Vacant, Crumbling Malcolm X Boulevard Building to Be Renovated With Landmarks Approval

The rundown three-story store and flats structure at 274 Malcolm X Boulevard in Bed Stuy, which was left empty and in disrepair following a fire around five years ago, will become a four-story, red brick-clad apartment building, if plans go ahead.

Architect Asa Barak presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on June 7, proposing the addition of a new story and stair bulkhead to the existing building, and the renovation of the front and rear facade. The building was included in the 2021 expansion of the Bedford Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, meaning any alterations to the circa-1879 building need the commission’s approval.

The commission previously approved plans in March 2021 to modify the front and rear of the building, maintaining its three-story height with a storefront on the ground floor. Barak returned to the commission last month with new plans for a one-story addition and the removal of the ground floor storefront, to be replaced by residential units. The new proposal includes eight units on the 2,000-square-foot lot, which sits near the corner of Macon Street.

Many aspects of the plan remain the same as the initial ones presented to the LPC, including the red brick cladding that will be used on the facade and the installation of cast stone window lintels and fiberglass cornices.

In March 2021, the commissioners approved the plans saying it was an improvement to the building, adding that a brick facade was appropriate for the district, as the building has been significantly altered from its original wood frame state and no significant historical material remains.

The commissioners largely supported the updated plans presented in June, but said details around the bulkhead and first floor facade had to be ironed out with staff to keep the building in tune with the surrounding area. They agreed that some storefront type of infill could work to keep the residential ground floor in step with the surrounding ground floor storefronts. The commissioners did not vote on the plans at the meeting, instead telling Barak to come back with updates when he was ready.

In 2009, the landlord died and the building residents were without running water for months. The building was sold by the Plata family to 314 Hancock Inc. in 2015 for $744,000. Etai Vardi signed on behalf of the LLC and is listed as the owner in a 2018 Departments of Building alteration permit application. Barak is listed as the applicant.

In 2020, the owner received a lis pendens for a tax lien for $9,717, which is still active. In April 2022, the deed for the property was transferred to 274 MX LLC, without a sale price listed, and Oz Rabinowitz signed on behalf of both 314 Hancock Incorporated and 274 MX LLC.

Barak told the commissioners the building had been vacant for four or five years following a fire, and it was suffering rapid deterioration due to a partially open roof. An application for an alteration permit was filed by Barak in January 2018, but the Department of Buildings has not yet issued a permit. Although city records say the building already has eight residential units and no store, the application says work will include converting the building from a two-family and one retail store to a five-family and one retail store. It says the building’s height will not change, indicating the application needs to be updated to include the additional story and bulkhead.

Brownstoner reached out to Barak, but did not hear back before publication.

[Renderings by Asa Barak Architecture Studio via NY Landmarks Preservation Commission]

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