Federal-Style 140 Bowery Loses Trademark Dormers
Carve another notch in the wall for historically significant structural victims along the beloved Bowery. Since the beginning of 2010, three separate buildings, each dating back more than a century, were handed death sentences. The first victim was the elegant townhouse at 185 Bowery, which lost its upper floors in anticipation of a new CitizenM monstrosity yet to arrive (landmarking would throw off demolition efforts); one year later 35 Cooper Square was torn down amidst a cacophony of community outcry. Meanwhile, 135 Bowery remains on death row after City Council all but ruined its bid for landmarking back in September.
This image has been archived or removed.
We revisit the issue because another endangered Federal-style house was just attacked across the street – 140 Bowery. Alas, a quiet deconstruction has already befallen the two-story brick building, currently home to Lighting Library and Classic Lighting. Scaffolding arrived on scene last month with a DOB-permit-backed promise of replacing “existing roof rafters and interior insulation.” Little did we know that this would spell a fly-by-night beheading for this tough veteran. Both of the trademark dormers were excised from the rooftop not too long ago, leaving a pair of tarps to offer protection from the elements.
This image has been archived or removed.
This latest bad news comes eight months to the day after 140 Bowery was listed for sale, stoking these exact fears.
This image has been archived or removed.
The Bowery is losing its soul one building at a time.
Recent Stories
New Year, Wrong Stamp for USPS Commemorative Postage [OP-ED]
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, the U.S. Postal Service released its annual commemorative stamp to honor the holiday. Yet, the new postage seriously misses the mark, is wrong on many levels. The Lunar New Year – observed this year on February 12 – is celebrated by several Asian cultures, but it’s difficult to […]
Covid Killed ‘Wall of Sound’ Producer Phil Spector; Revisiting The Ronettes Outside Parisi Bakery
Phil Spector, the legendary “Wall of Sound” producer, music impresario, and convicted murderer, died on Saturday of purported complications from Covid-19 at the Health Care Facility in Stockton (California), after being transferred from prison. He was 81. Incarcerated for murdering Lana Clarkson in 2003, Spector would spend his final years behind bars. Which makes paying […]
Appellate Court to Hear Community Lawsuit that Halted Development of Two Bridges Towers
Down on the Two Bridges waterfront, the future of three super-tall residential projects will soon be decided. Indeed, it took a year, but a community-led lawsuit is now on appeal, with a court date set for next week. You’ll recall that a consortium of community groups under the banner of Lower East Side Organized Neighbors […]
East Broadway Subway Station Turns 85
The East Broadway subway station wasn’t always a shady dungeon attracting crime. Once upon a time, the transit stop inspired celebrations across the Lower East Side. It was exactly eighty-five years ago – January 1, 1936 – that the East Broadway subway station debuted to the public. The feat of subterranean engineering, then known as […]
Looking at the New Ludlow House Annex Atop Demolished Libation Site
Well, that was quick. With Libation excised from the Lower East Side, the hole is now filled. Taken over by Ludlow House. The building at 137 Ludlow Street was demolished last year, and replaced in a matter of months. In fact, it’s already operational. The architecture of this one-story newcomer mirrors design elements of its […]
