Another long-stalled project on the Lower East Side is rolling again following about a decade of stop-and-start construction. Bowery Boogie spotted some progress over at 179 Ludlow's infamous "Rat Castle," a seven-story, mixed-use building that's plagued the Lower East Side skyline in its half-finished state since 2006. Work on the building's balconies is the latest evidence of a push forward on the site. DOB permits suggest the building, when and if-ever complete, will have 1,650-square-feet of ground floor commercial space, and six-stories of floor-through apartments. The architect of record is the Kleinmann Group.
The site is under the control of a firm that specializes in finishing foreclosed-on work following the failure of the site's second owner, first-time developer Michaelangelo Russo, who borrowed a portion of the $5.2 million he paid the site's original developers, 2 Funny Guys (yes, this is real), from said firm. Got all that?
· The Infamous 'Rat Castle' at 179 Ludlow Street Has Been Reactivated [BB]
· All 179 Ludlow Street coverage [Curbed]