By Gus Saltonstall
A more than century-old building on the corner of a bustling Upper West Side block is slated to be replaced by a 12-story building that will have commercial and residential space, according to a permit submitted to the city on Tuesday.
At the beginning of March, West Side Rag reported that the four-story building at 2160 Broadway, on the corner of West 76th Street, was set to be demolished. The property had been purchased in December of 2024 by a Brooklyn developer.
At the time, there were no specifics on what the developer had planned for the Upper West Side site, but there was a marketing pamphlet that advertised between 13,000 and 18,000 feet of unused air rights.
On Tuesday, it appears we got our answer, as the developer and new owner of 2160 Broadway, Aleksandr Finkelshteyn, filed a permit for a 12-story mixed-use building at 215 West 76th Street, which is an alternative address for the location.
The proposed building would be 149 feet tall, with 20,926 square feet of residential space, and 989 square feet for commercial space, permits show. The new property would have 10 residential units, according to New York Yimby, which was the first publication to report on the building permits filed on Tuesday.
A demolition permit for the current four-story building at the address, which opened in 1907 and most recently served as a First Republic Bank branch, was filed in April, but it is unclear when construction will begin.
There is also not an available timeline for the new building.
The architecture and culture nonprofit Landmark West has a page dedicated to the history of 2160 Broadway, including the fanfare surrounding the address when it opened 118 years ago, and its connection to the man who invented the speedometer.
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Any update on the building on Broadway and on the western corner of 80th street – across Zabar’s? It was where the famous American Impressionist painter, William Merritt Chase had started his school which became eventually the Parsons School of Design. The last occupant was Verizon on the street-level and New York Sports Club on the top floor.
Lawsuit still active. Sale or use of building still pending.
Wow! wonderful info.
Is this the spot that was just purchased by West Side Market?
pardon my typos!
That is so interesting, about William Merrit Chase. I have dry macular degeneration (had cataracts removed but that barely helps). I’ve been noticing that my fuzzy vision looks like an impressionist painting, so on a hunch I looked up Monet, Renoir, Degas and other impressionits and discovered that all of them had catarscts, macular degeneration, or both. I wonder if that was also true of Chase! I find it so heartening to find that what is a largely sad diminution of clear vision was put to such positive and glorious use. Leave it to the arts. Our only salvation in this world of ours
I hope u are in treatment as there IS
a new effective treatment that will save ur sight
essential to get to a macular specialist
immediately. Time is of the essence
I believe 535 West End Avenue (86th) was the first building in the area to be built specifically and entirely as “full-floor” apartments; i.e., one apartment per floor. (Matt Damon looked at one unit, which was listed at $14 million). So this would be the second in a trend: 10 floors, 10 units. But then, it WOULD be a “sliver building” of sorts. In fact, by looking at the photo, you can see exactly how big (or small) each full-floor apartment would be, since they can ONLY go up.
Sadly, the people with windows at the back of The Opera (just north of the building) are going to lose those views.
If you bought in the Opera with windows facing that way, you should have done your due diligence about that building. This should not be a surprise. If you didn’t, you snooze, you lose.
As someone else mentioned, these floors are not that big, so in this case, they didn’t have much choice. The floors at 535 WEA are gigantic – I think most are at least four bedrooms. There are a few more like this on a smaller scale – the building on the west side of Columbus between 82 and 83 comes to mind, and a few smaller ones. Is the old school at 87 and WEA full floors?
I wouldn’t pay a huge price to live in this location – it is very loud and crowded (even by NY standards). Little to no space for amenities.
Right you are about lot-line windows. One always needs to consider the possibility that a building will go up next door or nearby that will eventually block those windows. Simply a “hazard” of renting or buying an apartment in NYC.
This is great news, more much needed housing. Although 10 new units themselves are not game changing every little bit helps. I’m sure we will get some NIMBY griping but 12 stories should not be controversial, this is Manhattan after all.
This isn’t about affordable housing.
I have to go to the Upper East Side regularly, and the retail scene there is positively thriving compared to the UWS. Lots of stores opening on 3rd Ave, all the luxury stuff on Madison Ave, plus vibrant dining on second and first avenues; the NYT is writing articles about how the UES is actually cool. In contrast, UWS seems like a constant struggle. In trying to account for it, one thing pops out. There are new apartment towers going up on almost every block on second and third avenues… while incredibly few new buildings are going up here. I think we need way more building as a catalyst for all kinds of activity, even if it’s just building expensive housing.
UWS has too many NIMBY’s who block developments and renovations and improvements. They like “the old style.” “Gentrification” is a bad word for UWS.
So can we assume you are in favor only of “housing” that millionaires can afford? Because that is what is being built.
It’s the UWS. It’s packed to the gills with millionaires. Who cares if 11 more wealthy families move here? Where else were they going to live? Better that they take one of these fancy ones, and not compete with me for lower priced apartments.
overbuilding and overcrowding are the bad words!
Color me highly skeptical that the UES has become cooler than the UWS… but nonetheless, yes more units = more customers for local restaurants and stores. I recall the NYTimes reported a while back the UWS has actually lost units due to apartment / townhouse combinations, so we need to be building a lot more to offset those losses
LMAO you need remedial math courses
How’s this math for you: more jobs + more people + no new homes = high rent
Reaganomics failed, bub. Try it on a more susceptible crowd
This isn’t “Reganomics” – it’s basic supply and demand. Go listen to Obama’s 2024 DNC speech & he says the same thing.
I am a YIMBY and I want there to be more housing. It is very unfortunate that they are only building 10 apartments in a 149-foot building. 149 feet = 15 floors. I walk by the building very often, and they can easily build 20+ rental apartments. Unfortunately, 10 millionaire apartments won’t solve the housing crisis.
You can say that again. In fact, put it on an automatic device so you can just press a button with every new ;bit of news.
Yes, building 23 stories to match the neighboring building and provide more units would be much better. Probably some air rights issue.
10 full-floor units listed in the millions or with exorbitant rents will not help housing needs in the slightest.
Agree with you. Just more housing for the rich.
The rich are going to live somewhere, if home supply is artificially limited, who do you think will be able to pay the most?
And when we build a tax-payer-subsidized NYCHA building, it’s just housing for the poor.
Do you have a point, besides griping about “the rich”?
The “rich”, in this case, are likely 10 affluent families, with 2 kids each, looking for 3+ bdrm apartments in a market short of them. My god, the travesty, there goes the neighborhood!
There hasn’t been a new NYCHA development in over 60 years
True – and yet it costs us $6+ billion a year.
Which, apparently, is less worthy of a discussion than what a private developer might do with a tiny lot.
Of course not but it will help with housing for the ten new families that live there!
As others have pointed out, if we replace lots of old shorter buildings with new taller buildings like this one, then we will start to make a real difference.
Every rich person who buys a fancy apartment is one less person competing for the rest of the market. That’s basic economics – what do you think would happen if we banned new cars? The price of used cars would go UP! Same thing here.
Fancy apt buyers are not in competition with the vast majority of apt. seekers who are middle class. A bldg offering 10 apts. is going to do nothing for nothing – statistically it’s completely insignificant. And most people who can afford $2m +. apts are going to want amenities, outdoor space, roof decks, etc..
For added accuracy, a 2,000 sq.ft new luxury condo at that location, if they get it done right, is likely to be asking more like $4+ mm.
Trickle down……You’d think New Yorkers would be smarter than this!
Supplying more caviar doesn’t bring down price of bread.
Hmm, I fancy myself an amateur economist too, but I hesitate about this conclusion. It’s more akin to increasing the supply of new Bentleys by 10 cars. What’s the price effect on used Toyota Camry’s, or even Q5’s – infinitively larger “mass” market segments?
It’s not the same marketplace.
No need for us amateur economists to speculate, housing supply and demand has been studied extensively by the professionals.
It is a small space. 20,926 square feet of residential space so only 2,000 sq ft per unit. These aren’t mansions. Sure, thry could get more apartments by putting in studios orneven make it an SRO but 20 units seems appropriate for this oarcel
Housing is a dynamic market where prices change based on demand and supply. 10 units alone won’t move the needle, but 10 units at a time across hundreds of blocks in NYC will.
Kaizar,
Housing is not like the market for smartphones, or cars, or coffee makers.
In this context “dynamic” means “reward the well off and well connected”, it doesn’t mean house people in general.
NYC is not a commune , the needs of the many my butt, People who have more money can buy nicer things than people who don’t. If you are not satisfied with your current situation, work harder and or smarter to reach your goals. Don’t sit around complaining it’s not fair . To the people who buy those apartments, it’s affordable housing. It’s called Capitalism.
Like man other “isms” it doesn’t always work well.
While I do understand the basic premise of your remark, I think you should remember that affordability for people trying to remain in Manhattan is no longer possible. It’s not about working harder, it’s about employers unwilling to compensate in 2025 terms. When did NYC lose the ability to keep our middle class. It’s very distressing. We are not living in a capitalist country, we are now living through a Gilded Age.
Affordability is relative. However if you can’t afford to live in Manhattan, the solution is not to force other people to pay your way. Manhattan is an expensive island try the Bronx.
So more work for workers to get to work, assuming they work in Manhattan. Also more neighborhood destruction.
Stop treating people like things.
Manhattan is “too expensive” because of Reaganomics; those fraud based policies are a choice, not some rule of econ.
We lost the ability to keep the middle class when we stopped building new housing!
NYC stopped building new housing decades ago, and those older buildings would be the affordable middle class housing of today except they never got built.
Maybe something we really need will come in! You know, Something the UWS is lacking…..like a CVS, or a Bank of America.
12 stories – that’s way to high. Will block views of the building behind it and take light away from Broadway. The building should be no larger then 4 stories. 50% of building should also be for low income housing. We need Landmark West to Protest !!!
High income earners don’t want to live next to low income earners. And why should they?
Why don’t you protest?
Do you live next door? Nope. This is what is wrong with NYC you have zero dollars invested and yet you believe you should have a say. I have no involvement and my stance is put up or shut up
I can’t tell if this is a real NIMBY comment or an over the top parody… If the latter, well done!
If the former, a 12 story apartment in NYC is an entirely unremarkable height, the neighboring Opera building is twice as tall!
It was meant as over the top Parody – next time I will try to be even more over the top as I see some people took it seriously : ))
It was very clear and funny
On West Side Rag, i n the April 3rd edition of Throwback Thursdays, there is a photo of this very building from before it’s latest renovation, 1970’s perhaps?
This is absurd. The new units built on the UWS are almost all market rate. This is obscene. whole FLOORS? They will sit empty
Why do you think this is your business?
Because building these garbage units inflates the price of housing for all? Libertarianism is a drug, man. Seek treatment
Name a successful socialist country? What did Socialists use before candles?
Electricity.
Sweden. France. Denmark. Uruguay. Shall I keep going?
I’m concerned by the surprising responses to this article about this beautiful building being changed into yet another space for the rich. I’m wondering with some skepticism, if the people who are supporting this are not saying what they really want: a richer, “higher,” even “famous ”
clientele in our area. It serves no economic purpose except for the developers. They can wash their .hands in gold.
What this new structure is doing is ruining the charm of the Upper West Side yet again, building up , which will block both the sun and the views of those whose windows face the the rear of the building.
Yes ,to the person who suggested that this brought to the attention of the Upper West Side Landmark Preservation Committee.
This building will be so much smaller than its surrounding neighbor, it will NOT be blocking ANY sun.
Any New Yorker knows that NO views are forever etched in stone, that always needs to be considered when renting or buying.
I would not call this building “beautiful”. Any notable architectural elements have long been stripped away. Check out this photo:
https://www.landmarkwest.org/theboulevard/2160-broadway/
Wrong on all accounts.
The new apartments will certainly serve an economic purpose for the people who live there and the increased property taxes on the building will help pay for our police and teachers.
The building was formerly an office for a bank for high net worth individuals, the definition of a space for the rich. Apartments on the UWS are already very expensive, why pretend we are awash in affordable housing if not for these new apartments. And at 12 stories, it’s half the size of the neighboring building and will block precisely no sun…………….
A lot of real estate investors hiding out in these comments pretending to be locals, it was only a matter of time before this website became popular enough to attract trolls.
I do live right here on the UWS in fact and I am not a RE investor, I have just had many many friends decide they can’t afford to pay these absurd rents and leave. It sucks. Build more housing so the middle class can afford to live in NYC again.
I had my AMDA Alexander Technique class in this building. It was dance studios in 1995. So much of older New York that gave it its tenacious flavor and gritty personality has disappeared 🙁
This is wonderful news! Upper west side buyers are looking for private patio spaces, doorman, w/d. high ceilings and large floor plans! I can’t wait to see these units! I hope it has a nice exterior to match our neighborhood! We love luxury housing in the upper west side! Wouldn’t it have been marvelous to see a single family 12story private home? Woowwwww exciting!
I can’t tell if you’re being facetious or not. I hope so! 😉
It’s going to block a lot of windows in the neighboring buildings, how is that going to work?