it will demolished, and only be another photo of was once there. Sad…
This will be tragic. The Demarest Building was – and still is – a beautiful building, though insensitively “remodeled” in recent years. It certainly is not beyond recovery. If one visits Raymond Chan’s website, one is left with the slightly-off taste of seafood past its sell-by date. As there are no images available for the proposal, one has to fear for the quality of the replacement. Just being tall like its neighbors doesn’t make a building appropriate for its neighborhood. I’m all for pro-active development, and believe strongly that the city has to keep changing to stay vibrant. But when one replaces a building, particularly one with character and history (first electric elevator, installed by Otis), one ought to fight for something significant in its place. Too many of YIMBY’s stories are gung-ho for crap.
Agree completely with other comments. I am all for development, modern architecture, and a thriving vibrant city, but losing the entirety of this building to the wrecking ball would be a shame. There are plenty of buildings in the City that can be replaced, but you’ve got to save the good ones to give the City character – even if it’s only the facade.
Christ, I hope this gets cancelled.
Reusing the historic building as a base for the new tower would require imagination on the part of the developer and architect. Period.
Agreed. There are so many good examples of a new tower atop a beautifully preserved and reinvigorated base. Hope the developer sees the long-term value in reinventing an old landmark and it happens here.
Losing Demarest would be vandalism. What is the LPC thinking?
a great loss to lose demarest, a valuable ensemble player on this stretch of 5th.
Honestly, this is shocking to me, it left me speechless. I had to read it twice thinking I must have misunderstood. This building is gorgeous. I don’t even care what the new building will look like, demolishing this building is simply not right.