If Chelsea's fading Flower Market isn't fully dead yet, one more development site now on the market at 136 West 28th Street is sure to be another nail in its coffin. Blossoms used to bloom along this stretch, but now budget-minded hotels have taken over, with three set-back boxes in the McSam style towering above the few remaining purveyors of plants. Down the block, on the corner of Sixth Avenue, sits the rubble-filled hole where the Remy tower was to rise. All this in contrast to flashier newcomers nearby, from the Ace Hotel a block over on Broadway to the sky-high Eventi just to the north. Following this trend yet?
The site in question, a three-parcel plot measuring 100' by 100', was bought by 28th Street Properties LLC out of Bayonne back in 2007 for $14.07 million. It's now home to an Italianate 22-unit walk-up from 1896, fronted in grimy gray brick and awash in terracotta details. Tucked away between the fire escapes just above the first floor is an incised block tagged "Hill & Turner, Architects," a forgotten team of the old school. Right next door is another big plot, now a parking lot and ripe for the picking. Put the two together, toss in some hospitality and this batch could give Hotel Hell up near Times Square a run for its money. Oh FloMa ... you don't bring us flowers [dramatic pause] anymore.
· FloMa's Slow Decay to 'Sterile Swath' [Curbed]
· Arrested Development: Remy Gets Its Hole Plugged [Curbed]
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