A Merry Mystery Lot Christmas

Thanks to Goggla for sharing this! A Christmas scene circa 2012 from the Mystery Lot ... the beloved site of far too many EVG posts on 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... home since early 2014 to the Jefferson, an 82-unit condoplex.

Ongoing construction at condoplex on Avenue A enters the swimming pool phase

An EVG reader yesterday noted the ongoing construction in the lot off Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street that was formerly home of Mary Help of Christians.

Upon closer inspection, you can spot the new building's swimming pool going in…





Early plans for the building mentioned a possible rooftop pool. It's difficult to tell at this point where the pool will fit in compared to the rest of the residential building.

A worker said that the pool only gets to 5 feet in the deep end. Not good for diving, of course.

But!

Through the magic of YouTube, we found one thrillseeker who successfully made the jump into a 5-foot-deep pool… (not that we recommend that the new residents of this building attempt this. But if you must, please film it and post it to YouTube.)

Jeff — you're on…



Anyway! In the works, of course, is a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 82 market-rate condos via developer Douglas Steiner.



Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool

Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A

Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

Former Mary Help of Christians property getting the plywood treatment

Activity continues this week in and around the lot off Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street that was formerly home of Mary Help of Christians.



As these photos from EVG reader Greg Masters show, workers this morning are erecting a plywood fence around the site...





... where, in a few short years, there will be a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 82 market-rate condos via developer Douglas Steiner.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool

Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A

Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

Some activity at the former Mary Help of Christians lot, plus a lot of discarded stuffed animals

[Photo by Peter Brownscombe]

Several readers have been curious about the recent activity in the dormant lot off Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street that was formerly home of Mary Help of Christians.

Of late there has been some mysterious activity … Per EVG reader Peter Brownscombe: "What appears to be a rabbit-proof fence has been erected creating an East-West divide of this desolate tract."

As we have quickly recapped in the past: Developer Douglas Steiner bought the property in 2012 for $41 million. During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory. The permits that Steiner's reps filed with the city in October 2013 called for a 7-story, 64,720-square-foot structure with frontage on Avenue A, East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

This changed when Steiner's reps told CB3 in February that the residences would actually now be market-rate condos.

As for updates, well the pool design drawings went on file at the DOB on Wednesday…

Meanwhile, a few other Former Mary Help of Christians Empty Lot Watchers we talked with figure the fencing is for the renovations next door at East Side Community School …


[PB]

… but there isn't much explanation for why the lot has become a stuffed animal burial ground…


[PB]

Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool

Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A

Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

Construction watch: 211 E. 13th St., aka The Jefferson

[October 2012, via EVG reader Katja]

Hey, let's pay a visit to the North West East Village, where work continues on the Jefferson, the new condo building at 211 E. 13th St. (AKA the former Mystery Lot).

EV Grieve Former Mystery Lot Correspondent/Current Jefferson Watcher Katja passes along photos of how the place is shaping up...





Eventually:



According to Streeteasy, 12 units are currently in contract here. There are 83 units in total at The Jefferson, named for the theater that once sat on the site.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The last days of the Mystery Lot

Before it was the Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot developers using famous dead comedians to sell condos at The Jefferson

The Jefferson reveals what '21st Century living in the heart of Olde New York' costs

The Jefferson reveals what '21st Century living in the heart of Olde New York' costs

And yesterday, The Jefferson — the luxury condos that rose up from the former Mystery Lot on East 13th Street — unveiled its pricing and floor plans, as BuzzBuzz Home first noted. (We spotted the listings at Curbed.)

The Jefferson's marketing campaign asks, "Can you afford not to buy?" Unfortunately, the units turn out to be more than $300. The listings include a 536-square-foot studio for $850,000 up to a two-bedroom penthouse with a rooftop terrace for $2.49 million. In between, one-bedrooms range from $1.11 and $1.54 million.

Anyway, go look at the units... come back and comment... Or just comment.

And the view from East 13th Street...



...and the roof...



Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The last days of the Mystery Lot

Before it was the Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot developers using famous dead comedians to sell condos at The Jefferson

Reaching the top at The Jefferson

Workers reached the top of the incoming Jefferson yesterday ... the new 8-floor condo on East 13th Street... at the site of the former Mystery Lot...



"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for a tasteful oasis of state-of-the-art living in an enclave of 18th and 19th Century charm."

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The last days of the Mystery Lot

Before it was the Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot developers using famous dead comedians to sell condos at The Jefferson

Meanwhile, at the former Mystery Lot...

Work atop The Jefferson continued until 10 last night. You have to put in a lot of hours to create a "tasteful oasis of state-of-the-art living in an enclave of 18th and 19th Century charm."

Photo by Nick Solares.

The Mystery Lot developers using famous dead comedians to sell condos at The Jefferson

As you know, the Mystery Lot, the long-empty weed-filled lot off East 14th Street near Third Avenue, will soon be home to an eight-story, 83-unit luxury condo building.

For years, the land here was home to the Jefferson Theatre, which opened in 1913 as a B.F. Keith's vaudeville theater. The Cinema Treasures crew believe the Jefferson was in operation until 1977, when it ended its run as an XXX theater showing fare billed as "the adult film bonanza" for $1.99. The abandoned theater was demolished in 2000, and The Mystery Lot was born.

[Undated photo via]

Last night, a reader passed along a poster on the plywood outside the construction site, which shows how the new residences are being marketed.


Yes, you, too, "can live on a site once inhabited by W.C. Fields, Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Burns & Allen, Milton Berle and Jack Benny!"

This pitch will likely appeal to my grandmother, though can't say the same for your average condo buyer looking for private rooftop cabana terraces, a feature of six of the deluxe spaces.

There's also a teaser site now where you can register for information on "21st Century living in the heart of Olde New York."



Per previously released materials, shared building amenities include a library, fitness center, residents and business lounges, and a rooftop terrace with an outdoor kitchen. Perhaps there will even be Marx Brothers Film Festivals on the roof.

Find more on the old building's history at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot likely facing a luxurious end

The last days of the Mystery Lot

Before it was the Mystery Lot

More marketing and branding for The Jefferson

Aside from playing up the historic elements of the land here off East 14th Street near Third Avenue... where the Jefferson Theatre once stood...



The incoming Jefferson condo features an array of marketing messages... like that you can "live funky but chic" ...



...that the neighborhood is a "cultural magnet for artists, actors, musicians, writers and entrepreneurs" ...



...that the East Village is "America's original bohemian enclave... the birthplace of cool" ...



All something to remember while using the technogym equipment and roof-top BBQ ...



What do you think of this marketing campaign?

Mystery Lot no longer recognizable

As these photos by EV Grieve Former Mystery Lot Correspondent Katja show... our little graffiti- and weed-filled lot is all grown up now.. on its way to becoming an eight-story, 83-unit luxury condo building.





They can't take our memories, though.

[Updated] Water main break on East 13th Street

@evgrieve huge water main break on 13th&2nd!! Flooding fast ! twitter.com/whiskandanchor…
— melissa (@whiskandanchor) February 7, 2013

1:24
Apparently the water is coming from the Mystery Lot construction site!

1:27
The NYPD is on the scene!

[Via @whiskandanchor]

1:44
A shot from East 13th Street, where a water main broke ... water still bubbling up from the depths... FDNY on the scene... photo via Marjorie Ingall

2:11
Report from the scene: The bubbling water has subsided. An inch or so at its deepest on East 13th Street...

2:23
Some photos via EVG reader Katja a little earlier ...

Con Ed is at the scene... and gave the all clear on electric and gas... However, an unknown number of residents will be without water for several days, according to what officials told Katja.

3:17
DEP on the scene ... photos via Katja...

4:55
Workers are digging into the guilty party...

Speaking of East Village lots...

Former Mystery Lot update! With an old-fashioned time lapse showing the progress...

Thanks, as always, to EVG regular Katja for these photos... Previously.

Mystery Lot replacement starting to show itself on East 13th Street

While standing on East 14th Street near Third Avenue... you can see the noticeable progress of the new eight-story, 83-unit luxury condo building.

Not so much on East 13th Street though... until now... As you can just make out a few things starting to rise above the plywood...

Meanwhile, for a time-lapse of sorts aerial view... courtesy of EVG reader Katja...

And, of course, how it will look one day on East 13th Street...

[Via Curbed]

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot likely facing a luxurious end

The last days of the Mystery Lot