We did a construction check on the Chetrit Group‘s quiet conversion of two former St. Vincent’s hospital buildings in Hell’s Kitchen.
Located at 416-432 West 52nd Street, the two seven-story buildings will have a total of 215 apartments, according to permits first filed in 2011 with Karl Fischer as the architect of record. The larger building at 416 West 52nd will measure about 157,000 square feet with 160 units, while the smaller structure at 426 West 52nd will measure about 44,500 square feet with 55 units.
The Chetrit Group also filed plans in 2012 to build a new five-story, single-family townhouse on a vacant lot between the two existing buildings, The Real Deal reported. The townhouse would measure about 6,200 square feet.
The Chetrits teamed up with Tessler Development to buy the empty lot and the buildings in December 2007 for $84.73 million, according to public records. At the time, the derelict site had been an eyesore, with neighbors complaining about the property’s rats, fetid standing water and squatting homeless people, DNAinfo reported. Construction work was sporadic from 2007 to 2011, and in July 2010 the property received a citation after building inspectors discovered water in the basement, which fire officials had to pump.
Tessler Developments CEO Yitzchak Tessler told The Real Deal in June 2012 that his firm is no longer involved with the project.
Work is scheduled to wrap up by Fall 2014, according to construction signage. Here’s the view of the ongoing work from West 51st Street:
