Moscot’s Former Delancey Street HQ is Now in Ruins Ahead of 12-Story Redevelopment
The eighty-three-year-old building that housed Moscot for nearly as long (i.e. 75 years) is now obliterated. A wrecking crew tasked with erasing this history has been busy onsite the last month or so.
As of yesterday afternoon, most of the structure is gone, including the frame. What remains are the bones and debris; a ghost staircase and ruined rooms.
Soon, an empty lot awaiting a twelve-story payload. As previously reported, owner-developer Helm Equities (aka David Escava) will construct a 120-foot luxury tower with 29,437 square-feet of total floor area split between residential and commercial. There are twenty-four rentals – floors three through eight will carry three units each, with duplexes rounding out floors nine through twelve. The ground-level retail space is 5,769 square-feet, and zoned for “use group 6,” which includes a restaurant. There is also a rooftop “recreational area” listed in the proposal.
Permits for the project, however, remain in a state of perpetual purgatory. The Department of Buildings has yet to approve and issue its blessings. Similarly, it’s worth mentioning that the project is still deemed as “on the boards,” according to SWA Architecture’s website.
Helm Equities purchased 86 Delancey (aka 118 Orchard) in 2012 for $4.8 million. This transaction was the proverbial nail in the coffin that forced Moscot across the street a year later. After said relocation, Wallplay studio spent several years here, hosting a plethora of marketing stunts and pop-ups.
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