Row Of Midtown Buildings Face Demolition; Development Planned

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Three low-rise buildings in Murray Hill are being knocked down to make way for a new residential tower, according to permits filed with the city.

Filed between late June and this week, the permits call for demolishing the buildings at 534, 536 and 540 Third Ave., near the corner of East 36th Street, which stand four, two and five stories tall, respectively.

They contained a combined 37 apartments, though it is unclear when they were last occupied. The ground floors were home to a Verizon store, New Moon Chinese restaurant and the clothing store Workshop Apparel, all of which have since closed.

Likely to replace the three buildings is a 17-story, 122-foot-tall tower, for which permits were filed in May 2020. The mixed-use building would contain 122 apartments, and its listed owner is Robert Gilardian of Gilar Realty.

The listed architect is Ismael Leyva Architects, whose other projects include a host of glassy towers in Midtown and Brooklyn.

The property was purchased for $8 million in 2015 by an entity called Third Ave. Pavillion LLC, records show.