Your First Look at the Luxury Development that Eliminated 200 Years of Bowery History

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That’s all she wrote. Two months after the death shroud appeared, 138-142 Bowery is gone. A stinging sight of scattered debris and open air. Pulverized to usher in an age of luxury residence on the site.

Gone is the sidewalk bridge, carted away yesterday.

Per previous reports, these three structures were sold to Emmut Properties as part of the five-property, $47 million portfolio back in December (total assemblage is 134-142 Bowery). Plans for the eight-story residential development remain “disapproved” by the Department of Buildings.

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Full description from the mouth of the beast. Note the absence of talk about the hotel composition, which was included in early Department of Buildings filings that preceded Emmut Properties.

The new structure will have ground floor and mezzanine retail space, as well as residential units on the upper floors. Due to the height restriction in the historic neighborhood, the building will be eight stories tall.

Emmut Properties realizes this building site has a great deal of history, and we want to do everything possible to preserve the look and feel of the Bowery. The development that is planned will not only revitalize this section of the Bowery into a more appealing place to live and do business, but we hope that it also increases the quality of life for the people currently living in the area.

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The new 138 Bowery, Photo: Emmut Properties

As conveyed in the listing literature, the elimination of 138-142 Bowery from the neighborhood effectively destroys invaluable area history. Indeed, number 140 dated back to the 1790s and was originally owned by men associated with the butchering trade. It was later a shoe store and millinery (“Callahan the Hatter”), among other functions. As a testament to its perseverence, the architecture persevered for more than two centuries; until 2011, when the owner lopped off the trademark dormers to nullify any possibility of landmarking.