3 East Harlem Buildings To Be Torn Down Ahead Of Redevelopment

EAST HARLEM, NY — A trio of small buildings in East Harlem will be torn down as their new owner seeks to either resell or redevelop the site, according to public records and real estate listings.

The site includes two four-story buildings at 1984-1990 Third Ave., plus a one-story commercial building next door on East 109th Street. Built in 1900, the buildings were sold for a combined $4.5 million in December to an undisclosed buyer, records show.

Now, that owner has filed plans to demolish the three buildings, whose 11 apartments have already been emptied out of their tenants, according to a broker representing the owner. (The one-story building also houses Cibao Auto Shop, whose fate is unclear.)

The owner has listed the soon-to-be-empty lot for sale for $14.5 million, boasting that the zoning along the busy corridor could allow for a much taller building to be constructed.

Depending on the offers they get, the owners may eventually choose to build on the site themselves. They have already submitted plans to the city for a 16-story, 101-unit luxury tower that would also contain up to 30 affordable apartments — as required by the 2017 East Harlem rezoning.

Other amenities in the mixed-use tower would include a private pool on the 11th floor and retail on the ground floor, the broker, DJ Johnston, told Patch. Renderings on the listing page show a stark, glassy tower that would soar over the low-rise buildings nearby.

This site is not the only one in the area. Another row of buildings directly across the street at 1985-1991 Third Ave. have been undergoing demolition for years. Plans to reconstruct the site into a nine-story residential building have not yet come to fruition.