Longtime 125th Street Building To Be Torn Down, Plans Show

HARLEM, NY — A small building that has stood for decades on the heart of 125th Street will soon be torn down — likely signaling another new project on a stretch of Harlem that is undergoing a development boom.

Developer Mark Irgang filed plans on Friday to demolish the two-story building at 35 West 125th St., between Fifth Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard.

First built in 1946, the building was most recently home to a Rite Aid and a second-floor nail salon. The Rite Aid has been closed in recent months, and the looming demolition seems to guarantee that it will not reopen.

Irgang owns other properties around Harlem, while his company has developed other projects in the Bronx and White Plains. Irgang did not immediately respond to questions about his plans for the 125th Street site, including when demolition would begin or what would eventually be built there.

The site is likely a prime development opportunity, located on the middle of the 125th Street corridor and next-door to the office building at 55 West 125th St., known for housing President Bill Clinton's office.

If something is built on the site, it will be the latest in a slew of new developments coming to the corridor, including an apartment tower near the Apollo Theater on 126th Street, the Victoria Theater Redevelopment Project on 125th, the future 18-story National Urban League headquarters, and another 12-story building recently proposed at 219 West 125th St.