Top photo by EVG; all others by Stacie Joy
Renovations are underway at 338-340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond.
There is a shared bathroom on the floor as well.
However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert a 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. Those plans never materialized. The Renatus Group now owns the property.
In August, a "retail opportunity" banner arrived by the front door of the former Whitehouse Hotel, the last of the flophouses on the Bowery.
Management is offering 2,000 square feet on the ground floor, with an "optional 500 SF cafe + courtyard." 
The work to create the retail space is happening. Permits show the scope of the work includes replacing windows, cleaning the brick, and repainting fire escapes, all with the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. (The building is located in the NoHo Historic District.)
There is a lot of history with the Whitehouse, a four-story building erected in 1916 that has served as a single-room occupancy hotel. A handful of residents remain here, and their presence has reportedly hindered any new building plans.
We hadn't heard anything about the building since late 2018, when Alex Vadukul profiled the artist Sir Shadow, who was one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, in a feature at The New York Times.
As Vadukul noted: "A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel's future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game." (Sources tell us that Sir Shadow no longer lives at this address.)
Ahead of the renovations, the residents were moved to space at 338 Bowery... where the tenants can access their small room via security...
Some recent history: The building was spruced up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the long-term residents remained on another floor.)
However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert a 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. Those plans never materialized. The Renatus Group now owns the property.
Retail space aside, it's not immediately known what the plans are for the upper floors of the former hotel.
Lionel Rogosin's classic docu-drama, "On the Bowery," filmed in 1956 just as the 3rd Avenue elevated train was about to be demolished, shows the flophouses, and also men sleeping in Great Jones Alley, waiting in line for day jobs near the basketball courts on West 4th Street, and also sleeping on benches in Alice Roosevelt Park. Imagine that time, and then fast-forward to the present when tourists pay $675 for one night at the Bowery Hotel!
ReplyDeletebring sir shadow back to his rightful home please! the man is an nyc treasure! DON'T DISTURB HIS GROOVE!!
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I was on a jury for a drug case at this hotel. I forget the details of the case, but the business of the hotel was interesting. Walls didn’t go to the ceiling and rooms had chicken wire ceilings. Residents became (more or less) rent stabilized after 30 days.
ReplyDeleteJust wait--- the "neighbors" and trolls will say "get over it". "We need more positivity because--- well, we need more expensive housing/jobs/occupied buildings ----and, smoke shops....they provide income and jobs and well, not "another empty building"... what about my pocket."LOL!!!!
ReplyDeleteBy rats in heaven, they might already be on the first comment tonight, of many, as I type, if not plotting the next "empty building as occupied" is "bringing me tears" comments.
I stayed at this "hostel" in Jan 2004 when I first moved to NYC. Was supposed to be for 10 days, until I could move into my apt. I was an NYU student who thought it would be exciting! I left after the 3rd night when a night terror demon sat on my chest and I thought I was going to die.
ReplyDeleteany chance they'll keep the cool glass design on the front? always loved it, be a shame if...
ReplyDeleteThey can restore the frontage it's beautiful
ReplyDeleteI recognized the entrance immediately. At least ten years ago my husband and I strolled in from curiosity and were fortunate to meet Sir Shadow who shared his art with us which adorned the walls. It was a magical and memorable NY afternoon. The place deserves a good future.
ReplyDeleteVeronica Cottingham