Saturday's opening shot

A grand entrance on 10th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Renovated 104 E. 10th St. comes into view

Workers recently removed the construction netting from outside 104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue after nearly two years of gut renovations... bringing in to view this home in the St. Mark's Historic District. 

According to the architect of record:

MKCA is orchestrating the reinvention and gut renovation of a historic townhouse in the storied St Mark's Historic District for a young family. Abandoned for a generation, the 2,400 brick rowhouse has been rescued from a state of near-structural collapse. The project includes a new sculptural stair, penthouse addition, and interiors that celebrate the historic building while updating it for contemporary family life.

This has long been a residence of interest. As previously reported, the neo-classical townhouse, constructed in 1879, was once the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottlieb. It sold in 2013 for $3.5 million to an entity going by North Sydney LLC. 

The building had been vacant for years, and the last (and lone) tenant was playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver. 

This article from 1998 in The New York Times suggests that the place could be haunted. But as Oliver said at the time, "The house I do believe is haunted. Alas, it is only with memories." 

Check out the links below for more history and photos of the place pre-renovation...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

•  Plans to convert the haunted beauty 104 E. 10th St. into a single-family home with 2 extra floors 

• The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St.

Renovations at long last for the haunted beauty at 104 E. 10th St.

Nearly three years have passed since we heard about the plans to add a roof-top extension and gut renovate the long-empty townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue.

As you can see, plywood now surrounds the structure and renovations are underway...



According to the architect of record:

MKCA is orchestrating the reinvention and gut renovation of a historic townhouse in the storied St Mark's Historic District for a young family. Abandoned for a generation, the 2,400 brick rowhouse has been rescued from a state of near-structural collapse. The project includes a new sculptural stair, penthouse addition, and interiors that celebrate the historic building while updating it for contemporary family life.

As previously reported, the townhouse, built in 1879, was once the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottleib. It sold in 2013 for $3.5 million to an entity going by North Sydney LLC.

No. 104 is within the St. Mark's Historic District and needed the proper approvals before moving forward. (As I recall, there was some debate about the setback and other details. There are approved permits, as of July 15, on file now with the DOB.)

The building has been vacant for years. The last (and lone) tenant was playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver.

This article from 1998 in The New York Times suggests that the place could possibly be haunted. But as Oliver said at the time, "The house I do believe is haunted. Alas, it is only with memories."

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Plans to convert the haunted beauty 104 E. 10th St. into a single-family home with 2 extra floors

• The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St


[An interior photo from 2012]

More about plans to add 2 levels to this possibly haunted 10th Street beauty

Plans to add a two-level extension to the long-empty townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue are moving forward.

Tonight, CB3's Landmarks Committee is hearing a proposal on the partial rooftop addition, which is "set back 14 feet at the first level and 18 feet at the second level," per the paperwork...



Here's a look at a rendering ...



... and some detailed plans (find more here)...



As previously reported, the townhouse, built in 1879, will be converted into a single-family home. The address, once the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottleib, sold in 2013 for $3.5 million to an entity going by North Sydney LLC.

No. 104 is within the St. Mark's Historic District and needs the proper approvals before moving forward with any vertical extensions. (The work permits were last disapproved in November.)

The building has been vacant for years. The last (and lone) tenant was playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver.

This article from 1998 in The New York Times suggests that the place could possibly be haunted. But as Oliver said at the time, "The house I do believe is haunted. Alas, it is only with memories."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Plans to convert the haunted beauty 104 E. 10th St. into a single-family home with 2 extra floors

The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St

[An interior photo from 2012]

Plans to convert the haunted beauty 104 E. 10th St. into a single-family home with 2 extra floors

[EVG photo from 2013]

The townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue has always intrigued me.

Perhaps the fascination started with this article from 1998 in The New York Times on the crumbling building that was serving as an SRO:

There is a certain house in the East Village that some neighbors believe is haunted. It is on 10th Street. The doors are peeling and the address "104" looks as though it was written in blood.

The lone tenant at the time was playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver. (Jeremiah Moss had a nice history on Oliver living here in 2011.)

"The house I do believe is haunted. Alas, it is only with memories." He recalled the wet nurse, Frances, who washed rags all day and was eventually carted out to the mental asylum a decade ago. There was "The Invisible Man," who was never heard or seen. The homicidal brothers who plotted to kill Mr. Oliver. Helen, his sister. And Old Man Milburne, the last tenant, who recently went to the old folks home.

In 2010, Curbed noted that "the place is so creepy, even the PropertyShark file photo shows a specter of some sort hanging out in one of the windows."


[Get out!]

The address, one of many properties owned by reclusive real-estate baron William Gottlieb, hit the market in March 2011 for $5.6 million... the listing disappeared then reemerged for $3.9 million. Per the original 2011 listing:

Built in 1879, this magnificent, sun-drenched residence is a restoration enthusiast's dream project.

The building offers an unparalleled opportunity to design the home you've always wanted. Its current features include four floors, eight fireplaces, skylight, original moldings, a quaint south-facing garden, an English basement with a separate street entrance, plus a basement below. With additional air rights, this building is primed for vertical expansion, offering opportunities for a roof deck, duplex unit, and more.

In November 2013, a for rent sign arrived noting that apartments were available ...



As far as I know, though, these units never hit the market.

And now: No. 104 recently received the plywood treatment...





Plans are on file with the DOB (still awaiting approval) to convert the building into a single-family home with two extra floors. According to public records, the owner is only listed as North Sydney LLC, which was incorporated in Westchester County. So at least some mystery remains with the address.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St

[An interior photo from 2012]

[Photo from 2012]

Apartments in order for this haunted beauty on East 10th Street

104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue is one of the more intriguing buildings around. Possibly once haunted, the rather dilapidated building was part of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottlieb's portfolio. (Jeremiah Moss has a nice history of the space, where playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver most recently lived, here.)

It hit the market in March 2011 for $5.6 million... the listing disappeared then reemerged for $3.9 million. Per the original listing:

Built in 1879, this magnificent, sun-drenched residence is a restoration enthusiast's dream project.

The building offers an unparalleled opportunity to design the home you've always wanted. Its current features include four floors, eight fireplaces, skylight, original moldings, a quaint south-facing garden, an English basement with a separate street entrance, plus a basement below. With additional air rights, this building is primed for vertical expansion, offering opportunities for a roof deck, duplex unit, and more.

Anyway, somewhere along the line, the dream home idea apparently died. There is now a sign noting "apartments" out front. (There isn't a listing yet for the address on the Town website.)



For the outside, it appears the building still needs a good deal of work, though we wouldn't mind seeing it stay like this. (Well, maybe a coat of paint.)

Public records show that the building sold in February to an LLC for $3.5 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St

The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St.

I've mentioned this neo-classical townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. before ... where playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver once lived, as Jeremiah wrote at Vanishing New York here.

The house has been on the market this time around for more than three months, with an asking price of $3.9 million, per Streeteasy. (The price started at $6 million back in March 2011 before it disappeared from the listings.)

We didn't see interior photos of the house on our previous visits to the listings... At some point, the broker added some shots to Streeteasy ... and it looks kind of like I thought it might...

While I rather like the dilapidated, well-worn look and feel ... the house is certainly in for a makeover. Here's the listing:

Built in 1879, this magnificent, sun-drenched residence is a restoration enthusiast's dream project.

The building offers an unparalleled opportunity to design the home you've always wanted. Its current features include four floors, eight fireplaces, skylight, original moldings, a quaint south-facing garden, an English basement with a separate street entrance, plus a basement below. With additional air rights, this building is primed for vertical expansion, offering opportunities for a roof deck, duplex unit, and more.

This distinctive residence occupies a unique place in New York's history, having served as a community hub and boarding house for East Village artists since the early 1900s. A Landmarked building located on one of the city's finest blocks, it offers easy access to public transportation, as well as some of the city's best cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and universities.

I'm imagining the spirits of these East Village artists of days gone by congregating in that front room with the paint chips on the floor and the weed working its way inside the window... and wondering, What in the hell happened to the neighborhood.

Going back to Jeremiah's post on the building from last September:

Now I suppose some god-awful heiress will move in with her zombie husband and hollow-eyed children to fill the place with their flat-screen lives. This is how it goes.