Much Of Harlem Block To Be Demolished, Permits Show

HARLEM, NY — A developer is seeking to demolish a large chunk of a Harlem block, including a row of businesses and Al Sharpton's National Action Network headquarters, according to permits filed with the city this week.

Demolition permits were filed Wednesday for much of the eastern side of the block at West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue. That includes the addresses between 106-152 West 145th St., as well as 685 Lenox Ave.

A man who answered the phone Thursday at King's Pizza of Harlem, one of the shops whose building may be on the chopping block, said he was unsurprised by the news, since their building at 110 West 145th St. had recently been sold.

"Nothing we can do about it," said the man, who identified himself as Tony. "We can walk away."

The listed owner on all six permits is Steve Neuman, owner of the real estate firm Coltown Properties.

Neuman bought the building at 106-118 West 145th St. in 2016 for an undisclosed price, records show. Two neighboring lots set for demolition have also been sold in recent years for $6.75 million and $10.1 million, respectively.

A Mobil gas station, Kennedy Chicken & Biscuit, a laundromat, a 99 cent store, and the National Action Network's House of Justice are all among the businesses threatened by the demolition. (The Network, which did not immediately return a request for comment, began raising money in 2011 for a new headquarters in Harlem.)

In 2015, Coltown stirred controversy for trying to push out a row of Latino businesses in Washington Heights after purchasing the building where they were housed, according to the Village Voice. Most of those businesses have since closed.

Coltown Properties could not immediately be reached for comment. No timeline was provided for when demolition would begin on the Harlem block.

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