In the end, New York's historic first world trade center on Pearl Street razed for a condo, parking lot and goodburger

Well, nearly six years after first hearing about the project, the destruction of the historic swath of 211-215 Pearl Street between Gold Street and Maiden Lane in the Financial District — home to the city's first world trade center — is nearly complete. First, a brief bit of history about this space
per Pearl Street Revival:

The three neo-Classical business buildings at 211-215 Pearl St. are the last remnant of the Pearl Street dry goods district of the early 19th century, and are a valuable relic of New York and the nation's early commercial history. The city sold a very large portion of what commercializing Americans bought. The combination of overseas commerce and burgeoning domestic trade established New York as the commercial capitol (not just the biggest seaport) of the United States after 1815, and Pearl Street was the center of that trade.

211-215 Pearl Street is also tribute to merchants and manufacturers like William Colgate "who's entrepreneurial daring would set New York on course for becoming the world-class city that it is today".

Anyway. The Rockrose-owned condo is up and it appears to be running. Now just the small matter of the ground floor retail. Which appears to be set with coming-soon signage for a double food whammy — goodburger and a Pret deli.






As Pearl Street Revival noted, "Pearl Street was considered the city’s richest street and the highest valued mercantile establishments were located on this particular block."



Now, of course, it looks like any other block of a suburbified city.



For further reading:

3 Buildings From 1830's Threatened By a Tower (New York Times)

Lot still vacant where Pearl St. artists lost homes (Downtown Express)

Shaky Pearl Street Building Now Even More Endangered (Curbed)

The dorm may have left 200 Water Street...

...but the vomiting remains... (with apologies...)




Have seen this three times now by the Rockrose condos on Water Street near John Street the last week or so. (Not that I'm going looking for it or anything...) And three is officially a trend. Late nights at the Hook and Ladder II?

Posts that I never got around to posting: Nothing but the best for the new Rockrose condos

Out front on Pearl Street.



Previously.

Hot costumes for Halloween 09: Madoff, Jacko... Womb Raider?

A Ricky's Costume Superstore is opening soon for the season at Gold and John streets in the Financial District...



Among the costumes the store will be pushing to 2 Gold Street residents and others...

Posts that I never got around to posting: Gold Street roadblock

On Gold Street in the Financial District.

Liberty heights: 19 new floors of residential for FiDi (why, oh why...)

Nothing seemed to be going on at the boarded up 67 Liberty St. between Broadway and Nassau Street in the Financial District for some time. Then, as a tipster noted this week, "they're adding floors rapidly."



Indeed, the former five-story office building is being converted to residences. Oh, not just the existing five floors -- developer Ron Shoshany is adding 14 stories to the structure. Work was approved for this spot in September 2004.





In any event, we just can't imagine how this is going to look... aside from really out of place. For starters, 65 Liberty Street next door is the former Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York. (Now home to the International Commercial Bank of China.) It's a A Beaux Arts landmark erected in 1901. A faux-op for next door then.

By the way, Joseph P. Day, real estate auctioneer and broker, bought 67 Liberty for his business in July 1919.

UPDATE: I found a rendering over at Newman Design.



As the copy there reads:

"Located in lower Manhattan, 67 Liberty Street Condos is a 19 story luxury residential rental building. The property was converted from a five-story commercial building into a 19 floor residence through creative application of zoning regulations. The design plan retained the skin on the first five stories, thus preserving the existing zoning, setbacks and utilizing the maximum FAR. As a result of the building’s narrow architecture, an interior scissor stair was designed."

Rockrose around the clock

The dorm-to-luxury-rental conversion continues at 200 Water Street. So far, we've seen the Rockrose brass introduce all sorts of amenities: VIP pizza treatment! Rooftop waterfall showers! Fine, all fine. But it's the return to glory of a 200 Water staple that's welcome news: The weird, giant clock is working once again! Welcome news for people who like weird, giant clocks anyway. (Oh, and not to nitpick, but how do we know if it's am or pm?)

And how does it work?



Previously.

For further reading:
Rooftop cabanas, barbecue, outdoor shower -- such is the life of a renter (The Real Deal)

Wall Street gets a new street

Eurocobble, I presume,

This is post is brought to you by Anderson's Martial Arts Academy

In keeping with our fight theme of late... Found this over at our friends at Downtowny...in the lobby at 63 Wall Street.



Here's the description of the video from YouTube:

Some crazy drunk guy attacked me on Wall Street late at night. He threw a punch at me so I punched him down to the ground in self defense. He followed me back to my building and attacked me again inside, which is caught on tape. I used BJJ to neutralize him until the police came. There are about 6 seconds missing due to the apartment building's crappy copying where I ground and pounded him. Very bloody, but you can't see it from the video. Big shout out to Anderson's Martial Arts Academy in NYC where I train! Compared to my training partners, this guy was easy pickins'. FYI, I'm 5'6'' 180 lbs and this guy was like 6 foot and 210 lbs. In addition to being an MMA enthusiast, I'm also an attorney. Bad luck for him.

Rockrose wants you to "do it all" and "live large" on Water Street (now with prices!)

Rockrose continues pimping, er, primping 200 Water St. in the Financial District, home of the former NYU dorm turned luxury rentals. Given the original new slogans, "do it all" and "live large"...




Rockrose is either marketing to recent grads or former readers of Trump Magazine.

And The 200 Water Street Web site now has a price list for rentals.



Let's see: 449-square-foot studios start at $1,700...and they go up to the 1,300-square-foot studio duplex with home office and sleeping loft for $3,850.

Also! Speaking of people likely to order pizza...Grub Street and Eater reported that the new Grimaldi's on John Street will deliver pizza for free to 200 Water Street. Or! If you go the Grimaldi's, you won't have to wait in line!

Previously on EV Grieve:
200 Water Street now leasing

FiDi's Zen Palate seized and padlocked (or maybe the other way around)

On June 30, the Zen Palate on John Street in the Financial District abruptly closed, forcing downtowners to look elsewhere for greasy, overpriced vegetarian fare.




Yesterday, the empty eatery was padlocked. And the marshal's sign went up.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Zen Palate closes up in Financial District; Hell's Kitchen location last now in NYC

A 14-floor addition and new hotel for the Financial District?

Work (slowly) continues at 24 and 26 John Street in the Fiancnial District. At the former site of the Casual Grill and the Seh Ja Meh Korean restaurant. And just what is going into this space?





According to the permit on file with the city:



A 14-floor addition to create a hotel. The architect is the busy, Queens-based Gerald J. Caliendo. Hmm, what to think of this? For starters, there doesn't appear to be another need for hotel here. (The Hotel Reserve opened in December around the corner. And there's the luxury boutique hotel Gild Hall not far away.) And, as the Observer noted last summer, "Over the past 6 1/2 years, Gerald Caliendo ... had 1,604 individual new residential buildings permitted by the Department of Buildings, more than any other architect in the city."

Looking at 45 John Street

Curbed has been reporting on the happenings at 45 John Street in the Financial District.



And, on Monday, The Real Deal reported 45 John had been hit with a $51 million foreclosure suit. (Downtowny has more here.) I also did a piece on 45 John last August.... and was curious to see what was happening for myself. For starters, the 45 John Street signage is gone.



The only evidence of 45 John Street is up 3/4 on the building.



The 45 John Street sales office was on the upscale Dutch Street....



...just down this inviting, scaffolding-covered passageway. When I walked down Dutch yesterday afternoon, I saw two men sleeping in the shadows on either side of the road.



The sales office door was closed, the sales office signage removed...and a reflective barrel was blocking the doorway.




There was some activity. There's still a security guard on duty. And yesterday afternoon, under his watchful eye, several workers hauled away dozens of empty carts.



Meanwhile, on the roof, the ritzy penthouses that were in the works...



...look like some giant Tonka toy.

Zen Palate closes up in Financial District; Hell's Kitchen location last now in NYC

(Originally posted last night.)

The John Street restaurant has closed. Oddly enough, the sign on the door suggests that diners try the Zen Palate at 46th Street and Ninth Avenue. Not exactly a quick trip for lunch. Anyway, just a coincidence that ZePa in FiDi shuts a few weeks after the NYU Water Street dorm moved out?



The Zen Palate on Union Square closed in October 2007.

Baoguette expands its empire to the Financial District

Coming soon to the former site of Klatch. The St. Mark's location opened in April.

All the Fulton Street Duane Reade news that's fit to post

The Big new Duane Reade opens at the former Staples site on Water Street and Fulton on Saturday...



...which means the old Duane Reade a few hundred feet away on Fulton is closing...



Meanwhile, someone artfully arranged these bricks on Water Street outside the new Duane Reade.