☞ PROTECT: 163 Lenox Avenue

On the corner of 118th Street and Malcolm X/Lenox Avenue, we wondered what was going on with the building next to local favorite restaurant, Native. Here was a great contemporary restaurant alongside what looked like a deteriorated building with scaffolding holding it up and plywood in place of windows. Soon discovered was a work permit issued this month to restore all of the units in the building (163 Lenox Avenue) as apartments. We ran into the contractor, and he mentioned that the building would be a co-op and that all the former residents will be returning once everything is fixed up. A sign on the front scaffolding also mentions the affordable housing element of the project. This is really the sort of thing that's great for the community since it preserves historic buildings, keeps the neighborhood intact and provides affordable housing. Also, if you haven't been to Native recently, drop by for the lunch, dinner or weekend brunches and support this local restaurant through this recession period. Take the 2,3 to 116th Street and walk to blocks north to 118th Street and Lenox Avenue. See more on Native in our previous post: LINK