Workers have removed the construction netting and scaffolding from 154 Second Ave., the former Sigmund Schwartz Gramercy Park Chapel now with three extra floors. The building will house luxury rentals and ground-floor retail here between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.
For a little contrast… here's how the building looked in the summer of 2011…
Here's what the address looked like in the 1940s, via Vanishing New York...
And here is the rendering …
Thoughts on the look of the new building?
No word yet on pricing for the units. It's from Icon Realty, who's currently peddling 6-bedroom frat houses on Avenue A.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Former funeral home looks to double in size with help from 'the controversial penthouse king of the East Village'
Redeveloped funeral home looking for a few live retail tenants
The walls come tumbling down at 154 Second Avenue
It blends in pretty well.
ReplyDeleteYes, not an unattractive building at all. How refreshing.
ReplyDeleteQuite nice!
ReplyDeleteWow, two nice buildings unveiled in the span of a week! Now we just need them to be affordable
ReplyDeleteYes, not an unattractive building at all, minus the former funeral parlor ghosts. Good luck living with that.
ReplyDeleteShocking! A new building designed with aesthetically pleasing architecture that actually harmonizes with its environment!
ReplyDeleteQuite a relief.
- East Villager
One question: Was it necessary to add fire escapes, or are those just a retro touch?
ReplyDeleteMuch new construction is designed "fire-proof" and thus does not require fire escapes. Hence my curiosity.
- East Villager
It looks pretty nice.
ReplyDeleteI just wish it were affordable.
I still prefer the original. They could have added on top of that. But all in all, I concure with the other thumbs up here.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the fire escapes are an interesting way to create balconies without them looking like balconies. ?
Here's to hoping this 2-in-a-row is the start of a local trend.
The reason they used fire escapes is because the building needs two means of egress. The fire escape allowed them to save valuable interior real estate- they were only allowed to do this because technically they did not completely demolish the previous building, just added to it.
ReplyDeleteFire escapes aren't allowed in new construction.
ReplyDeleteeventually this area will be the most expensive zip code in all of NYC watch it fall
Icon are a bunch of scumbags. I used to live in one of the buildings they converted into an illegal hotel and had to leave due to unlivable conditions, illegal construction and harrassment.
after all the abuse the scumbags sold to Kushner
moved to bklyn.