Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Activity has increased in recent weeks at the former P.S. 64/CHARAS-El Bohio community center on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
As these photos show, workers have been spotted at the long-vacant landmark, where new scaffolding and construction netting have also appeared.
What's happening inside — and where plans for the building stand — remains unclear.
Since then, little public information has emerged about the project, including whether any progress has been made toward lifting the long-standing vacate order.
The most recent approved work permits at the Department of Buildings show job descriptions of "exterior repair and restoration" and "general construction to make building safe for future work."
Last fall, owner Aaron Sosnick told Crain's that restoring the building could take three to seven years and cost an estimated $200 million — twice the figure discussed earlier. The project would be financed through philanthropy, government support and leasing income.
We've been seeking answers from the owner's representatives about the work underway, the status of the vacate order and what comes next.
Sosnick, who owns the property through 605 East 9th Community Holdings LLC, has now agreed to meet with EVG in December to discuss the building and its future.
We'll hope to have more to report then. We're certainly not the only ones asking questions.
Wow i remember going to play basketball against this school. My neighborhood def has changed !
ReplyDeleteI recently learned that Sosnick is also a huge donor to at least one political campaign in Los Angeles: one of the mayoral candidates there, Nithya Raman.
ReplyDeleteI'm not against a lot of the things he supports, but, it feels really weird to have this new feudalism of hedge fund managers offering nobless oblige contributions to communities.
Well said Olympias. I’d much rather the oligarchs pay their fair share of taxes and communities decide what they need through a transparent process of true representative governance than a “community contribution” from the overlord’s foundations that are setup to again, give them huge tax breaks..
ReplyDeleteMr. Sosnick is a very generous man. But $200 million is a waste of money for whatever project his arts group is planning. It would be cheaper and more successful a project to tear the building down... put up a moderate sized building that respects the neighborhood and use it for senior housing with a set-a-side for the arts group. Today is not the 60s/70s. The building should serve a wider group of people who live and work in the EV. I know the building is landmarked. But sometimes preservation gets in the way of reality... $200 million worth of reality.
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