[Photo by Peter Brownscombe]
Several readers have been curious about the recent activity in the dormant lot off Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street that was formerly home of Mary Help of Christians.
Of late there has been some mysterious activity … Per EVG reader Peter Brownscombe: "What appears to be a rabbit-proof fence has been erected creating an East-West divide of this desolate tract."
As we have quickly recapped in the past: Developer Douglas Steiner bought the property in 2012 for $41 million. During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory. The permits that Steiner's reps filed with the city in October 2013 called for a 7-story, 64,720-square-foot structure with frontage on Avenue A, East 11th Street and East 12th Street.
This changed when Steiner's reps told CB3 in February that the residences would actually now be market-rate condos.
As for updates, well the pool design drawings went on file at the DOB on Wednesday…
Meanwhile, a few other Former Mary Help of Christians Empty Lot Watchers we talked with figure the fencing is for the renovations next door at East Side Community School …
[PB]
… but there isn't much explanation for why the lot has become a stuffed animal burial ground…
[PB]
Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool
Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory
Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site
The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians
9 comments:
poor pikachu :(
I don't recall if this building was planning on an 80 - 20 rental originally and if got a juicy Bloomberg tax break. But since that has changed I may be in the minority here but I think condo may be preferable to another dorm passing as an apartment building. Most of the new construction builds are not affordable to anyone without a trust fund. A building on my block (12th) street always has a moving truck outside around the last day of each month telling me my neighbors change constantly. Transients do not care about a neighborhood, why should they. Property owners do care about what is happening around them, and quality of life is important when you invested yourself financially in a building. Okay sure there will be bros moving in to the condo their daddy bought them but I suspect they will be in the minority. Time will tell the story.
It is the infamous Alphabet City Tower of Toys coming to haunt Mr. Steiner
Maybe those toys are the one's that pacified church going children for decades until Steiner tore down their church and left us with a giant hole.
Enjoy the big hole and the light and air above for soon it will be gone for another 100 years.
4:49, I too am sad at the loss of Mary Help of Christians, but let us point our fingers properly. The Archdioceses is to blame, not the real estate vultures ready to swoop in on the carcass.
Light and sky and air... Glorious sky...
Light, air and sky, wonderful things. But since they don't make any profits for real estate developers, we'll be seeing less and less of them as the years go by...
The ultimate shanghai gesture
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