Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Like clockwork, 123 Third Avenue on time, pretty much

So, we've been watching the work on the southeast corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue (aka "East Union Square") starting in April 2008, when the sidewalk shed started going up... and the Tanning Zone came down ...



Workers demolished the two-story building, and the future 123 Third Avenue started going up in the fall of 2008...



September 2009...



The signs said all this would be done by May 1, 2011. (Yeah, right!) Which was Sunday.



So how did they do? I took these shots on April 30...





And now, the sidewalk shed is gone...



Given the number of stalled and dead projects, 123 stayed on track. (Curbed looked at 123's rendering vs. reality last week.)

And as this penthouse party invite* for last night shows, 123 has sold 90 percent of the units... with some $3.6 million (and up!) penthouses left to scramble for...


Not bad for something that looks like the dorm across the street, though with better amenities.

* The 123ers did invite me, though I couldn't attend you know.
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15 comments:

  1. LisaMay 4, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Who would have ever thought I'd miss the Tanning Zone?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 4, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    I also miss the Tanning Zone.

    What makes me so sad about this. I have been living very close to this corner for about 12 years now. I have passed it on an almost daily basis (sometimes several times a day) for years. Yet, even if I close my eyes, I can barely remember what it felt like before. Even though I have been paying attention all this time. Even though I have been feeling the ghosts all over the hood pass through me in recent days. I close my eyes and try to remember what it felt like to walk by without the shadow of those two glass behemoths and I can't. And as I walked by early last night under those new shadows, the Mystery Lot looked dark, like a graveyard.

    :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mykola ( Mick) DementiukMay 4, 2011 at 10:31 AM

    Remember, there was a Blimpie's on the corner and across the street, mid-block, next to the Nedick's, was the Central Cafeteria, 24 hour place that served hamburgers, scrambled eggs and anything else you wanted. It plays a part in my '100 Whores." God, am I hungry haha!

    ReplyDelete
  4. blue glassMay 4, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    i've always thought that the developers, folks that renovate buildings/stores should be required to post a picture of what the original building looked like, and the changes made to it - and in a lot of cases the demolition.
    that would keep the history alive, at least in virtual reality.
    things change too much and too fast for people to remember what was there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LisaMay 4, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    As long as we're at it, I miss the Variety Theater too, that little 19th century gem that was torn down seemingly overnight, and with no community awareness, to build that piece of crap tower with the dirty blue and green panels that stands obliquely across from 123.

    ReplyDelete
  6. the other LisaMay 4, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    Are you people for real-- you're mourning the loss of The Tanning Zone?!

    If 90% of the units are sold, doesn't that suggest to you that not ALL new construction is the plague-upon-society that you knee-jerk EVers make it out to be?

    Another beloved historical New York treasure bites the dust. RIP Tanning Zone.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMay 4, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    No one misses the ACTUAL Tanning Zone, Other Lisa (unless EVG has a bunch of secret MysticTan freaks of which I've been previously unaware). We miss low-rise buildings and corners dedicated to small businesses. We mourn the loss of lo-fi living to glass towers and banks.

    If you want to believe that 90% sold figure, go nuts. Just dial back the sarcasm por favor.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Laura Goggin PhotographyMay 4, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    @blue glass - nice idea. The Circle Line boats often have a photo of the original on board, so you can see how they turned a once-noble vessel into the current piece of crap.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marty WombacherMay 4, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    @The Other Lisa: If that 90% sold claim is true, it just proves P.T. Barnum correct. I have to run now, it's tanning time!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Crazy EddieMay 4, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    I miss the porno/peep show store too! Where else could you get a bukakki compilation 3 DVD set for $5.95?:)

    Also, how is the mystery lot ET doing, I am truly concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  11. EV GrieveMay 4, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    ET isn't looking too good, Eddie. Still in that belly-flop position. Guess he's trying to blend in with the weekenders.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Marty WombacherMay 4, 2011 at 5:15 PM

    @EV Grieve: You just made me cry a little with that E.T. remark. Okay a lot. I'm sobbing like Jim Bakker over here when they hauled his sorry ass into jail.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Marty WombacherMay 4, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    Hey, I just thought of something! Could someone put an ornament and some tinsel on the fallen E.T. and then enter him in the Christmas Tree contest? I think that might help all of our spirits a little.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Crazy EddieMay 4, 2011 at 8:16 PM

    @Marty

    That damn mystery lot barbed wire. We need a SEAL team to get in there and out to rescue AND decorate ET!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Marty WombacherMay 4, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    @Crazy Eddie: I forgot about the barbed wire...damn! I'm welling up again!

    ReplyDelete

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