Renderings Reveal Washington Heights Retail Building Expansion

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A historic Washington Heights retail building is due for an upgrade, and renderings reveal that it could rise as tall as seven stories following a planned expansion.

The firm Marin Architects was hired to draw up renderings for a new building at 2050 Amsterdam Ave., a spokesperson for the firm said. The building that currently occupies the large corner site near the three-way intersection of Amsterdam and West 162nd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue was built in 1911.

The renderings propose converting the the building from a two-story retail complex into a seven-story mixed residential and retail development. The new building's design will incorporate elements such as cast stone cornice, cast-iron railed balconies and a red brick exterior to combine a "flare of modernism" with a "structure blends effortlessly into the surrounding residential neighborhood," according to Marin Architects' website.

A spokesperson for Marin Architects told Patch that the current status of the project "is a bit unknown" and could not reveal the identity of the client that commissioned the rendering. No plans have been filed with the city Department of Buildings for a new development at the site.

The building changed hands in August from an entity called KMS Distribution Inc. to an entity called 2042 Amsterdam LLC, according to public real estate records. Both anonymous entities share the same Brooklyn Address and the exchange was valued at $0, suggesting the land deed was transferred between two companies owned by the same developer. The assessed value of the land is just more than $2 million, according to the public documents.

KMS Distribution Inc. bought the building in 1994 for an unknown sum of money, according to public real estate documents.

The complex on 2050 Amsterdam Avenue is currently home to a department store, a pharmacy and an entrance to the 163rd Street C train station.

Renderings courtesy Marin Architects