Long-vacant East Village lot will give way to condos

An East Village lot that’s been vacant for nearly two decades will finally see some action and bring—can you guess?—10 new luxury condos to the neighborhood.

Development firm Station Companies announced plans for a 10-story building designed by Hustvedt Cutler Architects at 14 Second Avenue, located next to First Park on East Houston Street. Units will be full-floor, ranging from one to three bedrooms, and owner Daniel Vislocky expects prices to be in the $2.8 million to $3.5 million range. Amenities will include ground floor storage and a gym.

The property formerly housed a four-story architectural salvage shop called Irreplaceable Artifacts, which was demolished in 2000 after a wall and two floors collapsed. After the building was destroyed (and along with it some, uh, irreplaceable artifacts, like Tiffany windows and “a walnut ceiling from William Randolph Hearst’s collection”), the site was the subject of much legal drama between the city and previous owner Evan Blum, who proposed a 10-story hotel for the site in 2007. Those plans went nowhere, and the site changed hands in 2016. Station Companies paid $7 million to acquire the property this fall through a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.

Vislocky says that the site currently looks “like a ruin” since the cellar and sub-cellar have been exposed to the elements for the last 18 years. In addition to working with the architect and engineer to determine the exact field conditions, he’s working with a consultant to take the appropriate steps to remedy two open Stop Work Orders that date to 2000 and 2009.

The new building will be constructed as-of-right, and Vislocky’s team has begun the permitting process. Construction should begin within six months, with an estimated completion of summer 2020.

Vislocky was attracted to the property because of its openness; it’s adjacent to First Park, so the south side and rear of the building will have guaranteed views. “It’s such a luxury to live in New York City and have treetop views,” says Vislocky, “especially in the East Village.” The leafy surroundings were such a draw, in fact, that the developer decided to name the new development Treetops.