The mystery of what's hidden behind the curtain covering the facade of 365 Broadway has been revealed, and it's basically a bunch of bricks. Gone are the arched windows, scroll work and big cornice that once topped this building that sits just outside the Tribeca East Historic District. Over the past year the (formerly) six-story building was netted and stripped, with a couple of clandestine floors added up top. Now that netting is coming down and what's found is an expanse of flatness broken up by shallowly set casement windows. We've seen some bad cosmetic surgery recently, but even 3 Columbus Circle's glasstacular might take a backseat to this.
Way back when this site was home to one of the poshest spots in town, Taylor's Saloon, the place to be seen in 1859 and known worldwide for it's opulence and good eats. Fast-forward 150 years and the two new floors, still oddly unmentioned in the DOB filing, step back from the mass of the original structure and end abruptly up high, sans cornice or ornamentation of any sort.
This pile of bricks rises over two shrouded buildings next door, where Dutch architect Ben van Berkel had big plans for Five Franklin Place, one of the more spectacular victims of the ongoing cash crunch. Twenty stories of looping condos were set to rise over Broadway, banded in black and overlooking its neighbors. Stalled at the early stage of construction, Five Franklin is but a shell, a forest of rebar hidden behind the decrepit old facades. Which means residents at 365 Broadway?which hasn't released listings for its 20 new units nor info of any kind?will have one excellent view of construction interruptus.
· 365 Broadway coverage [Curbed]
· Taylor's Saloon [Inside the Apple]
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