Image capture November 2024 © Google

61 BROADWAY STARTS CONVERSION TO RESIDENTIAL
Yimby reports that construction will start soon on the conversion of 61 Broadway, a 33-story office tower that will yeild 796 rental units. Designed by CetraRuddy and developed in a joint venture between RXR and One Investment Management, about 200 will be set aside for affordable housing, along with 40,000 square feet of amenities. The financing saga from Yimby: “RXR purchased 61 Broadway from Broad Street Development for $330 million in 2014. After defaulting on a $240 million loan in 2022, RXR turned over ownership of 61 Broadway to its lender, Aareal Bank. A financing package totaling $475 million was later secured for the project, arranged by JLL Capital Markets. This includes $420 million in construction financing from Apollo Global Management affiliates and a $55 million tax equity investment from JPMorgan Chase & Co.”

A REVIEW FOR CORIMA, MEXICAN IN CHINATOWN
The Times has a review of the celebrated new restaurant Corima, which is in Chinatown on Allen just south of Canal. Diners may book seats at the counter along the open kitchen for the tasting menu, but the food is most fun à la carte, the review says. From The Times: “The space is dark, with black planks underfoot and candles in exposed-brick nooks, but the mood is almost effervescent. There’s a bar up front with an impressive stock of mezcal and an open kitchen in back, where the cooks sometimes chant in unison, less like a military brigade than a team gearing up for the big game.”

Courtesy Ghislaine Viñas

THE FUN HOUSE AT 150 NASSAU
The Wall Street Journal has a feature on the ‘sophisticated fun house’ designed by longtime Tribecan Ghislaine Viñas, which has stainless-steel spiral slide that goes for three stories, a rope swing, a rock-climbing column, and secret ladders and entryways. The four-bedroom home, known as Sky House, is coming on the market for $20 million.