Will The Infamous 187 7th Avenue ‘Nash Building’ Come To Life In 2016?
If you are suspicious about the statement that development of 187 7th Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets) will be moving significantly forward in 2016, we wouldn’t blame you. The neighborhood has been wondering about the future of this dilapidated structure in the heart of Park Slope for many years.
But we’ve been told by multiple sources that this is very much the case. Ron Saltarrelli, a sales agent for Douglas Elliman Real Estate — and a Park Slope resident — told us that Douglas Elliman will be leasing the entire ground floor of 187 7th Avenue.
“We hope to be there late summer 2016 once all renovations are complete,” Saltarrelli told us. “The office will be much larger to better accommodate the amount of business our company does in Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Prospect Heights, and surrounding neighborhoods.”
The Douglas Elliman office is currently located at 154 7th Avenue (at Garfield Place). Last month, they announced that the new office will provide three times more space, which would house 50-60 agents. They have leased 2,000 square feet from the developer Sugar Hill Capital Partners.
Last January, we reported that the building had been purchased for $4.2 million by Sugar Hill. Their subsidiary, New Amsterdam Design Associates (NADA), is working on the design and architecture of the project. The development is now called 2ND7TH.
“187 Seventh Avenue is in the heart of Park Slope and we’re sure this prime location will be ideal for Douglas Elliman’s new office,” said Jeremy Salzberg, Partner at Sugar Hill Capital Partners. “We’re delighted to have the company as our retail tenant.”
Saltarrelli — who has been kept appraised of the progress of the buildings plans — described the next steps as a “total gut job.” While renderings have been previously available, we’ve been told by NADA that design updates are in the works and are not yet available.
The New York Times reported back in 2008, that the previous owner, Dorothy Nash, was at the time looking for investors to turn the building into an arts and media center for emerging designers.
The building remained in disrepair. Locals — who refer to 187 7th Avenue as “the Nash building” because of Dorothy Nash and her family — also remember the Landmark Pub, which was around until the lates 90s. The pub had been in existence for roughly 30 years before it closed.
“There were very few bars in the area even in the ’80s,” recalled Ryan Connor who discussed the history of Landmark Pub with the New York Times. Connor attended school with Nash’s daughter, Esther, and was familiar with the pub. “It wasn’t uncommon to see broken doll heads strewn across tables, or a homegrown folk singer playing to an empty bar, playing to the doll heads.”
Fast-forward to 2015, when the Nash Building will become luxury three-bedroom condos. In January, The New York Times reported that “many of the rooms have 10-foot ceilings and European wide oak plank floors, and the living room has a gas fireplace flanked by travertine slabs.”
The three-bedroom luxury condos and Douglas Elliman are a far cry from the funkier and rougher times of old Park Slope.
In 2016, the skeleton of an old building may finally disappear. Will the ghosts remain?