Long-Vacant Ludlow Street Lot Popularized by Banksy to Sprout 2-Story Glass Box Retail Space
This image has been archived or removed.
The dormant Ludlow Street lot made famous by Banksy two years ago will soon receive a glitzy makeover. New construction, that is.
Property owner 159 Ludlow LLC (aka Hesky Haim/Continental Worsteds) filed plans back in September to redevelop the 1,063 square-foot Hell Square parcel into a soulless two-story glass building. These new plans – currently labeled as “disapproved” by the Department of Buildings – call for 2,126 square-feet of commercial space as a retail/event space.
DXA Studio is the architect of record for the new “glass box” project. A familiar name. These guys are also behind the forthcoming copper tower eyesore coming soon to 57 Orchard Street. The design includes lots of glass in flooring and siding for “maximum penetration of light.”
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo: DXA Studio
Here is some additional background babble per DXA:
This new ground-up retail/event space is situated in a vibrant and rapidly changing patch of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Designed in response to the client’s desire to create a ‘glass box,’ the facade is composed of continuous horizontal channel glass members spanning the width of the site. The interior is designed to be minimal and highly flexible, with integrated moveable clothing racks that can be stowed-away to create a dramatic, cathedral-like ground floor event space.
To allow for maximum penetration of light, the design employs glass flooring and skylights at the building’s perimeter and an interior staircase encased entirely in fire-rated glass, transforming the building’s one egress stair into an expressive and theatrical fixture within the space.
If they hype is to be believed, expect construction to commence in 2016.
Hesky Haim and Continental Worsteds acquired the lot in 2007 for a paltry $1.5 million. Three years later, the firm unsuccessfully attempted to double its money by putting the property on the market. They’ve since been sitting silent without much to show for it. Except, of course, leasing the gated parcel to Banksy in 2013 as part of said October New York City residence.
This image has been archived or removed.
Banksy in 2013, Photo via Andrew Bloch
Recent Stories
More Details on Vicious Chinatown Beatdown at Canal and Allen Streets
More info came to light this week on the savage beating of an ex-convict at Allen and Canal Streets. According to published reports, the victim, Walter Ward, exited a Chinatown bus at 11:30am Friday morning when a mob of a dozen people mauled him. The group was apparently summoned – via text message – by […]
Rockwood Music Hall Expands to Boston
Rockwood Music Hall sure likes to hit milestones in the month of January. After celebrating fifteen years on the Lower East Side a year ago, the music venue is announcing another expansion. This time, to Boston. The club is seeking a liquor license to operate at 88 Van Ness Street, in the Fenway section of […]
No Idols NYC Opens Tattoo Parlor in Jimmy Webb’s Old Orchard Street Store
Threads to ink is the storyline at 75 Orchard Street. The former home of I Need More – the punk rock boutique founded by the late Jimmy Webb – is now a tattoo parlor. No Idols NYC just relocated to 75 Orchard after spending four years on the Bowery, the storied birthplace of the art […]
Body Cam Shows Cops Shoot Transgender Woman After Attacking Husband with Knife at LES Extell Tower
Body camera footage released by the NYPD last Thursday shows the moment officers shot to death a transgender woman armed with a knife during a bloody domestic feud at Extell’s affordable tower. The incident actually transpired two years ago, but the visuals only now came to light. In February 2019, the 7th Precinct responded to […]
‘Crab Du Jour’ Chain Claws onto the Lower East Side
Crab Du Jour is headed to the southern perimeter of Essex Crossing. The fast food joint, which slings Cajun-style seafood, planted a flag at 384 Grand Street last week. Literally. Signage announces the newcomer. It takes the spot left vacant by La Flaca last summer after its ten-year tenure on the block. Crab Du Jour […]
