Saturday, May 2, 2009

Queens Plaza bank demolished for nothing

From The Real Deal:

National lender U.S. Bank is suing to recover a $17.2 million loan made to a Brooklyn company that planned to develop a Long Island City parcel into a Starwood Aloft hotel, court papers show.

"The relief sought is judgment against defendant Queens Plaza Development in the amount of $17,236,709.77, plus interest, costs and attorneys fees," the motion filed April 24 in Manhattan State Supreme Court says.

Queens Plaza Development filed plans in January 2008 for a 220-foot tall, 16-story hotel at 29-37 41st Avenue in Queens Plaza, city Department of Buildings records show.

Despite demolishing a three-story bank building after demolition plans were filed with DOB in March 2008, the site remains vacant.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful building that was, inside and out. Shameful.

Anonymous said...

No it wasn't. It was a cement box with no distinguishing features or embellishments. No different from the box that will eventually replace it.

Anonymous said...

No it wasn't. It was a cement box with no distinguishing features or embellishments. No different from the box that will eventually replace it.

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You are either full of shit, or have no idea what you are talking about.

This building was one of the great banking floors in NY with imported marble and corporate offices with fine woods.

Two murals by Vincent Aderante worth $100,000s each walked off.

This could have been the anchor for a fantastic arts center.

Instead, the two bit jerks that run this boro, who don't have a tincture of imganination, let this go.

Even more dammning is the prevervation community who did not even make an effort to acknowledge its existance - as they do so much of Queens.

I am glad their double standard is held up of all to see on this blog.

Anonymous said...

They tried to get publicity for this building, but when the local press discovered it was owned by an immigrant, they focused exclusively on that angle - a successful rags to riches story with its destuction the victom of progress.

Obscene.

Queens Crapper said...

Is this the same Starwood Hotels that owns this building site?

Anonymous said...

That second post was from the scum-bun developer...no doubt!

Anonymous said...

In this community, it could be a community board member, a local civic leader, or even a pol

Remember, this is in infamous Dutch Kills, part of CB1 the community board from hell.

Anonymous said...

I remember that beautiful bank and the big sign with the time and temperature that I used to consult daily when I was young and penniless and watchless.

One more piece of class gone from this world.

Anonymous said...

Even more dammning is the prevervation community who did not even make an effort to acknowledge its existance - as they do so much of Queens.

I am glad their double standard is held up of all to see on this blog.
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Thanks for reminding me. I think I will drop these organizations from my donation list.

If they don't really care about the stuff that is important to our borough, why should we continue to give them support?

PizzaBagel said...

Apparently there are still not enough hotel rooms in LIC. Build they must! Phooey on all these developers who would rather tear down and start from scratch, rather than preserve and renovate.

Erik Baard said...

It was a charming old building with fine interior details and fit well in local context. In its place might we have green space? A community garden even? It's not directly under the rails or in the swim of traffic, so would be even more suitable than current park plans.

Anonymous said...

Please, Eric, please.

Get real.

The pols and developers do anything they want because the 'greens' are in their pocket and come up with precious comments like this, where all nod and smile at the thought, then go ahead and bulldoze the waterfront.

Instead of a park, we get a bollard.