Tuesday, March 22, 2016

READ: THE DEVELOPER AND THE BROWNSTONE


The New York Times has an article on the family that has held on to their brownstone on 123rd Street by Morningside Park even  though a large condo complex will eventually be built on the demoed adjacent lots on either side of the address.  This block just east of Morningside Park originally had 4 identical buildings with copper oriels as can be seen in the top photos.  When the developer purchased two of the 129-year-old structures it left a homeowner in the middle with an odd proposition.

Should they take the offer to move into one of the brownstones (originally planned for demolition) further east so that they would not have to be in the center of the new tower?  It all sounded like a good idea but the additional bank money did not come through for the planners of the new construction and thus everyone had to stay put.  Our original article on the rendering of the tower had one Bespoke reader comment on the holdout in the middle but the Times piece further clarifies that all parties had been working together to come up with a solution: LINK
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 22, 2016 at 9:22 AM

    wait, they tore down the two matching ones? that is awful.

    I would propose that virtually all pre-war townhomes on side streets be landmarked.
    Sadly owners cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JillMarch 26, 2016 at 10:35 AM

    Agree. These buildings are gorgeous and represent the heart and history of the neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete

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