[Bobby Williams]
Workers arrived Tuesday to begin erecting new sidewalk sheds on East Ninth Street at the former PS 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center.
According to DOB records, the city disapproved developer Gregg Singer's latest round of plans, filed on Feb. 12, for the building on Monday.
Per the all-caps job descrioption:
CONVERSTION OF EXISTING BUILDING TO COLLEGE STUDENT DORMITORY (UG 3). RELOCATION OF FLOOR AREA TO ADD MEZZANINE.
But, as DOB records show, the dorm would be contained within the existing structure... and it would not look like — remember these plans? — this...
[OLD PLANS]No word on who the dorm would be for... just like the other mysterious dorm project at 35 Cooper Square.
Anyway, given the history here, it should be another 10 years before any construction occurs. Singer bought the formerly city-owned building in 1998 for $3.15 million. Aside from a whole lot of neighborhood drama, not much has been happening with the space since then. (For background: The Villager has extensively covered this story through the years. Check out their archives here.)
As an aside, a reader recently noted that an entryway on East Ninth Street was wide open one recent Sunday... no one in sight... perhaps a good chance for some urban exploration...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Will old PS 64 get a theater for nonprofit groups?
Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood
Deed for 'community facility use only' at the former P.S. 64 now on the market
Something new in the works for PS 64?; plus sidewalk bridge expiration anniversary
An absolute example of government incompetence this eyesore and over sized pigeon coop needs to be demolished this lot is too large to sit year after year in this condition reuse of the site Dorms market plus affordable housing immediately this construction will bring trade jobs (Oh I forgot the economy is going gangbusters and every one wanting a job has one)Politics brings only incompetence at best and then corruption who needs to be paid off here?
ReplyDeleteeyesore? it's a beauty! Beats the hell out of all the glass highrises going up.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful building that could have been refurbished a long time ago if the owner were not so greedy.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the ghost of Armando Perez is haunting this place. His killer has never been found, and if you don't think it had something to do with this building, you're kidding yourself.
Guliani's Street Crimes Unit was disbanded shortly after his murder. There's a connection here worse than anything from Tammany Hall.
Yeah, "Dorm" is just a magic jeannie word that lets developers skate virtually any zoning laws
ReplyDeleteI think a good community project would fashion gargoyles for an architectural refurb after the owner illegal stripped historic detail from this edifice...
ReplyDeleteHow about the city buys this slag heap back from this horrible rotten developer, refurbishes this gorgeous old building and turns it back into a school and community center? The neighborhood public schools desperately need more room (and that's even before all the new charters Bloomberg and Eva Moskowitz would like to house in DOE real estate).
ReplyDeleteHow about the city buys this slag heap back from this horrible rotten developer, refurbishes this gorgeous old building and turns it back into a school and community center? The neighborhood public schools desperately need more room (and that's even before all the new charters Bloomberg and Eva Moskowitz would like to house in DOE real estate).
ReplyDeleteOh, and Singer? Guessing that's you at the top there? You're a terrible excuse for a human being and exactly what everyone thinks of when they think "greedy scumbag developer." You have no respect for the community, no respect for your city and its history, you're only out for No. 1. Go to hell.
This makes me sick...this situation has negatively affected the community for years and needs to be resolved. it really makes the street and area a very depressing place to live. it has become a meeting place for users, gang members and just overall trouble. i can not believe the city has not taken the building over due to the fact that it now has become a serious danger to the community not only in the visual sense but also structurally. the ignore it because it is situated within the "ghetto" and therefore have no interest in helping turn it into a positive space for an area that could really use it.
ReplyDeleteI hardly think 9th & B is "ghetto".
ReplyDeleteHow sad this lovely building is being disused- won't we be needing more education and community space with all the thousands of new condos units going up? Again, Bloomberg shows himself to be shortsighted, greedy and literally starving our city of things that serve the public. Schools, Hospitals, Libraries, Post Offices-they have no place in his vision.
ReplyDeleteI suppose Bloomberg figures the residents of all those new condos will send their kids to Dalton or somesuch. For those of us who aren't bazillionaires, though, there are some amazing public schools in the neighborhood, and they're all coping with some serious space issues. But Bloomberg's not in the business of shoring up our public schools -- he's in the business of privatizing them.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that they can even utter the words new condo while closing the 10009 post office!
ReplyDeleteMaybe some kind-heart with $$$$$ will buy the building and create a real community center. You know, like they saved St. Brigid's!
actually kimberley- not sure how long you have lived here but east 10th street is mainly populated by public housing and tenements so it is seen by the city as "ghetto" and not worth giving a crap about. Walk down 10th street to avenue D and you tell me if it's taken care of they way the UES is. The deterioration of this building over the last 15 years is another example of how the city has neglected the area east of avenue a.
ReplyDeleteI just heard there is going to be some kinda camp-out here tonight after the Penley Shaoul thing on Broadway. Anyone know what is going on with these two events?
ReplyDelete