Newly Restored, 59 Bleecker Pimps Levain Bakery and BAPE Boutique
The retail restoration of 59 Bleecker Street is complete. And with it, the requisite teaser signage of the new businesses moving in.
No more hardware stores. Instead, as first reported here, Levain Bakery is opening its first downtown outpost. The ad promises an “early 2020” delivery, which is more than six months from the initial summer 2019 goal. CorePower Yoga is also in the mix.
But the most recent newcomer here is BAPE, aka A Bathing Ape, the Japanese streetwear brand founded in 1993. They currently operate a store on Greene Street in SoHo.
The one-story corner building at 59 Bleecker was first constructed in 1921, and housed both a car service station and liquor store (at the same time). The structure was modified roughly sixty years later to include a second contiguous building. Landmark protections arrived in 1999 courtesy of the NoHo Historic District.
59 Bleecker St. in 1940, Photo: NYPL
Three years ago, though, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans by architects Beyer Blinder Belle to restore the existing building at 59 Bleecker, but also replace the non-original “garage” section with a one-story structure that includes aluminum and glass storefronts, plus fixtures for a “bracket sign” (homage to the old).
Recent Stories
Rehab Begins for Fire-Ravaged School Building in Chinatown
In the wake of the devastating fire at the old Public School 23 building in Chinatown, the cleanup and rehab is full throttle. City contractors starting assembling scaffolding at the scorched 70 Mulberry Street earlier this week. The web of bars is making its way up the whole structure ahead of imminent debris removal. Meanwhile, […]
‘Bel Fries’ Nears Opening on Ludlow Street
The plywood is deposed, revealing the second fast-fry joint for Hell Square. Indeed, it took eighteen months, and several different murals on its shed, but Bel Fries is pretty much ready to go at 132 Ludlow Street. When we first broke word of its arrival in September 2018, we had been told it was called […]
Embattled WeWork Expands into New SoHo Development with 5-Story Workspace
WeWork just opened its latest downtown co-working location, with an enormous stake in a new SoHo development. Nameplate is up. The embattled company took a chunk of 140 Crosby Street (aka 606 Broadway), which came on line last year. The footprint is massive, with office space sprawled across five floors of the modern building. For […]
Pornhub Pop-up Heads to Allen Street for Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, Pornhub is pulling out the stops with a Lower East Side store. Beginning today, the porn website is hosting a two-day pop-up on Allen Street. Located at the corner of Broome Street – and steps from the Janina synagogue – the stunt is meant to woo horny locals to become premium customers. […]
Face Mask Price Gouging and Long Lines at Chinatown Post Offices Amidst Coronavirus Fears
With elevated fears over Coronavirus gripping the world, many like myself, with family in China and Hong Kong, are worried about the shortage of surgical or N95 face masks overseas. While the masks themselves might not be sufficient protection against the virus, it does provide some measure of comfort. But as I discovered, buying these […]
