Lucida (firehouse next door) or Brompton (Postal)

I just passed the Brompton yesterday and turned to my friend and said "who would want to buy a mulit million dollar apartment on this block, it's so seedy and run down". Let alone the entire 86th and 3rd area, that 85th St block between 3rd and 2nd is awful.

This goes back a few years ago. On 85th between 2nd and 3rd near where the Brompton's entrance is located, there was a brothel. Pedro's the bar, where women's under garment hung from the rafters, was popular too.

WAIT - brothel? When was this?

BTW - that firehouse is busy (I pass it everyday on the way to the subway) - the post office is probably quieter. Also half of the block between 2nd and 3rd on 85th is nice on the North side with Equinox and the Gap, but the South side does leave something to be desired.

I googled "brothel 85th Street" Found the 12/31/95 article:

It took more raids than the residents of 323 East 85th Street can recall, but in February, they managed to evict a brothel masquerading as a massage parlor in the basement of the five-story walk-up.

But it really wasn't that bad of a place, friendly people, pretty clean considering.

curiosu how you got the idea to google "brothel 85th street"? just a lucky guess?

323 east is between 2nd and 1st so the place in the article was a block east of the brompton. the brothel on the brompton block was in more like '93/94, not '95. alos in the basement of a walkup. it was either the lo rise building that got knocked down to build the bromptono entrance or maybe a couple of doors down on the samek side. somewhere along there anywat.

"Let alone the entire 86th and 3rd area, that 85th St block between 3rd and 2nd is awful"

Agree. Lucinda's entrance is almost next door to the fire house. Brompton is on a gross street. Both blds have entrances on a crosstown street & there's a school on 85th & Lex. 85th St's going to become a zoo with double parking, crosstown traffic, fire engines & school.

And don't forget 85th Street is a cross street through Central Park to the west side. Give it a year to see how 85th Street holds up under the additional traffic. Don't forget the Georgicia on 85th between 1st and 2nd will come online, as well.

Funny:

"From one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in London, England, Brompton Cross lends its name to a ‘proper’ new residence combining classic design and English sensibility. Located at 205 East 85th Street, The Brompton is a new 22-story luxury condominium located in New York City’s most established residential neighborhood. Blending the best of timeless and contemporary styles, the Brompton embraces an enduring and valued lifestyle that is ‘Stylishly Proper.’"

The Brompton has only closed 39 units (according to SE. I don't do ACRIS). They are already up to the penthouse floors.

I actually know someone in contract for one of the bigger Lucida units. Is going ahead. Poor bastard.

talk to him in 10 years.

aboutready, same here. Know someone who in going ahead with large unit as well.

i understand that the urge to buy is primal, but $4m for this seems insane.

85th and 3rd has a great underrated Belgian place called Jacques Bistro - all you can eat mussels on sundays, very cool bar, outdoor seating

On the original question, I have to go with post office over firehouse. I used to live at 84th & Lex and the fire engines from 85th St went right by when they had to go east (on 84th). Loud and frequent and good windows only get you so far with sirens.

Is the loading dock for Barnes & Noble and H&M on 85th Street at the Lucida?

The area sucks. I would pay $1600/foot to not live there. Other people pay $1600/foot to live there. I guess that's what makes horse racing.

Agree on comment about post office over firehouse. I knew someone on the corner of 85th and Lex and they said the sirens were non-stop. They only stayed for 6 months and it finally drove them out.

The Lucida's 85th Street side has a serious loading dock (two bays) for Barnes & Noble and H&M. With the size of the loading bays, the building is ramped up for some heavy duty truck deliveries. Will the trucks come 24/7? Would the Condo plan have to disclose the possible annoyance it will cause to the lower floor apts on E85?

"Shake Shack has signed a 15-year lease at 182 East 86th Street, which is between Lexington and Third Avenues at the base of the 440-unit apartment building with circular balconies known as Park Lane Tower. Neither the landlord nor the lessee would reveal the negotiated price. The company’s owners expect to open within the year in the 3,200-square-foot retail space, which is reached via the 2,750-square-foot sunken plaza."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/realestate/commercial/20shake.html?ref=business

This will be very good for 86th St next to the Lucida. The plaza space has been eerie and decrepit for at least 20 years, regardless of whether there were businesses operating or not. When the Lucida was in the works, I was hoping that this space would somehow get folded into the new development to make better use of it, but Shake Shack is also a good solution. The key is that it will be a neighborhood destination and will pull people into what otherwise is a forbidding space. The next one or two storefronts to the east are also vacant and have been for a while. I would think that having a high traffic restaurant next door would improve the prospect of filling that space as well.

The next block east is still a bit of a train wreck, as has been discussed at length on the Brompton threads, but Shake Shack is a good start for 86th St.

love shake shack

Add Daffys (low budget clothing store) to where Petco is. Petco is moving across the street (next week, end of January) to where the B & N was before it moved to the Lucida.
Everything seems to be revolving around The Lucida. Lucky homeowners and renters...

sv - thanks, I didn't know about Daffy's. Hopefully the building will be spruced up before they move in. Petco is an absolute eyesore. What that corner could really use is a new development on the current Petco site, although any prospect of that has to be a good decade off given the economy and real estate market.

"I just passed the Brompton yesterday and turned to my friend and said "who would want to buy a mulit million dollar apartment on this block, it's so seedy and run down". Let alone the entire 86th and 3rd area, that 85th St block between 3rd and 2nd is awful."

True, but not super relevant anymore. The spot was seedy because the Brompton plot was a near-abandoned building for YEARS... retail on the bottom, cheap jeans stores, and the top was boarded up. The Brompton plot helped CAUSE that blight. But the areas around slowly fixed up a bit (like the colorado across the street completely refacing). Now that the brompton has life, expect that to pick up quickly.

To me, its actually an opportunity... 86th street was a pit relative to the rest of the UES, and its in the middle of an upgrade...

Not sure about your comment that "The Brompton plot helped CAUSE that blight". You'll always have the type of commerce that attracts the 86th subway crowd. Probably the reason why the retail space at the Brompton is so hard to fill.

Remember the old adage, "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig"

Have you been to the AZURE....it is the best value on the Upper East Side and unbelievable quality! Ask me why.

alijafri..hows that workin out??

shake shack is goin up as we speak

"Have you been to the AZURE....it is the best value on the Upper East Side and unbelievable quality! Ask me why." No

The brothel wasn't so bad compared to the used discarded hypodermic needles strewn all over the street.

Having that classy Brompton entrance on that scuzzy street is quite a contrast.

Update on discussion above re: street level retail on the Lucida/Brompton corridor of E86th

* Shake Shack is open next to the Lucida and lines are down the block. The outdoor seating is a fantastic use for the sunken plaza to the east of the Lucida that never worked for retail
* The old Petco building on the NE corner of 86th & Lex has a broker's banner on it announcing it's for lease, so I don't know if the Daffy's rumor (above) actually panned out. Not that Daffy's is going to pick up the surroundings very much, but even a clean facade would be an improvement on that corner.
* Finally, the block to the east of the Brompton down to 2nd Avenue is still half empty (former Circuit City and Barnes & Noble spaces). It seems like a long time since Circuit City vaporized. Coming up on 2 years maybe?
* I know there are Papaya King fans around so I'll add this: Papaya King is closed for a facelift, which I guess will spruce up the Brompton corner a bit

I believe that Fairway has been in negotiations to open in the fmr circuit city or B&N space, though I don't know if they gave up (issues with the city around access for deliveries being blocked by 2nd avenue subway construction I believe). That would be HUGE for the neighborhood - there is absolutely no quality grocery store in the area.

Also, I hear that the Sephora in the Lucida has some unbelievable deals....

Yeah, at Sephora the product is pretty much walking out the door...

whore houses, burger joints, a fire house and a post office!

Who could ask for anything more!

Liv'in large on east 86th street. Wait a second...LIC doesn't look so bad...

Reposting link to Fairway announcement posted by printer to another thread. This will fill a hole.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/fairway-set-to-open-new-store-on-upper-east-side/

According to Our Town, DOT has given Fairway "extended loading zone hours" (load and unload trucks between 5am and 10pm). DOT may be willing to allow up to 150 feet for the trucks.