Nearly Completed Neighborhood Construction

Casa Loma, 116th between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass

The Fitzgerald, 117th between St. Nicholas and Frederick Douglass

Morningside Park Condos, Morningside Ave just below 116th

Three buildings nearing completion along 116th Street. 

Casa Loma is being marketed by Warburg Realty.  It's a gut-renovated pre-war building.  This used to be the most disgusting spot on 116th St.  The building was empty, the super of several nearby buildings used to dump their garbage in front of this building, where it would sit for days stinking and attracting rats.  The building is looking good now.  It has been renovated into ten one-bedroo and five two-bedroom apartments.  All with 11' ceilings.  It'll be interesting to see what retail goes into the ground floor.

The Fitzgerald, featured here last summer as Ed's Auto Body and Fender, has been converted from an auto storage facility into 47 one- and two-bedroom apartments.  The website claims "no expense has been spared to maintain the buildings original character."  So if you ever wanted to live in an apartment that reminds you of a parking garage the Fitzgerald is the place for you.

Morningside Park Condominiums also made a brief appearance here last year.  This is a new building right across the street from Morningside Park.  Prices ranged from $1.0 to $1.6 million.  All eight units are in contract.  Kitchen appliances were being delivered this morning!

What is it with the maps on these building websites?  Probably half the neighborhood amenities listed on both the Fitzgerald and Morningside Park Condo sites are incorrectly located.  There is clearly not a library in the middle of Marcus Garvey Park and the Jewish Theological Seminary is not located at the West End.

Speaking of the Jewish Theological Seminary and 116th Street (this is what we blog professionals call a clever segue), I was walking home this evening along 116th Street, right around the corner from the Morningside Park Condo, when an Orthodox guy jumps out of a van, runs up to me and asks "Are you Jewish?"

I said I wasn't.  He looked dejected, so I asked what he was looking for, thinking I could direct him somewhere, and he replied "Just looking for Jews in the neighborhood.  Do you know where I can find any?"  He got into the van before I could answer him, which was probably good as I really didn't have an answer.

Comments

[Greg]

I had a similar experience on the subway several years ago -- an Orthodox fellow looked up suddenly and asked me if I was Jewish; he looked away disinterestedly when I said no. Still, better than the born-again Christian guy with the guitar who kept bothering me about 'accepting Jesus' the last time that I was on the Staten Island Ferry.

[harlemfur]

The man in the van was probably looking for any remaining uptown Jewish bloggers. With the loss of Bagel, Minor Fast Days, and Sarah's move to the UWS, it's understandable that he is resorting to accosting people on the street in his search.

[Devorah]

The Rabbi should come all the way east -- lots of us teaching near the FDR. *g*

[Joe]

I will point them in your direction!