One of New York City’s most magnificent public spaces will be getting some upgrades. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved changes to the atrium of the Ford Foundation Building at 320 East 43rd Street.
Sometime next spring, the landmarked Bronx General Post Office, located in the borough’s Concourse Village neighborhood, will start a new life as retail, office space, and a restaurant. Interior demolition work is underway and we got a peak inside last week, with Brendan Murray, vice president at Hollister Construction Services, and he pointed out an incredibly creepy aspect of the building’s history.
Morristown, N.J.-based Hampshire Real Estate Companies has acquired the 3.2-acre property at 33 Route 17 South, in East Rutherford, located just west of the Meadowlands. The site is currently occupied by the former Landmark, a 225,000-square-foot, three-room catering facility that closed its doors 2013, and a 55,000-square-foot industrial building. Hampshire Cos. plans to redevelop the property into a 100,000-square-foot self-storage facility, a retail store, and a gas station, according to NorthJersey.com. It’s not known if the existing structures are going to be demolished, although it’s possible that they could be converted to fit the new program.
In February, news broke that the two-story, 22,254-square-foot commercial building at 44-16 23rd Street, in the Court Square section of Long Island City, was going to be transformed into retail space. The Hakimian Organization, which is ground-leasing the property for 99 years from its property owner, is now conducting gut-renovations on it, The Court Square Blog reported. Plywood fencing currently surrounds the structure, which is will receive both interior and exterior upgrades. The windows on both the ground and second floors will be restored to their original sizes, after they were reduced in size following a previous alteration. JRT Realty, who is the leasing agent, is considering securing a restaurant, retailer, gym, an office tenant, or a mix of the those. Woodside-based Topos Design is the architect of record. Completion can probably be expected later this year.
In September of 2014, renderings were revealed of the six-story, 70-unit residential conversion of the warehouse at 160 Imlay Street, in Red Hook. Construction has been underway since 2014 on the 224,809-square-foot structure, and now the Daily Brooklyn Eagle has the latest update on the progress. The 70-foot-tall structure has yet to receive its windows, but it appears installation may be imminent. The condos should average a spacious 2,648 square feet apiece, and will come in one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts. Roughly 39,500 square feet of commercial space will be located on the ground and second floors, along with amenities like bike storage, private storage space, a fitness center, and a small parking garage. Est4te Four is the developer, AA Studio is the design architect, and Jeffrey Cole Architects is the architect of record. Completion is expected in the spring of 2017.
