Rat Castle on Ludlow Prevents Ben Shaoul from Erecting 10-Story Condo Tower

This image has been archived or removed.

Photo: Kevin Gannon

There is nothing left at the corner of East Houston and Orchard Streets. The “Sledgehammer” himself, Ben Shaoul, wielded his muscle, eradicating ten businesses in the process. Take a look; it’s all rubble, twisted metal, and remnants of the cellars. The developer will eventually drop a ten-story condo tower here, yet just hit a roadblock of sorts.

Construction on the luxury building cannot begin thanks to 179 Ludlow Street. Yes, the infamous Rat Castle. The nascent condo board inside this notorious piece of architecture is presently restricting access to the building.

Shaoul filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court last week to gain entry, according to an article in the Observer.

“The access consists of a non-invasive pre-construction survey, installation of monitoring devices and access to maintain and then remove those devices, and any other code-required protections that serve to protect [179 Ludlow Street] occupants and property,” public records show.

This image has been archived or removed.

We wouldn’t necessarily trust the Sledgehammer, either.

The forthcoming ten-story (120 feet) mixed-use tumor boasts 94,923 square-feet of residential area and a commercial footprint of 13,463 square-feet. There will be 83 apartments and an Equinox gym facility. Retail is part of the equation, as well.

Ben Shaoul, along with Real Estate Equities Corp., together purchased this gargantuan assemblage of single-story stores for a combined $75 million. And lest we forget the air rights from Katz’s Deli. This sale was rumored for nearly a year, but didn’t actually close until April. Shaoul’s acquisition was made possible thanks to a cash injection of $97 million from SL Green.