91-Pennsylvania-Avenue east new york pshark

We’re sorry to report that the former East New York Savings Bank at 91 Pennsyvlania Avenue will be demolished to make way for a seven-story medical building. A demolition permit for the four-story Renaissance Revival building was issued in December.

One of New York City’s most important architects, Richard Upjohn, Jr., designed the bank, which was built in 1889 and occupies a full block on Atlantic between Pennsyvlania and New Jersey avenues, smack in the middle of the soon-to-be-rezoned East New York business district. The property was a Building of the Day last year.

An application for a new-building permit filed last week calls for a seven-story building with 121,000 square feet of space, as well as 153 parking spots. It will house “ambulatory diagnostic or treatment health care facilities,” according to schedule A filings. Udo Maron of Array Architects is the architect of record.

The 34,000-square-foot structure last changed hands for $5,500,000 in 2005, according to public records. Jonas Rudofsky of real estate firm Squarefeet.com appears to be the owner and developer, according to permits.

With so much empty and underutilized land available in East New York, we think it’s a shame the developer chose this particular location. This building looks ideal for adaptive reuse, such as a mixed-use condo development. We haven’t seen a rendering yet but we’re not hopeful it will be better than the building there now.

Building of the Day: 91 Pennsylvania Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by Kate Leonova for PropertyShark


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I worked in the ENY school district for about 13 years and knew this area even well before that time, so I am quite familiar with the building and the surrounding area. I think that East New York is right. though, about this building. I worked as a proposal writer there and the health needs in the ENY community are quite great. There is not a nearby hospital; Brookdale is about it. Maybe Jamaica Hospital? In any case, many of the people in ENY rely on public transportation and this corner is really quite convenient for that reason. There are several buses that stop there and the A/C line is only a short walk away. Also, there is Broadway Junction a short walk/bus ride from there.

    I’ve always like the building a lot and even had a bank account there, I’ll miss it, I think it’s really lovely, but its loss will not be earthshaking, sad to say. And if this change really answers community needs, that is the more important point. Better to have a building that really works for its intended purpose than an adapted one which can only “sort of” fits the needs.

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