DEMOLITION: 164-168 WEST 136TH STREET

Harlem Bespoke: We were hopeful for the future of the pair of brownstones at 164-168 West 136th Street just west of Adam Clayton Powell when the townhouses sold back in 2015 but a full restoration never quite happened.  Plywood fences when up in 2017 but then nothing happened until earlier in the year as the lower photo reveals.  Everything was demolished since there was no landmark protection for this historic block and a poster out front now reveals what will be arriving in the not too distant future. 

DEMOLITION: THE NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE BUILDING

Harlem Bespoke:   We walked by the corner of Fifth Avenue and 125th Street over the weekend and took the above photos of the former location of the National Black Theatre.  Evidently the demolition is now complete and the next phase for the new residential building should start soon.

DEMOLITION OF AN ASTOR ROW TOWNHOUSE

Harlem Bespoke:  There is a big empty lot now on Astor Row by Lenox Avenue since the city had to proceed with demolition this week because of years of neglect which endangered the adjacent buildings.  The above photos were taken yesterday and most of the brick townhouse had already been manually dismantled.

DEMOLITION PERMITS EXPIRE AT CALVARY CHURCH

Harlem Bespoke:  Neighbors were concerned when a sidewalk shed and demolition permits popped up at the historic Calvary Church on Edgecombe and West 140th Street earlier on in the season but apparently the protective barrier has since been removed.  We took the above photo yesterday and everything appears to be clear out front but those same permits are still up.   As previously mentioned, the beloved building was supposed to be part of the new Dorrance Brooks Historic District which was officially designated in June but demolition had been approved earlier on back in April.  Fortunately that paperwork had an expiration date set for the end of August so everything appears to be safe for now. 

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DEMOLITION: PLYWOOD AT NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE

Harlem Bespoke:  There was an announcement back in 2017 mentioning that the National Black Theatre building on Fifth Avenue by 125th Street would be demolished to make way for a 20-story tower and apparently that day has arrived.  Plywood went up this summer and the demolition process should begin in the coming weeks. Some might remember that Elizabeth Dee Gallery was one of the commercial tenants on the block but had to vacate because of the future plans for the site.   Apparently this will translate into 240 apartments and a new 30,000-square-foot theater space for the cultural organization that has been around since 1968.  For more on the development, check out our past post: LINK

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EMPTY LOT AT FORMER COLISEUM CORNER 2021

Harlem Bespoke:  There is a huge empty lot now at the corner of 181st Street and Broadway in the Heights and this was sadly the former location of the Coliseum Theater.  Locals had a petition online with thousands of signatures for the preservation of the historic site back in 2018 but the wrecking ball arrived in early 2020.  The process had been slow but everything is now complete and apparently ready for a shopping mall building to go up.  Retail in the city had a hard hit last year and it is now unclear if the demand is evening still there for this type of development.  Check our our past post on what the Coliseum used to look like back in the day: LINK

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QUESTION: WILL CALVARY CHURCH BE DEMOLISHED?

Harlem Bespoke:  We received a couple of messages from alarmed neighbors by historic Calvary Church on Edgecombe and West 140th Street this past week because a sidewalk shed had been placed around the site.  The beloved building was supposed to be part of the new Dorrance Brooks Historic District which was officially designated this month but did the church not get including for some reason?   There is an alarming wall of work city paperwork on the lower level which includes one demolition permit assigned in April and will expire at the end of August.  On the the other hand, the sidewalk shed has signage for a contractor being used and not a demolition company which is an entirely different kettle of fish.  Does anyone have an update to share with all the readers out their?  

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CONSTRUCTION: THE SUGAR HILL HORSE STABLES

UPDATE:  The building is not being demolished.  Two additional towers are being added on top an the entire site will be residendtial.  So the current situation is just gutting the interior of the site to make way for new apartment renovations.

We are Harlem's longest running blog so have done quite a few stories on historic buildings in the past decade and wanted to check out on some of the previously reviewed sites.  Walking by the historic horse stable building at 455-457 West 150th this weekend, a dumpster was discovered out front with lots of construction material in front of the building. 

DEMOLITION: END OF THE EAST 125TH PATHMARK

Harlem Bespoke:  East Harlem's polarizing Pathmark at 160 East 125th Street has now fully been demolished.  We walked by the super block site that spans from Lexington Avenue to Third Avenue today and saw the digger equipment on site quickly breaking down the last piece of rubble.  Everything was built starting back in 1997 and the mindset was probably that the block would be transformed in a positive direction but some might argue that this did not really happen. Another supermarket will arrive in the new building planned for this location situated by one of the only subway train entrance on the east side of the boulevard but this time around there will be office spaces in included to bring commuters into this part of 125th Street.  Check out our past post for a full rendering of the new 9-story building planned to be completed in the next couple of years: LINK

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DEMOLITION: THE EAST HARLEM PATHMARK ON 125TH

Harlem Bespoke: We saw the plywood go up at the former East 125th Street Pathmark at Lexington Avenue in October and it appear that demolition day has finally arrived.  Everything sold back in 2014 and the site has really been in miserable condition since then so this moment has been long-awaited.

DEMOLITION: END OF THE COLISEUM THEATRE

Harlem Bespoke:  The controversial demolition of the historic Coliseum Theatre in Washington Heights had been put in motion within the past three years but it was in 2020 when the walls finally went down.  The above photos were taken a couple of weeks ago and not much of the old building at the corner of 181st and Broadway remained intact.  So what will go up after all the destruction?  Apparently a glass shopping mall because more commercial retail is apparently something in high demand these days.  Check out our past post to see the intact coliseum and also the new building that will be rising soon at this uptown corner: LINK

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UPDATE: THE NEW STUDIO MUSUEM BUILDING

Harlem Bespoke: When will the new Studio Museum building finish up?  We walked by the fully demolished site just east of 7th Avenue recently and saw that everything had been fully demolished.  Freshly posted signs up on the plywood fence out front has the forthcoming David Adjaye design in view and states that a completion date  has been set for two years from now.  This timeline appears to be more accurate than previously stated in the past  so expect to see a lot of construction picking up in in the next few months at the notable address on 125th Street: LINK

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DEMOLITION: EAST 125TH STREET PATHMARK

Harlem Bespoke:  The abandoned Pathmark building at the corner of Lexington and 125th Street is finally getting demolished.  A plywood fence has been installed recently and demolition permits are now all place to get the work started.  Signs out front state that everything should finish up in 4 months and we expect that the new development should break ground sometimes soon after.  Check out our past post for full details and a rendering of the building that has been designed for this corner of East Harlem:  LINK

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CONSTRUCTION: SCAFFOLDING ON 125TH STREET

Harlem Bespoke:  Some more big changes will be happening on 125th Street in the next few months since construction plans appear to be moving forward for the National Urban League headquarters.  We walked by  the low-level parking lot building just west of Lenox and noticed new scaffolding is currently being installed.  Demolition should be pretty quick since there is not a lot above ground to dismantle and the $242 million new construction should definitely start rising in the next year or so.  More details and renderings can be found in our past post: LINK

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READ: TARGET AT NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 125TH

Harlem Bespoke:  The big Harlem news in the past week is that National Urban League will break ground ground on the $242 million 125th Street Harlem headquarters this fall but now the Post reveals that a major anchor retail tenant has signed a lease. The 17-story building located west of Lenox Avenue will also include 170 units of affordable rentals and a civil rights museum but a 44,000 square-foot Target will now also be part of the package.   Some might remember that politicians scared away Macy's from this project back in  in 2013 to make themselves look good with local small businesses but those sentiments have apparently since changed.   Check out the full details in the latest New York Post article: LINK

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ARCHITECTURE: NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ON 125TH

Harlem Bespoke:  The National Urban League has finally secured the additional $188 million in finances needed for the $242 million Harlem headquarters on 125th street and ground breaking should happen this fall.  Those familiar with the plans know that the garage building on 125th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell has been the designated site since 2013 but a lot of politics had to happen for the 17-story new construction to finally come about.  There will also be 170 units of affordable rental included in the mix along with a civil rights museum and retail on the ground floor.  Check out the full details in the latest Observer article: LINK

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DEMOLITION: STUDIO MUSEUM 125TH STREET JULY 2020

Harlem Bespoke: Construction work has picked up in the past couple of months and the Studio Museum building on 125th Street by 7th Avenue looks to be making some major progress. We walked by the address this past weekend and saw that only the ground floor pretty much remains at this point in time.   Everything should be gone by early fall and hopefully the crucial foundation work for the new $122 million building can start up by year's end.  Check out the final design details in our past post: LINK

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DEMOLITION: STUDIO MUSEUM MAY 2020

Harlem Bespoke: Demolition at the main Studio Museum building on 125th Street by 7th Avenue started up last year and now everything appears to be finishing up soon for the first phase.  Most of the top floors are gone and the lower level still remains but it is unclear if the current city shutdown will delay things much longer. Back in 2015 it was announced that starchitect David Adjaye designed a new $122 million building for the iconic institution set to finish by 2019 and now it appears that the dramatic new design will probably take a couple of more years to finish up.  Check out the original design rendering in our past post: LINK

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DEMOLITION: TOWER REMOVED FROM ST. JAMES

Harlem Bespoke:  Scaffolding went up last September in front of historic St. James church at the corner of 126th and Madison Avenue but renovations unfortunately were not the intentions.  Everything had been sold to a condo developer in recent years and the the demolition process would start soon in the coming months.  A Bespoke reader mentioned that the main tower has since been demolished so we walked over to this eastern section of Harlem over the weekend to take a look.

As can be seen from the above photos, the building is pretty much a shell now with only the walls of the lower levels still intact. At this rate, everything will be razed by the end of the month and one of the few grand old building left on the east side of Central Harlem will be no more.  We have mentioned that the blocks above 125th Street just east of Fifth Avenue to Park Avenue still have the brownstone village feel to it but somehow has not been protected by the Landmarks Commission of the city.  More on St. James in our past post: LINK

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DEMOLITION: THE END OF THE COLISEUM THEATRE

Harlem Bespoke:  There was a petition to save the Coliseum Theatre in Washington Heights that received over 9,000 signatures back in 2017 but it appears that all the efforts did not get the attention of local politicians.  We walked by the abandoned historic site on the corner of 181st Street a couple of weeks back and took the above photos which show that demolition plans have already started for the historic building that turned 100 years old this year.