(Google Maps)
At Community Board 7‘s recent Preservation Committee meeting, the owner of 254 West 88th Street, Asaf Dror, revealed his plans to convert the building into a four-unit residential property.
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Dror said the ground floor commercial space, which for decades has been occupied by Mike’s Lumber, will become one of those apartments.
“That’s too bad,” remarked one board member about the expected closing. “It was a good store,” said another.
“It may be a nice store but the awning is disgusting,” replied Dror, creating a bit of uncomfortable laughter. “It’s not such a great looking store,” he added.
Throughout the meeting, Dror and his architect discussed with board members their plans for the building. This also included a rooftop addition for a penthouse apartment and some front and rear facade work.
It wasn’t clear when these renovations would be taking place, but the board approved the plans and they are expected to go before the Landmarks Preservation Committee soon.
The owner of Mike’s Lumber is Manoli Papagiannakis, whose father opened the business in 1966; Manoli took over operations in 1994.
The independent hardware and building materials store has always been popular amongst “contractors and do-it-yourself types,” and they also offer custom jobs for both private and corporate clients.
“What makes us unique is that we offer lumber cut to size,” Papagiannakis told Pappas Post in a January 2021 interview. “We also do edging, veneering and any cut-outs you need — we can do that for you.”
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Manoli also operates MCC Construction & Millwork, which provides general contracting work for residential and commercial spaces.
We’ve reached out to Manoli by phone and email and will provide an update once we learn more.
The fact that the landlord finds the charming awning “disgusting “ speaks volumes about New York these days. This perfectly nice awning could have been found in any decade since at least the 1940’s until now. It looks like New York. Not good enough for many these days. New York has to look “nice” which means antiseptic and generic.
The owner of the building clearly finds the idea that materials (plywood, plumbing pipes, etc) have sources (retail, not factory) and that it’s more than convenient that some of those retailers are in highly residential areas like the west 80s of Manhattan.
Clueless and arrogant.
Stores like Mike’s Lumber, though pricey, mean if you need lumber in the area, you don’t have to hit something like a $300 minimum order for delivery from a place like Prince. Mike’s is geared to fulfilling small needs, not big to massive projects.
The board like he said has destroyed our community. This was a lively beautiful community for everybody now its just for some! There no stores left no where to shop everything is gone! You big shots with penthouse money came and stole our community. No one is notified its just done like this world was made for them I was raised here and I Damm does who have come torn up our community!! We were here first and ain’t no indians!
I never knew that an awning could be “disgusting,” but I do know an attitude about longtime small businesses can be. Sure, Dors, go ahead, renovate away. Can’t wait to see what your idea of a beautiful facade might be. What a shortsighted twit.
Mike’s Lumber was always overpriced. Luckily, there is a relatively new store. “The Upper West Side Hardware” that is just around the corner.
Having lived on the UWs for over 50 years, I always found the staff at Mike’s to be friendly and knowledgeable. And their prices were usually pretty good. I had several items custom-made there, and was always surprised by how reasonable the prices were (particularly compared to, say, Gothic Cabinet Craft).
I’m going to miss them.