City permitted for $3.5M conversion of 14K commercial building to office in Seaport

New York City Economic Development Corporation, on January 11, was given a permit for a $3.5 million project to convert a 14,230-square-foot commercial building to an office at 213 Water Street in Lower Manhattan.

The plans, pre-filed on December 12, 2019, call for work on the cellar, roof, and all five floors of the 78-foot tall, five-story building.

The project is described in the filings as: renovation of existing building including installation of new cores and establishing new uses per plans filed herewith. The initial cost as reported in the DOB filing for the work described in this permit application is $3,490,000.

Stores and restaurant space on the ground floor will be converted to a gallery, theater, lecture hall, and banquet hall, while an existing theater will be converted to utility space, per the plans. The second floor will go from stores and restaurant space to offices. Floors three through five will also all be used for office space going forward.

Beyer Blinder Belle is the architect listed.

The building was originally a metal and tin warehouse built in 1868 for A. A. Thompson & Co. The building was restored in 1983 and was used as an event space called the Melville Gallery, in the South Street Seaport Museum.

Direct link to Acris document. LINK

Direct link to DOB document. LINK