Seeking to save NYC theaters

From Crains:

In a city with 8.6 million residents packed within 303 square miles, aging movie theaters have become a preservation battleground that often pits developers looking to make a profit against elected officials eager to maintain quality of life and residents seeking communal and cultural gathering spaces. After notable failures in recent years such as the American Theater in the Bronx, which is now a Marshalls, and successes such as the Kings Theatre in Flatbush, now a live-performance venue, communities are hoping to find a road map for success with long-empty theaters such as the Metro, RKO Keith in Flushing and the Hamilton in Harlem, among several others.

"There's a desperate need for any space geared toward the community—something for young people and seniors," said Assemblyman Ron Kim, who is eyeing the RKO Keith in his Queens district. Demolition and plans for a large glass condo tower have apparently stalled, and Kim hopes a coming downturn in the Flushing condo market could give the site new life. "There's no place to meet and interact."

Once upon a time New York City did not have multiplexes—it had movie palaces, dazzling buildings that screened movies, hosted vaudeville and became social anchors for their communities. The first was the Regent, built in 1913 by Thomas Lamb at 116th Street and what is now Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. (Today it is home to the First Corinthian Baptist Church.) Nearly every neighborhood soon had its own palace with an average of 1,800 seats and lavish decorations.

But the rise of television in the 1950s, New York's fiscal crisis in the 1970s and the crime surge in the crack era all played a role in the decline of these movie theaters. Then the subsequent real estate boom made the land beneath them increasingly valuable. Large-screen home entertainment centers and movie streaming on smartphones didn't help. Coupled with the high cost of modernizing theaters for digital projection, the economics of these old picture houses simply didn't work anymore.

More than two dozen movie palaces built between 1910 and 1932 have been closed or razed. Of those still standing, some were transformed into retail stores or gyms; others were reimagined. Frequently they became churches. Even the Ziegfeld Theatre, one of the last single-screen theaters in the country when it opened in 1969, closed in 2016 after converting to digital projection. It is now Ziegfeld Ballroom, an event space.

The movie houses that remain pose challenges to communities and developers alike. While nostalgic locals campaign to turn the projection lights back on, that's typically not a realistic solution.

Spotlighting adaptive reuse

Take a look at these adaptive reuse projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn and compare them with Queens, where something hundreds of years old and with historical significance will get torn down in a flash with not one elected official giving a shit.

The TWA hotel?

From the Wall Street Journal:

JetBlue Airways Corp. is angling to get into the hotel business, joining the growing ranks of developers and investors looking for lodging opportunities inside major U.S. airports.

The low-cost airline and its partner, New York-based hotel developer MCR Development LLC, are in advanced negotiations with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the rights to turn the iconic Trans World Airlines terminal at Kennedy Airport into a modern hotel, according to people familiar with the matter.

Talks could still fall apart, these people said, but the MCR and JetBlue partnership has emerged as the preferred bidder and is in exclusive discussions with the Port Authority. MCR would be the majority investor.

Mary Immaculate plans revealed

From Brownstoner Queens:

Wowza: behold the future of the Mary Immaculate Hospital, to be converted into a residential development at 150-13 89th Avenue in Jamaica. YIMBY first published the rendering from the architects Goldstein, Hill & West. The Chetrit Group is moving forward to develop the site after purchasing it in 2009 and facing some construction holdups. The 298,000-square-foot, 324-unit complex spans an entire city block and faces Rufus King Park.

Developer receives loan for St. John's hospital conversion

From The Real Deal:

A group of Asia-based developers led by Steven Wu secured a $32 million construction loan that will finance the completion of the final stage of the St. John’s Hospital conversion in Elmhurst, Queens. Madison Realty Capital provided the loan, which lined up an earlier $38 million acquisition loan for the property.

Leasing at the 266,322-square-foot property – which the developers bought in December 2013 for $55 million – will commence soon, Madison Realty Capital co-founder Josh Zegen told The Real Deal.

No major renovations were needed at the former hospital, which is located along Queens Boulevard between 57th Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard, Zegen said. The development will ultimately hold 144 rental apartments divided among 148,109 square feet and will include about 118,213 square feet of commercial and community space.

Studios, one- and two-bedroom units will be located on the third through sixth floors, with a penthouse on the seventh floor with 15-foot ceilings. The penthouse will be one of eight such units in the building, and each will have a private roof terrace. The second floor will hold a community space, with retail space located on the ground floor and in the basement.

The building at 90-02 Queens Boulevard also comes with an 89,601-square-foot parking garage across the street that can hold around 290 spaces that will be used for the building’s future tenants as well as the commercial component of the development.

Ridgewood Theatre becoming apartments

From Curbed:

Plans for Ridgewood Theater's residential conversion were announced last fall, so what's going on at the site now? Not much, but that may soon change; permits for the project were approved this week. The plans call for adding two stories to the three-story building, and created 50 apartments (10 more than previously reported). Owner Bushburg Properties recently told Curbed that they are still in the planning stages of the development, working to bring contractors on board and finalizing their designs. The first floor will be an entertainment/cultural venue, and the permits make clear that the existing exterior of the theater, which is landmarked, will remain. Nataliya Donskoy is the architect.

Ridgewood Theater to house 40 apartments

From WyckoffHeights.org:

The new owner of the shuttered Ridgewood Theater has filed to enlarge and convert the landmark building into mixed commercial and residential occupancy, with ground floor retail and 40 dwelling units. The proposed work, which would roughly double the floor area of the existing building to 44,500 square feet, was oddly filed as a new building application:

Proposed conversion of exist movie theater into mixed use commercial/residential building, including construction of new floors within existing shell & minor vertical enlargement. NB application is filed due to extend of the work, however existing 3 story entry portion & all existing walls & existing foundations at theater portion will remain.

The Times Newsweekly reported last month that the theater had been purchased by Bushburg Properties, a Borough Park company that also owns The Loom and 385 Troutman (a residential conversion under the expanded loft law).

The Architect for the theater conversion is Nataliya Donskoy, a Robert Scarano alum who is not known for contextual alterations.

Rockaway Courthouse to become medical center

From CBS New York:

A historic building which has been abandoned for more than four decades is getting new life in Queens.

Developer Uri Kaufman is buying the old Rockaway Courthouse on Beach Channel Drive for $50,000 and turning it into a medical center, filling a void left when the bankrupt Peninsula Hospital shut down last year.

The courthouse, which was built in 1932, closed in 1962. It was last used by an arts group in the 1970s.

The columns and the rest of the facade of the 24,000-square-foot building will remain while the inside will be gutted...

Parkway Hospital for sale

From The Real Deal:

A Queens building which housed the defunct Parkway Hospital is set to hit the foreclosure auction block next month with an outstanding lien of $14.86 million, according to data from PropertyShark.

The 70,000-square-foot property, at 70-35 113th Street in Forest Hills, was home to the city’s only privately owned hospital until 2008, when the New York State Commission of Healthcare Facilities mandated its closure. The building has been vacant since.

The property, which sits on a 56,000-square-foot lot, has limited possibilities for adaptive reuse, it was previously reported. The court-appointed receiver of the mortgage speculated in 2009 that the property might be turned into a detention center or correctional facility, sparking concerns among local residents. But no official plans were ever filed. The building could also be reborn as a medical facility.

The auction is slated to take place June 28 at the Queens Supreme Court building at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica.

Now here's something they should have just torn down

This thing is hideous. As Curbed writes, "It's, uh, an interesting look. At least they preserved the facade, right?" Yikes!

Something may finally become of Rockaway courthouse

From the Daily News:

The city has finally agreed on a plan to transform the long-abandoned Rockaway Courthouse into a medical center.

Developer Uri Kaufman, whose Harmony Group has converted other historic structures into modern facilities, will purchase and renovate the 24,000-square-foot building into doctor’s offices and outpatient surgery suites, according to the city Economic Development Corp.

The deteriorating courthouse, built in 1932, sits on Beach Channel Drive near the foot of the Cross Bay Bridge. Despite its majestic exterior, residents have tagged it a decaying eyesore.

In return for pumping $10 million into the project, city officials said Kaufman’s company will be able to purchase it for $50,000.

How's this for adaptive reuse?

From the Daily News:

Artist David Salle, whose one-man show currently adorns the ground floor exhibition space at the Lever House at Park Ave. and 53rd St., bought the spaces combined in 2002.

A neighborhood pioneer who moved from Tribeca, Salle is considering other Brooklyn artistic enclaves such as Red Hook and Gowanus.

“It’s just time to go,” said Salle, who wants more space.

The older structure, says Salle, was built as a schoolhouse in the 1830s. The second was a townhouse dating back to the late 1860s. Working with architect Christian Hubert, Salle gave the townhouse a modern spin with a gray stucco and zinc façade but opened up the historic structure, which at one time operated as a Masonic Temple. Brushed concrete, woods and metals give the home’s interior a simple but classic feel.

Ridgewood Theater won't be supermarket

From the Times Ledger:

The Ridgewood Theater’s current owner is marketing the landmarked building as the possible site of a concert venue, according to a source.

A spokesman for CPEX, a Brooklyn-based real estate firm working closely with the current owner, said that since the building is already configured as a theater, it would be good to reach out to event space and theater operators.

But he said the real estate firm would listen to all proposals permitted by the zoning.

“We have been marking the property for a little over a month and since then have had a lot of interest,” said the spokesman for the building, at 55-27 Myrtle Ave. “We have walked a few parties through the space and we have a few more walkthroughs over the next few weeks and we are waiting on letters of intent from a few people.”

Proponents of the Ridgewood Theater, shuttered since 2008, achieved a milestone in 2010 when the facade of the building and the marquee received landmark status, but the battle rages on over the interior. In 2010, rumors swirled that the ground level would be transformed into a supermarket, but that never came to fruition.

St. John's building getting ready for next chapter

From the Queens Chronicle:

Construction on the building that was formerly the home of St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst is fully underway, according to Community Board 4, which represents the area. While it looks much the same as it always has from the outside, the former hospital, located at 90-02 Queens Blvd., has been completely gutted, according to CB 4 Chairman Anthony Moreno.

In published reports, a representative for 89-52 Queens LLC said the developer had been open to using the space as a healthcare facility, but that no medical providers had shown interest in the property.

So, as described Moreno, the firm has opted to build a commercial and residential space instead, and he is pleased with the results thus far.

Moreno described the former hospital as “a beautiful building,” which he told board members he toured three weeks ago with the developers and Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights).

The building will have a grocery store in the basement or ground floor and then two floors of retail space. The third floor will be used as offices, while the fourth floor will provide “community services,” according to Moreno, such as doctor’s and dentist’s offices.

The top three floors will be apartments ranging from studios to three bedrooms, Moreno said.

Rockaway courthouse redevelopment

From The Real Deal:

The New York City Economic Development Corporation issued a request for expressions of interest for the long-vacant Rockaway Courthouse in Queens, in the Hammels section of the Rockaways, according to a statement from the agency today.

The 24,000 square-foot limestone building is close to public transportation and was weather-proofed by the city in 2007, the statement said. The EDC is seeking innovative ideas for the reuse of the structure that are “compatible with the existing neighborhood,” and can “ultimately improve the overall quality of life for the community.”

The site is currently zoned R4-1, which allows for small residential and community uses. Any zoning changes, and the associated costs, would be the responsibility of the user, the statement said. The building is located at 90-01 Beach Channel Drive.

LeFrak changes focus

From the Wall Street Journal:

The LeFrak family, which built thousands of apartment units in Queens in the 1960s and 1970s, will create its first new residential project in the borough in 38 years.

The Manhattan real-estate family's third-generation head, Richard LeFrak, plans to convert a 13-story office tower in Rego Park built by his father 50 years ago into 108 luxury rentals. The project is tiny compared with the family's megadevelopments in the region, such as LeFrak City in Queens and the Newport complex in Jersey City.

The Queens project reflects a new era of real-estate investment in that borough. When the family built LeFrak City, it was manufacturing low- and middle-income housing for teachers, firefighters and the area's working class. Now, the LeFraks are planning to build high-end rentals to cater to Queens' booming young and immigrant population.

Everything old is new again

From NY1:

Though building conversions often chuck out the old to bring in the new, many developers are now working to incorporate a building’s history into its new design.

Kirkman Lofts in DUMBO, for example, was an old soap factory. The developer cleverly used the factory’s original silos as a centerpiece of the design.

Over in Cobble Hill is another unique conversion. The Landmark on Strong Place turned a 19th century gothic church into 21st century modern living.

Though now may appear to be a time when much of NYC’s history is disappearing, it seems developers are finding ways to take a building’s past into the future.

Greenpoint crappification effort simply astounding

From Scouting NY:

Originally based in Manhattan, the Faber company moved to Greenpoint after a fire in 1872. Many of its former buildings can still be identified by the company emblem, a diamond-enclosed star…

There are sixteen terra cotta pencils in total on the Greenpoint Avenue building, which once housed the company’s offices. Today, it’s commercial loft space.

The original 1872 building is next door…

The actual former factory building is on adjacent Kent Street, and is apparently being gutted for condos.

Meanwhile, one former Faber building nearby is reaching the end of its condoization process. I can’t imagine a way those rooftop box things could look more completely out of place…

Worse, the Faber building is only half of the new “Pencil Factory Condos,” connecting with an absolutely hideous modern abomination best described as Ikea-chic. I mean, come on – does anyone out there see this and say, “Fuck yeah! I wanna live in THAT!”

I don’t get developers. They fight tooth and nail to tear down/gut/ruin amazing properties in favor of ugly modern apartment buildings like the one above, only to then go and use the history as a primary selling point.

Sick business.

Buildings within buildings are the latest trend

From NY1:

In Long Island City, Queens, one building that may look like a rundown, old warehouse on the outside is a state-of-the-art storage facility on the inside. When the tenant, Choice Logistics, found this space, the building was a decrepit mess. The company considered tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch, but instead put up a building within the building, finding it a more affordable way to design a space.

First, the exterior was cleaned and sealed for weatherproofing and then walls were put up within the structure’s existing walls.

"So we built out from the interior face of the outside wall this sheetrock tunnel, or a 'cave' if you will," says Scott Spector of Spector Group Architects. "Our ceilings were all two-by-two acoustical grid ceiling and above that we are sprinklered. We kept all of our steel structure and timber structure, because that was in good shape, and then we cosmetically cleaned up the whole facility."

Creating a space within a space also allowed the customized design to be energy-efficient.

They say this reduced the energy bills by 30 to 40 percent.

The building is equipped with a state-of-the-art security system, but the old facade offers an extra layer of protection. It's so non-descript that no one would know there is such a high-tech facility inside.

Experts say building within buildings is the newest trend in real estate, and it is often more cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and time-saving.

Spicing up Elmhurst

Click photo for story.