Drilling Begins at Beth Hamedrash Hagadol for New 30-Story Development
And so it begins. The full-scale redevelopment of the charred Beth Hamedrash Hagadol site on Norfolk Street.
Back in June, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans to demolish the surviving south tower, which city officials had hoped to incorporate into the new two-towered development in the works. City engineers subsequently surveyed the wreckage and concluded that the structure was simply too badly damaged to remain standing.
Fast forward to this week, and drilling has begun onsite, albeit subtle. A Davey Drill was spotted on the parcel of 382 Grand Street, digging for soil samples.
As previously reported, the new development at 60 Norfolk spans the block of Broome Street, and is composed of two sky-scraping towers. The first is a 16-story mid-rise (up from ten in the original plan) with 115 affordable apartments for seniors and a 4,000 square-foot commercial condo for Beth Hamedrash Hagodol, both as sanctuary and a Jewish cultural heritage center that can be converted to office space in future. This is built atop the ruined site and will allegedly incorporate elements of the synagogue.
The second contiguous building is a 30-story high-rise with 25% affordable units and a portion of space dedicated to the new flagship headquarters for co-developer Chinese-American Planning Council (owner of the Hong Ning residence next door). It’s built on the parking lot owned by the organization.
And the halo of Essex Crossing infects another…
Photo: Gotham Organization
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