Several things are going on over at 137 Avenue C… just south of East Ninth Street. The building was sold last February for $2.45 million to 137 Avenue C, LLC. (The address eventually leads to Corigin, a private holding company specializing in real estate and private equity investments.)
A plan to renovate the entire building is in process, dated Wednesday, with the Department of Buildings. Per the DOB's all-cap job description: "INTERIOR RENOVATION OF FIVE STORY MIXED USE BUILDING AMENDED CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY WILL BE OBTAINED."
The DOB lists Ramy Issac, no stranger to the East Village, as the architect of record. Issac specializes in penthouse additions here, legal or otherwise. To date, there isn't any sign of an extra floor for No. 137.
Meanwhile, the ground floor is home to the Sunburnt Cow, now just a weekend-only bar. Last Sunday, the Cow didn't open. According to the Cow's Facebook page: "Unfortunately we experienced a major water leak during the night and the FDNY have shut off all water to the building. We will not be open for brunch today."
The sign on the door says closed due to building maintenance. The bar, which remains for sale, is next scheduled to be open this evening.
This building has changed hands several times in recent years… last going for $1.48 million in 2004, per public records.
This building is pretty crappy, as buildings go; I realize there are probably plans to gut it and start over, but I'd be surprised if the plan wasn't just to buy it and raze it. It's a cheaply-constructed 4-story tenement whose original public stairways were about two feet wide, and the bathroom of the apartment I visited was unheated.
ReplyDeleteIf there aren't major structural repairs done to the building, it will probably topple over in a strong wind. How the hell did it sell for $2.45 million?