This Glass Office Building Will Replace Sunshine Cinema

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A glossy glass office building will replace the Lower East Side's storied Sunshine Cinema, according to developers' plans.

The popular neighborhood cinema, owned by the Landmark Theatres chain, shut its doors on Jan. 21. The historic building, which dates back to 1898, will be demolished later this year to make way for a nine-story office building.

Developers East End Capital and K Property Group bought the building, located at 143 E. Houston St., for a reported $31.5 million last year.

Landmark's Sunshine Cinema left the space after its lease expired. The chain had re-opened the LES cinema in 2001 after restoring the iconic exterior of the theater.

In November, the building's new owners filed plans with the city to completely demolish the structure. This month, developers released renderings for a boxy glass structure. The building will stand nine stories tall and include 65,000 square feet of space. The ground floor will be used for retail shops, according to the developers.

Developers described the future building as a "new, best-in-class office building with retail at the base – a first in the rapidly evolving Lower East Side."

Construction is scheduled to begin later this year. Construction plans have not yet been filed with the city while the demolition of the building begins.

Tim Nye, the businessman who partnered with Landmark Theaters to open the cinema, told the New York Times that the neighborhood staple "was doing incredible" financially before its closure. Despite a steady stream of customers, however, Nye said they expected the rent to skyrocket when their lease expired on Jan. 31.

"It’s the economics. We cannot pay market rent," Nye told the Times. "But we knew this day was coming from Day 1. It was a good run."

Image credit: Rendering courtesy of Real Estate Arts