More About that 3-Level Equinox Gym Coming to Ben Shaoul’s Orchard Street Development
This image has been archived or removed.
Rendering composite of Ben Shaoul and 196 Orchard St, Photo: Real Deal
It’s old news that developer-landlord Ben Shaoul attracted Equinox gym to his new ten-story condo project beside Katz’s Deli. But it’s not yet a done deal. More red tape.
The city, vis-a-vis the Board of Standards and Appeals, must first approve a special permit to operate a “physical culture establishment” under current zoning restrictions [PDF]. Standard practice; though the applicants must prove that the facility does not “impair the essential character or the future use or development of the surrounding area.” To that end, the Shaoul-Equinox partnership will present the plan to Community Board 3 next month.
As part of the application materials, several additional details about the Equinox branch have emerged…
The gym is three levels: first floor includes a reception area, lounge, and juice bar, while the second and third floors boast several exercise areas, including yoga and cycling studios. Corporate anticipates between 6,000 and 7,000 members.
This image has been archived or removed.
Ben “Sledgehammer” Shaoul, along with Real Estate Equities Corp., together purchased the gargantuan assemblage of twelve single-story stores, and the valuable air rights from Katz’s Deli, for a combined $75 million. (Katz’s Deli made off with $17 million of the total, but the other businesses, like Bereket, foundered.) Shaoul’s acquisition was made possible thanks to a cash injection of $97 million from SL Green.
Prices for the ninety-six apartments within the ten-story development start at $1 million. The most pressing question, however, is how long before the new condo owners start complaining about the scent emanating from Katz’s?
Recent Stories
Grave Marker Fund for Homeless Man Beaten to Death on the Bowery Last Year
It’s been exactly one year since the city was rocked by the fatal bludgeoning of homeless men on the Bowery while they slept. Of the five beaten by 24-year-old attacker Randy Santos, four ultimately died – Chuen Kwok, Anthony Manson, Florencio Moran, and Nazario Vasquez-Villegas. In the days that followed the murders, elected officials and nonprofits held […]
Fridays Under $40: Scared with a Sandwich
In our Friday column, “Fridays Under $40,” Boogie writer Sara Graham again hits the streets to find cheap eats and affordable things to do during these weird times. In this edition, we’re staying inside for under $40. After I returned from a trip to Delaware to see my parents for the first time in almost […]
And then There’s this Apartment with a Tub in the Kitchen
The standard pre-war tenement layout included a bathtub in the kitchen. It made sense, as this was the central location of plumbing. The phenomenon began with the advent of plumbing in city tenements between 1901 and 1905. With bathhouses no longer necessary to wash up, the kitchen became central. The tub here made sense given […]
International Center of Photography to Reopen Next Week
The International Center of Photography is reopening in one week. Sidelined for more than six months (almost immediately after its debut at Essex Crossing), the 40,000 square-foot museum and school is making its galleries and gift shop accessible to the public. On tap are four exhibitions to “address this tumultuous time, marked by the effects of […]
Secondhand Bookstore Comes to Orchard Street
And today, in news out of left field… There is a secondhand bookstore coming to the Lower East Side. Down at 47 Orchard Street, the former home of Anna Sheffield’s eponymous jewelry boutique. The new store is as yet untitled, but will feature used books, vinyl records, and assorted antique. “I have a large collection […]
