Thursday, March 22, 2012

The end is near(er) for the Mystery Lot

We knew this day was coming... not that it makes it any easier... an unhappy East 13th Street tipster points us to the DOB website, where there are three permits pending approval (dated March 15) related to building over this beloved land of bricks, discarded holiday trees, aliens, etc.

[EVG file photo]

As the Post first reported on Jan. 19, the space will become an 82-unit, eight-story development that should break ground this summer for a late 2013 opening. "Prices are still to be determined for the project’s studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units," according to the Post.

The work permits say that the space will include 86,409 square feet for residential and 5,275 square feet for retail. The good news about the retail: You can likely count out an iHop ... 7-Eleven... KFC... Dunkin' Donuts...Duane Reade...

BKSK is listed as the architect of record... according to the BKSK website, their residential work includes 25 Bond Street, home of $20 million apartments and, once, Will Smith, as Curbed has noted.

We leave with this aerial view of what became the Mystery Lot circa 1913... from ConEd looking at the southeast corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue...



And you can spot the former Jefferson Theatre...

(And apologies — have had this for so long we don't recall the original source... Per Mick in the comments, this is a Shorpy photo.)
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6 comments:

  1. Mykola ( Mick) DementiukMarch 22, 2012 at 7:28 AM

    That's from Shorpy, I have it as my Desktop

    http://www.shorpy.com/node/4521

    ReplyDelete
  2. EV GrieveMarch 22, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    Thanks Mick!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Marty WombacherMarch 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    I hate to think of what chain will be moving in here and that ET will no longer has a home if he decides to come back!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BabyDaveMarch 22, 2012 at 1:05 PM

    Nice photo. Any idea what was the building where the parking lot is now?
    Also, as far as Mystery Lot Arms, will it have features such as
    http://evgrieve.com/2012/02/more-photos-of-apartment-with-garage.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mykola ( Mick) DementiukMarch 22, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    Did you know that on the 13th Street site of the Mystery Lot there once stood a church or temple, you can see it in the picture above, right above the Jefferson. It was destroyed by the Lindsay Administration who assumed the site site was abandoned with no owners. No one wanted a temple in a drug infested area. Lo and behold, there was an owner and he was in California, boy was he pissed. He won the case for I don't know much but he got enough, that's for sure. Wonder if the site is still held by him or his heirs? But they did destroy a religious site, same as used to fo in Russia or China

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marc KehoeMarch 23, 2012 at 2:18 PM

    Great to use that picture- the year my grandfather arrived in NY from Tsarist Russia!

    ReplyDelete

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