Former UWS Senior Housing Complex To Become Condos: Report

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side building that was the former site of a Salvation Army-run senior center will become condos, according to reports.

Plans to convert 720 West End Ave. — formerly known as the Salvation Army Edgar J. & Lyndon Perkins Williams Memorial Residence — into a building with 120 condominium apartments are before the city Landmarks Preservation Commission and are expected to receive the agency's approval, New York YIMBY first reported.

The conversion plans include completely renovating the building's interiors as well as expanding it one story higher and constructing an eight-story expansion in an adjacent lot, YIMBY reported. The new building features amenities found in a luxury building including a squash court, a fitness center, a spa and a dog grooming area, according to the report.

The Salvation Army struck a deal in 2016 with senior residents of the Williams Memorial Residence that would require the tenants to move out of the building by the end of 2017 — which would allow the organization to sell the building. The deal came after years of protests and negotiations between residents and The Salvation Army.

The deal required the Salvation Army to relocated tenants to a new facility or provide a one-time payment of $500, according to court documents. Residents who relocate to the new facility will have their rent frozen for three years following the move, according to the agreement.

The Salvation Army filed plans with the city Department of Buildings in 2015 to construct a new senior housing facility in East Harlem at 2306 Third Avenue. The facility will rise 12-stories between east 125th and 126th streets and contain 233 housing units, according to the plans.

Read New York YIMBY's full article here.

Photo by Google Maps street view