Thursday, December 29, 2022
Gregg Singer's reign as owner of the former of P.S. 64 is said to be over
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Workers arrive with construction materials at the former P.S. 64 on 9th Street
This past January, a court ruled that Madison Realty Capital, a $10 billion global private equity firm, can foreclose on the property. Although Singer is fighting that too, he appears to be running out of money. Singer now owes Madison nearly $90 million in interest and principal, along with late fees and interest charges of $30,000 per day, which started accruing as of the January 20 court judgment, according to a report compiled by a court-appointed referee.Singer's attorneys and Madison Realty Capital did not respond to numerous calls and emails seeking clarification on the current ownership status of the building or their intentions for it. Both sides were supposed to appear in court in June, but the meeting was postponed, so the fate of this old school is still in limbo.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Public art returns to the former CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Long-vacant P.S. 64 now being pitched for medical use, educational purposes
The redevelopment and historic restoration of this century-old landmark, a former New York City elementary school, can be transformed into a variety of modern, amenity-rich opportunities, including:• Student Dormitories• Education Center College• Satellite Campus• Medical Center• Nursing Home• Assisted Living
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Seth Tobocman on the story behind a long-covered mural on 9th Street
At its peak, it was used by thousands each year, and hosted a wide array of activity: community meetings, children’s programming, art exhibits, music concerts, film screenings, plays, dance recitals, bicycle recycling, construction training, a substance abuse treatment, and political organizing.
A 7-year-old drew this picture at a class here at Charas. The boy was upset because he and his family had found the body of a woman who had been decapitated on their doorstep. That was in the 1980s when they called the Lower East Side the warzone. Now all of N.Y.C. is a warzone. The world is a bad neighborhood. We need cultural centers like Charas more than ever to keep our sanity.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Showing the former P.S. 64 some love during rally and press conference this Sunday
Join SOCCC-64, elected officials, community orgs, artists and activists this Valentine's Day eve to ask the City to return our beloved community and cultural center, CHARAS / El Bohio.This is an urgent call, as developer Gregg Singer, who purchased the building that housed CHARAS, former P.S. 64 at public auction in 2001, is now in default of his mortgage and is in foreclosure!We are rallying to urge the City to work with us to return our center, and we need everyone's help to make it a reality.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Report: Madison Realty Capital can proceed with takeover of long-empty P.S. 64
"Madison aims to work productively with borrowers. However, in this case, the borrower has refused to make good on his commitments for more than three years, leaving us with no choice but to enforce our rights and remedies."
In an email to TRD, Singer said that he still planned to move forward with developing the site "and will inform the court at the appropriate time."
He continued: "In the end, we believe even [Madison Realty Capital] will be happy. This will be a great asset for the community, which is highly desirable and in great need."
In her ruling, the judge stated "that Singer had failed to raise any material issues to dispute Madison Realty Capital's arguments, citing a 25-page response that lacked a table of contents and amounted to a 'rambling litany of defenses.'"
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Speaking out for the return of the former P.S. 64 to the community
Friday, November 5, 2021
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the eviction of the Charas/El Bohio Community & Cultural Center
Lower East Side elected officials, residents, and artists rally to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the eviction of Charas/El Bohio Community & Cultural Center to call on the City to take action to immediately stop the destruction of the building.For over 20 years, Charas/El Bohio Community & Cultural Center provided arts, community and nonprofit space for the Lower East Side and greater New York City area. Mayor Rudy Giuliani auctioned the city-owned building in 1998. Developer Gregg Singer purchased the building and evicted the center on Dec. 27, 2001.Two decades later, the building remains vacant and has been allowed to deteriorate to the extent the Department of Buildings issued a Full Vacant Order in 2019 for failure to maintain the property.The owner Gregg Singer has taken no significant steps to repair the damage, stabilize the building, or restore the facade, and is currently in foreclosure by mortgagor Madison Capital Realty.Mayor Bill de Blasio stated at a Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2017, that the city would take steps to reacquire the building. The administration has yet to act, despite follow-up inquiries from the community coalition and its elected officials. Community activists and elected officials alike call on the City once again to take steps to save this local treasure.The rally will kick off hours of street performances by local artists, poets and musicians that showcase our decades-long efforts to return this once-vibrant center to the community.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Report: Locals fear the 'crumbling' former P.S. 64
Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman said the building’s sorry state resembles that of 729 Seventh Ave. in Midtown — now the center of a contentious lawsuit over the death of a woman struck by debris that fell some 15 stories from a crumbling façade.“We don’t want another situation like [that], where a combination of owner and city neglect leaves a dangerous situation unaddressed and an innocent bystander suffers the consequences. Conditions at this building are ripe for just such a tragedy,” Berman said.Carolyn Ratcliffe, the president of the 9 BC Tompkins Square Block Association, lives next door to the building. Dreading the possibility of an accident, she makes a point to always walk on the other side of the street when nearby.
His lawyer Nicole Epstein said comparing Singer’s sorry building to the Midtown tragedy was unfair, given that he’s built a sidewalk shed at the property. Neighbors complaining about its condition had also opposed Singer’s proposals to develop the property into college dorms, she noted.“It’s quite ironic and hypocritical,” Epstein said.
City inspectors eventually determined that the building was safe, but did issue a violation to Singer for failure to maintain the exterior facade, per Curbed.
Singer told Curbed at the time: "It’s all political. This is part of a concerted effort to put pressure on us. I was just at the building. There's definitely cracks — that we were already aware of — that will be pointed and repaired, but there’s no immediate danger."
Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order — dating to August 2015 — on the building.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Report: Gregg Singer offers former P.S. 64 for use as a medical facility during COVID-19 crisis
ICYMI: Controversial landlord Gregg Singer has offered to donate the former P.S. 64 on Ninth Street to the city for use to potentially treat patients infected with the coronavirus.
As Crain's first reported, Singer conveyed his offer in a letter to Mayor de Blasio as well as to the offices of Gov. Cuomo and President Trump.
According to published reports, the city is seeking potential medical surge facilities, such as hotels, dorms and even the Javits Convention Center.
The city dismissed the offer to use the derelict building that has been vacant for more than 20 years between Avenue B and Avenue C.
“We’re not interested,” the spokeswoman told Crain’s “It doesn’t meet our needs.”
The building looks to be in disrepair, with broken windows and a crack in the facade on the western corner of the landmarked building.
However:
“We have an engineer’s report stating the building is safe,” Singer said. “It’s like when you build a makeshift hospital or triage center in an open field. This would be the same thing here, but indoors.”
Singer bought the property — the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center — from the city during an auction in 1998. You can read the archives for more on the long history here.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Former PS 64 not subject to the city’s new crackdown on deteriorating buildings
[10th Street side]
The Department of Buildings recently put into place an amended rule governing exterior wall inspections and repairs for owners of buildings higher than six floors who fail to upkeep their properties.
This change came about after architect Erica Tishman was killed by falling debris from a Midtown office building in December.
However, as the Daily News reported, this new rule doesn't apply to the long-vacant P.S. 64 on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
Per the News:
Because the school is lower than six stories and now has the proper protections up, including several sidewalk sheds, it won’t be newly scrutinized, building officials said.
"Stabilization work in the building has been performed, and the Department of Buildings continues to closely monitor the situation to protect pedestrians," said Jane Meyer, a spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio.
But the vacate order from last February is still active, DOB records show — which leave people who live nearby skeptical of the city’s claims.
"There's a lack of oversight that is going on," said Carolyn Ratcliffe, 77, who is president of the 9 BC Tompkins Square Block Association. "We really feel like we're being blown off."
Read the full article here.
[9th Street side]
Developer Gregg Singer bought the property — the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center — from the city during an auction in 1998. The landmarked building has been empty for years. You can read the archives for more on the long history here.
Monday, October 14, 2019
A lawsuit dismissal and 2-year anniversary at the former P.S. 64
Over the weekend, several community activists noted the two-year anniversary of Mayor de Blasio's pledge to return help the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C to the community.
During a town hall forum at P.S. 188 on Oct. 12, 2017, de Blasio said that the Giuliani administration should not have auctioned off the property, and that he would work to "right the wrongs of the past," as DNAifno reported at the time.
"For the administration to put that building into private hands failed miserably, and we’ve seen the negative affect that that has had on the community. So I'm announcing tonight the city's interest in re-acquiring that building," de Blasio said, eliciting cheers from the audience.
Nearly 2 decades ago @RudyGiuliani auctioned off El Bohío. For two decades it has sat neglected.
— Andrea Gordillo (@AndreaGordillo) October 12, 2019
2 years ago, on this day, @NYCMayor promised to work with our community to get it back. #keepyourpromise #giveitback @BrianLehrer pic.twitter.com/X6JoOjwPwh
@NYCMayor Two years ago today you promised to give us back CHARAS make good on this promise.#keepyourpromise #giveitback @BrianLehrer #ReTweetPlease pic.twitter.com/fjJHCPsw5C
— AuraDL 歐拉 歐拉維利亞 (@AuraDL2) October 12, 2019
The mayor brought up P.S. 64 again in the late summer of 2018 during a media roundtable at Brooklyn Borough Hall. There, de Blasio said that property owner Gregg Singer "has been exceedingly uncooperative" about selling the building back to the city, as The Villager reported. However, Singer told Patch that he hadn't heard from anyone at the mayor's office about the property.
Back on Feb. 7, local elected officials gathered outside the building and urged the city to reclaim the property for community use. The building was also the focus of a recent town hall hosted by Community Board 3's Arts & Cultural Affairs Subcommittee.
Singer has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order — dating to August 2015 — on the building.
To date, Singer has filed two lawsuits against the city, claiming that the de Blasio administration is derailing his dorm-converting efforts.
According to the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC), the first lawsuit, brought against the city in early 2018, was dismissed on Sept. 30.
Per an email from the EVCC:
As respects the federal constitutional and statutory claims, the court agreed with the defendants' position in a thorough 48-page opinion, which closely analyzes — and rejects — each of Mr. Singer's allegations of federal constitutional and statutory violations.
While this is as complete a victory as could be expected, it is our understanding that Mr. Singer's team has filed an appeal, which the defendants will oppose.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Last-minute notice about a PS 64 town hall tonight

There was very little advance notice about this... Community Board 3's Arts & Cultural Affairs Subcommittee is hosting a town hall this evening about the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
It happens from 6:30 to 9 at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
The flyer promises an array of local elected officials, including State Sen. Brad Hoylman and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, as well as city officials. Is the Mayor really going to be there?
CB3's September meetings included mention that the Arts & Cultural Affairs Subcommittee was finalizing plans for a town hall tonight. But we never heard anything about the event. There haven't been any notices in the local press or email invites from CB3. I found the flyer on the bottom of the CB3 website — only after seeing it this morning on the La Plaza Cultural Instagram account.
On Feb. 7, local elected officials gathered outside the building and urged the city to reclaim the property for community use. Read more background about the long-vacant property here.
Property owner Gregg Singer recently filed another lawsuit against the city.
Monday, September 9, 2019
This week in CB3 committee meetings: plans for P.S. 64 town hall, updates on Mount Sinai Beth Israel's new hospital
A few items of interest this week at Community Board 3 committee meetings (aside from the SLA), which are open to the public to attend:
Monday (tonight!)
Arts & Cultural Affairs Subcommittee
6:30 p.m., Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street
• The committee is finalizing plans for a town hall about the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. This event will take place on Sept. 23 at Theater for the New City. We'll update when the details of the town hall are made public.
On Feb. 7, local elected officials gathered outside the building and urged the city to reclaim the property for community use. Read more background about the long-vacant property here.
Tuesday (tomorrow!)
Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee
6:30 p.m., University Settlement at Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery
• There's an informational presentation on Mount Sinai Beth Israel's new hospital at 302 E. 14th St. and 311-315 E. 13 St. Mount Sinai reps will provide info about the loading zone, traffic and construction plans.
As previously reported in the fall of 2016, the Mount Sinai Health System is in the midst of its years-long project to rebuild Mount Sinai Beth Israel, transitioning to a network of smaller facilities throughout lower Manhattan.
The plans include an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue, which includes a new 7-story hospital on 13th Street. In July, Mount Sinai Beth Israel officials released more details on their "$1 billion downtown transformation," which you can read about at this link.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Repair work continues at the former P.S. 64
Work continues at the former P.S. 64 on 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
A reader shared these photos from yesterday, showing a crew working on the exterior facade on the western corner of the landmarked building...
Workers were first spotted here last Tuesday.
Another reader shared these photos... offering a rare glimpse inside the long-vacant property...
Workers at the scene offered that they'd be here for about 10 days to restore the building's corners to maintain their structural integrity.
On Feb. 6, the city evacuated adjacent buildings after discovering cracks at the old P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center ... and later issued a Full Vacate Order.
City inspectors eventually determined that the building was safe, but did issue a violation to landlord Gregg Singer for failure to maintain the exterior facade, per Curbed.
Singer told Curbed at the time: "It’s all political. This is part of a concerted effort to put pressure on us. I was just at the building. There's definitely cracks — that we were already aware of — that will be pointed and repaired, but there’s no immediate danger."
Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order — dating to August 2015 — on the building.
A DOB rep told The Wall Street Journal in January 2018 that the agency twice denied the developer’s application because he “failed to submit sufficient proof that the building would be used as a student dormitory."
Singer is in the midst of a lawsuit with the city.