The future of 326 and 328 E. Fourth St.

On Friday, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) noted that he city had already issued permits to develop the historic townhouses at 326 and 328 E. Fourth St.



Here's a look at the approved work plans...




The plans show that two floors will be added to the existing structure. The architect is Ramy Issacs, who New York magazine dubbed "The controversial penthouse king of the East Village." DOB records show that Terrence Lowenberg owns the buildings. Lowenberg is also behind the renovations at 147 First Avenue, as Curbed reported.

Per the GVSHP: "This was a tragic mistake by the city, allowing these wonderful pieces of the East Village and the city’s history to be destroyed, especially given the very poor track record of the architect in this case."

They continue: "In spite of this tragic loss, GVSHP is moving forward with our project to thoroughly document the history of every building in the East Village as part of a broader effort to push for expanded landmark protections in this historic, under-protected neighborhood."

The Times has more on the history of the buildings here back in September ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

How's life by 326-328 E. Fourth St. these days?

Speaking of 326-328 E. Fourth St. Icon EV, the new rentals here between Avenue C and Avenue D, were available for move in starting Sept. 1. Units are priced between $3,500 for two bedrooms and up to $8,000 for six bedrooms. The building's design is described in the listings as "a Classic New York Atmosphere." (To accomplish this, workers gutted the 170-year-old buildings and added two additional floors.)

Anyway, they seem to be popular enough — a good number of the units have already been rented. According to Streeteasy, seven units have been rented at No. 326 and five at No. 328.

And what do the neighbors think so far? Via the comments the other day:

Our building on 3rd Street faces the back of this atrocity. We used to see blue jays and cardinals in the old tree at the edge of this property, but that was the first thing they cut down (it never would have gotten in the way of construction). Now in the same spot overcharged renters have access to an ugly concrete patio, and what looks and sounds like frat boys [who] sit and drink beer and smoke cigarettes and talk too loudly till way past midnight. Shame.

Here's the new-look 205 Avenue A with 2 additional floors

[January]

We've been noting that 205 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street was getting a two-floor extension courtesy of developer Terrence Lowenberg and architect Ramy Issac.

And yesterday, workers removed the construction netting and scaffolding to reveal... a very Lowenberg-Issac-like building...



It's quite similar to the look of another recent joint venture — 326-328 E. Fourth St.

There aren't any listings yet for 205... so it's not clear yet whether they will be dormy side, like the apartments at 326-328 E. Fourth St. where there was a six-bedroom apartment listed for $8,000.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 additional floors coming to 205 Avenue A; another Lowenberg-Issac production

205 Avenue A primed for 2 new floors

Is the under-renovation 205 Avenue A already too tall?

Historic East Fourth Street townhouses now just brick and bones

Every few months we'll check in on the formerly historic townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. ... and every time we look, there's less and less of the original buildings remaining...

The houses are now essentially just the brick and some bones.

Soon, though, the building will rise again as something completely different, and with two new floors courtesy of developer Terrence Lowenberg and Ramy Issac, the sausage penthouse king of the East Village.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

City doesn't give a shit about these historic East Village townhouses

326-328 E. Fourth St. now a shell of its former self

Not much left of the addresses here between Avenue C and Avenue D.... You can see right through 328 to the buildings on Third Street...

As the Times noted back September, the houses date to around 1840 ... "That these houses have remained virtually unchanged in the past 170 years is miraculous and noteworthy..."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

City doesn't give a shit about these historic East Village townhouses

A bid to protect the integrity of 315 E. 10th St.

On Friday, we reported that Ben Shaoul's Magnum Real Estate Group bought 315 E. 10th St. from The Educational Alliance. Renovations are currently taking place to convert the building into residential use. There is also a pending permit to add an extra floor to the existing structure.

Area preservation groups had already been alerted to this possible development. Leaders from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Historic Districts Council, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition sent a letter dated Dec. 6 to Robert Tierney, chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The letter reads, in part:

It has come to our attention that a permit application has been filed with the Department of Buildings to add a 5th floor to a 4-story building at 315 East 10th Street located within the calendared East 10th Street Historic District. We urge the Landmark Preservation Commission to intervene to ensure that these permits are not issued prior to designation.'

As you know, this block north of Tompkins Square Park was selected by the LPC as an historic district due to its high degree of intactness and distinctive architecture. This mid-block building is very much intact and such a modification would certainly negatively impact its character and the defining features of this building, which research completed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation indicates dates to 1847. The level of architectural integrity for this 160-year old building at 315 East 10th Street is incredible, with details including an ornate galvanized iron cornice, window hoods and doorway frieze and entablature still intact.

Per the GVSHP, because the proposed district has been calendared by the LPC, the city has the power to stop the permits from being issued if they act quickly enough.

So far, though, the LPC has seemingly been unsympathetic to East Village architecture. Witness the demolition of, among others:

• 326-328 E. Fourth St.

• 316 E. Third St.

• 35 Cooper Square

• 331 E. Sixth St.

Click here for a petition to help save 310 E. 10th St. from further development. And this about more than simply saving one building... this is about preserving the integrity of the entire north side of East 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. If the city allows this addition, then there won't be much stopping any developers from doing the same to other buildings along here in the future...

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

There's a new listing for two townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D... 12 bedrooms in the two homes... and both buildings are going for $4.6 million... According to the listing:

Extraordinary Opportunity. Two side by side townhouses that have 46 feet of street frontage and a 46 foot by 50 foot rear garden await your vision, dreams and renovation. Extensive original details throughout the townhouses. These properties will be delivered vacant, are currently over 7,000 square feet and come with an additional 10,000 square feet of air rights. Beautifully located across community gardens and on a charming block. This could also be a development site or for institutional use.

So, original details aside, someone will buy these to develop some high-end housing for that 10,000 square feet of air rights... and what about the current tenants...?

Enough is enough: 316 E. Sixth St. was the fourth pre-Civil War townhouse to be destroyed in the last year

While on the topic of 331 E. Sixth St., which is between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) noted, this is the fourth pre-Civil War building in the East Village to be demolished in the past year.

The others: 326 and 328 E. Fourth St. and 35 Cooper Square. Meanwhile, 316 E. Third St. is next on the kill list to make way for a luxury apartment building.

So let's send it right to GVSHP:

Enough is enough! The demolition of 331 East 6th Street only highlights the urgent need for landmark protections in the East Village. Several months ago the Landmarks Preservation Commission proposed two historic districts in the East Village, a critical first step in preserving the neighborhood's significant historic architecture. However, the Commission has given us no information as to when they will hold a public hearing on the proposed districts (the second of three official steps in the landmarking process). While we wait, more and more of the neighborhood's complex and colorful history is being destroyed.

How to Help:

Send a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission urging them to hold a public hearing on the East Village Historic Districts and calendar 316 East 3rd Street. A sample letter may be found HERE. Please send copies of all letters to gvshp@gvshp.org.

2 new floors, gut renovation in store for empty tenement that last housed a Hanksy art show

324 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D is one of the last unique-looking buildings left in the area... not for long, though. There are plans on file with the city to gut-renovate the empty tenement and add two floors. Under this proposal, the number of apartments would increase from four to 11.

We're unsure how long the building has been vacant. At least one person had keys. The street artist Hanksy hosted a kinda secret show here called "Surplus Candy" on Jan. 10...









Hanksy also hosted another event here here in December. Hanksy probably has time to do a few more here before the permits are OK'd and the renovations begin.

The renovated building may match up nicely with the neutered 326-328 E. Fourth St. ... the former artists' collective and burial society called the Uranian Phalanstery and First New York Gnostic Lyceum Temple that Icon Realty turned into expensive dorms.

Rally today to save to East Fourth Street townhouses

We've written about the historic townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D destined for the wrecking ball and condo afterlife... Today at noon, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC), Councilmember Rosie Mendez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, the Historic Districts Council, and the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy are holding a rally and press conference .... Read more here. And check out some photos at Untapped New York.

At the rally to save 326 and 328 E. Fourth St.

Today at noon, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC), Councilmember Rosie Mendez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, the Historic Districts Council, and the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy held a rally and press conference ... You can check out more photos at the GVSHP Flickr page...

Per the GVSHP:

These houses were the first and only structures ever built on these sites and retain a remarkable level of original architectural detail. Having evolved from shipbuilding merchant’s homes to multi-family tenements to a synagogue to the home of an anarchist utopian arts collective, 326 & 328 East 4th Street capture New York and especially the East Village’s evolution over more than a century and a half. With all-too-few buildings in the East Village enjoying much-needed landmark protections, we must save 326 & 328 East 4th Street before it is too late!

You can read more about the ongoing conservation battle here.

And, um, any word on this from the Landmarks Preservation Commission?

East Ninth Street parking lot will yield to 6-floor residential building

Following our post on Wednesday about the current construction projects in the neighborhood... a tipster told us about a development that we were unaware of — 327 E. Ninth St., currently a parking lot between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

The city has already OK'd plans for a six-floor residential building in the space...

Per the DOB, the 7,200-square-foot building will contain two residences ... with a garage and an elevator. Per the application, our old friend Ramy Issac is the architect ... and the owner is listed as Terrence Lowenberg of Icon Realty, who has been busy with turning 147 First Ave. into a hotel ... as well as developing 326-328 E. Fourth St. ... and other properties.

Meanwhile, the tipster also points us to the adjacent buildings here along East Ninth Street...

There are additional floors in the works for 329 E. Ninth St. ... No. 331 ... No. 333 ... No. 335 ... However, so far, the DOB hasn't approved any of the additional floors for these addresses dating back to early last year...

So where's that horrible-looking hotel coming to 347 Bowery?

Of late it seems that all we do around here is chronicle buildings being demolished. Such as:

• 51 Astor Place

• 9-17 Second Avenue

• 74-76 Third Avenue

• 185-193 Avenue B

• 326-328 E. Fourth St.

• 316 E. Third St.

• 35 Cooper Square

• 331 E. Sixth St.

So what's left next?

Our money is/was on 347 Bowery at East Third Street, where that French guy is going to build a boutique hotel at the site of the Salvation Army's East Village Residence. Let's refresh your memory:

Oh, yeah — come to daddy!

On Jan. 12, the Post first reported that France’s Louzon Group bought the former Salvation Army building for $7.6 million with plans to turn it into a boutique hotel with one of their restaurants on the ground floor.

So, nearly 11 months later, we took a look at the DOB to see if Louzon had any permits on file for sidewalk sheds, complete demolition, etc. There is nothing on file. With the exception of someone removing the big Salvation Army sign a few months ago, the place looks pretty good for being vacant for three years.

(Off topic: Is there any address in the area that Wacky Wok hasn't left a menu?) In any event, awfully quiet here. Perhaps the French were scared off by the incoming 7-Eleven next door? To be continued.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reactions to new Bowery hotel: 'It would be cheaper and more useful just to blow up the building and leave a 30-foot crater'

Why do the French hate us?

2 additional floors coming to 205 Avenue A; another Lowenberg-Issac production

205 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street is resident-free as workers have gutted the building this past week... According to the DOB, two additional floors are on the way via developer Terrence Lowenberg and architect Ramy Issac.

Perhaps we can expect to see more dorm-like conditions upon 205's unveiling, much like the previous Lowenberg-Issac production at 326-328 E. Fourth St., where there is a six-bedroom unit available for $8,000. (The two also teamed up for the in-progress additions at 154 Second Ave.)

Meanwhile, there are two complaints dated Wednesday on file with the DOB... from next door at No. 203:

CONSTRUCTION AT THE ADDRESS LSITED IS NOT TAKING PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND AS A RESULT NAILS, SCREWS AND OTHER DEBRIS IS FALLING ONTO ADJACENT PROPERTY

Previously on EV Grieve:
City has OK'd one-floor addition for Ben Shaoul-owned building on Avenue A and East 12th Street

Icon Realty's new Avenue A 'frat house' is attracting attention

Back in January, an apparently brotastic 6-bedroom apartment at the newly renovated 205 Avenue A was billed as an "East Village frat house" in ads.

Apparently the building with roof deck and backyard is living up to its billing.

Residents who live near the party palace between East 12th Street and East 13th Street say they have been enduring various daytime/nighttime parties since April.

Says one neighbor: "Rooftop parties have included a DJ with sound system and the backyard patio has a large outdoor screen for movies and sports. The backyard is part of a typical configuration whereby many buildings overlook their shared backyard areas which creates a kind of echoey canyon where even the smallest noises are amplified."

To date, residents say building owner Icon Realty has been unresponsive to emails and phone calls regarding the noise complaints.

So, the residents say they were left with little choice but to seek other alternatives to the problem. That means the 9th Precinct, Community Board 3 and the offices of Councilmember Rosie Mendez and State Sen. Brad Hoylman … all are said to be aware of the ongoing noise problems coming from the building's residents (and their guests).

205 Avenue A is expected to be among the topics of discussion during tonight's Ninth Precinct Community Council meeting. (The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the 9th Precinct, 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.)

And this is not the first time residents have had noise complaints about Icon Realty's newly created dorms.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your 6-bedroom dream 'frat house' awaits you in the East Village

How's life by 326-328 E. Fourth St. these days?

Maybe Robert Tierney doesn't hate the East Village after all

A few people were beginning to wonder anyway in the aftermath of the failed attempts to get the the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect 35 Cooper Square or 326-328 E. Fourth St.

As the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) noted yesterday, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to expand the boundaries of their proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District study area to include additional streets and buildings called for by GVSHP, the Historic Districts Council, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, and the East Village Community Coalition.

The additions to the study areas include buildings along Avenue A, East Sixth Street, Second Avenue and East Second Street. Among the items of interest per the GVSHP: "101 Avenue A, an 1876 tenement of striking architecture which has housed everything from a German Social hall in the 19th century to a drag performance art space (the Pyramid) in the 1980s."

Read more from the GVSHP here.

Here is a letter from Tierney, chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, on the matter.

Previously.

Friday night's rooftop party at Icon Realty's 205 Avenue A

Back in June, we heard from some unhappy neighbors living near the newly renovated (and now taller) 205 Avenue A — a property billed as an "East Village frat house" in ads.

For several months, neighbors said that they've had to endure various DJ-fueled rooftop parties between East 12th Street and East 13th Street.

When landlord Icon Realty didn't respond to noise complaints, nearby neighbors took up the issue with the offices of Councilmember Rosie Mendez and State Sen. Brad Hoylman. The address was also a topic during June's Ninth Precinct Community Council meeting.

Any progress to note?

Yes, apparently the parties are as loud as ever, as this video that a neighbor who lives several building away shared.



Said the neighbor, "The DJ was up there with sound equipment. It wasn't a charge-at-the-door DJ party. One of the tenants is a DJ and brings his equipment up there sometimes."

The music kicked in around midnight. The neighbor shot the video at 2:05 a.m.

"Many people called 311 and the police showed up around 2:30," the neighbor said. "Not coincidentally the music ceased."

We heard that Lt. Hernandez from the 9th Precinct Community Affairs office has been in contact with Icon Reality about reworking rooftop and backyard use guidelines.

As the resident noted about Lt. Hernandez: "He's been very helpful, but as you can hear, it's still a work in progress."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your 6-bedroom dream 'frat house' awaits you in the East Village

How's life by 326-328 E. Fourth St. these days?

Icon Realty's new Avenue A 'frat house' is attracting attention

Happy holidays from 128 Second Ave.

[EVG file photo]

Back in the fall, the ownership of 128 Second Ave. changed hands for $7.5 million… The listed buyers for the building between between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street are LLCs... with addresses that matched up to Stellar Management ("known as a premier owner and operator of commercial real estate") and Icon Realty Management, the hotshots who have bought up several East Village properties, such as 326-328 E. Fourth St.

Since then, we've heard rumors about shoddy treatment of the remaining tenants … one resident said that the building was without heat for more than five days in October, which is "more added stress on the good people being treated unfairly and pushed out of the building one by one. What a neighborhood killer."

Most recently, residents spotted this notice from ConEd, who "has not received an application for service for the light and power account in this building."



The service will be turned off "on or after Dec. 23 unless the Landlord or his Agent contact us for service."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage

128 Second Ave. has been sold

128 Second Ave. has been sold

Back in late August, a tipster told us that 128 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street was in contract.

Per the tipster, the building was being sold "to a group of four relatively young guys" ... who were heard outside 128 "talking about 'clearing out' the shop in the front" of the building. There are two businesses here: A tattoo/piercing parlor and the Stage restaurant.

According to public documents filed at the beginning of October, the building was sold for $7.5 million. The listed buyers are LLCs... with addresses that match up to Stellar Management ("known as a premier owner and operator of commercial real estate") and Icon Realty Management.

Ikon is familiar to the East Village, as far as gut renovations and additional stories go. Among the company's recent purchases: 326-328 E. Fourth St., 205 Avenue A and 154 Second Ave.

As for the beloved Stage, we understand that they have six years remaining on their lease.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: Breakfast at Stage

Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage