Demolition Underway Ahead of New Condos on 4th Avenue

PARK SLOPE, NY — Yet another high-rise condo building is on the way for Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, and demolition has begun on the existing structures.

It's been over a year since The Rabsky Group announced it would be building a 12-story, 109-residence development at 581 Fourth Avenue, but demolition just began this week on the structures currently in place. Demolition was approved on July 9, 2015, according to city records.

The developer first had to secure a zoning lot certification including all of the tax lots on the property. The clearance, a precursor to applying to put up a new building, was given on Aug. 2. The condo building will take up all seven current lots — 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 81 and 82 — shown below.

Demolition has begun on the long-vacant Pay-O-Matic, the second-largest building on the property at the corner of Prospect Avenue and Fourth Avenue. Pay-O-Matic moved its business about a block away to 582 Fifth Avenue earlier this year. A worker on the scene said they were removing asbestos from the ceiling of the building.

Lot 82, the address 195 Prospect Avenue, is the only residential property set to be demolished. It has been vacant for over a year. Lot 81, the biggest chunk of land, included a long-empty residential unit and a large area used as private parking.

An auto repair shop and Prospect Auto Glass, which were still in operation until recently, have also been cleared for demolition. They've moved down Fourth Avenue to between 26th and 27th streets.

Lot 6 has already been demolished.

The renderings, courtesy of architect Karl Fischer, show the top 11 stories will be residences, with the bottom floor reserved for retail. The planned completion date was 2016, however, which appears highly unlikely at this point.

The building is one of three high-rises currently under construction on Fourth Avenue below Ninth Street in South Slope.

There is a 12-story mixed-use building currently under construction at 521 Fourth Avenue, which will house 86 apartments, retail and a healthcare facility, according to city records. On the other side of Fourth Avenue, at 10th Street, there is a 12-story, 60-unit under construction right next to the Fourth Ave-Ninth Street R train stop.

The 581 Fourth Avenue location provides its own easy access to transportation. The Prospect Avenue R stop — itself in line for a major makeover — is literally steps from the new condo building.

The demolition underway:

Photos: Patch