Historic church near Penn Station to be converted to modern retail space
The Church of St. John the Baptist, located at 213 West 30th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, has stood in Midtown since 1872. Designed in the French Gothic-style by architect Napoleon LeBrun, it first served New York City’s German population and was later assumed by the Capuchin Friars. In 1974, a brown brick Brutalist structure was added on the other side of the site at 210 West 31st Street, facing Penn Station, to serve as the Capuchin Monastery of St. John the Baptist. This two-story building was recently acquired by KBS Capital and Onyx Equities, who plan to spend $14.2 million converting the property into a 30,000-square-foot retail space, reports The Real Deal. Though initial plans don’t seem to touch the 144-year-old church, a rendering of the 31st Street project shows a glassy, neon-laden facade.
A rendering of the 31st Street facade
Onyx currently owns the site, but sold an 80 percent stake to KBS for $39.8 million, valuing the property at $48 million. The project will split the L-shaped building into three retail spaces, all of which will share the ground floor with additional area on the cellar and second levels. There also may be a rooftop patio and 750-square-feet of street-front signage. No permits have been filed, but Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Jeffrey Roseman is handling the leasing.
[Via TRD]
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