Demolition permits have been filed for three single-story structures which once served as part of the Marrakech Hotel site on Broadway between 102nd and 103rd Streets.
The upper floors of these buildings were demolished after the City sued former Marrakech Hotel owner Hank Freid for operating illegally and converting a residential SRO (Single Room Occupancy) into hotel rooms. Freid ended up paying a $275,000 settlement.
Freid has faced similar lawsuits for illegally converting two other UWS hotels – The Broadway Hotel at 230 West 101st Street and Royal Park Hotel at 258 West 97th Street.
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The properties facing final demolition – located at 2686, 2688, and 2690 Broadway – were purchased by Toll Brothers for $44 million in 2019. In 2020, the developer filed permits to build a 13 story mixed use building at 2686 Broadway. Plans for the new development include 73 residential condos and 7,743 square feet of commercial space. Former commercial tenants included a Starbucks and A To Z 99 Cent Store.
At the time of the sale, Freid told The Real Deal that his real estate firm, Branic International Realty, would be using the proceeds to buy new buildings. According to Freid’s Linkedin page, Freid currently owns Sanctuary Hotel New York, located at 132 West 47th Street, and Ameritania Hotel at 230 West 54th Street.
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“Throughout his career, Hank Freid has not only transformed neglected buildings into successful, thriving and respected hotels, but also helped to revitalize entire neighborhoods in the process,” Freid writes about himself, adding that “the international businessman has built a remarkable brand and impressive portfolio of boutique hotels and comfortable accommodations throughout Manhattan.”
While Toll Brothers has not yet released renderings for the new building, New York YIMBY reports that the developer has hired Hill West Architects to design it. Some of the architecture firm’s nearby work has included Waterline Square, One West End, One Riverside Park (at 50 Riverside Boulevard).
I thought Toll Brothers mostly developed McMansions (decently built ones) in basically gated communities outside of cities like Dallas and Atlanta.
Didn’t know the company builds spec multi-unit buildings, especially anywhere in an urban center.
I can tell that TB hasn’t done much work in Manhattan, else the proposal would be for a 60 story tower on the site, which would then be cut down to say 45 stories.
Don’t look for the union label. If there’s a crane in operation, go to the other side of Broadway.
OH NO! The Toll Brothers develop super tacky stuff!
Almost certainly another banal mediocrity taking its toll on the once-idiosyncratic UWS.