The huge and controversial Columbia Manhattanville expansion has taken another small step forward. One of the holdout landowners standing in the way of the $7 billion plan to demolish everything on 17 acres of land from 125th St. to 133rd St. for a new campus has sold to the school. This leaves two holdouts, including the most vocal, Nicholas Sprayregen who owns 300,000 square feet of space in five buildings. The latest landowner to sell to Columbia is Anne Whitman, who owns Hudson North American, a moving and storage company on Broadway between 129th and 130th Streets. Financial terms haven't been revealed, but it's probably a safe bet it may exceed an original $4 million offer. Also, she will trade for property in Washington Heights, and Columbia will pay for construction of a new building she'd own. Interestingly, the Times reports that "the university said the construction would include transferring the old building’s facade to the new site." The owner had previously proposed moving the entire building, so it would appear that the university met her halfway on that front. The building is a former stable listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
· Landowner Who Balked Gives in to Columbia [NYT]
· New Columbia Expansion Idea: Relocate an Entire Building? [Curbed]
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