United American Land, which owns much of Canal Street around Broadway, received approvals last week from the Landmarks Commission to build out 277 Canal — aka 422 Broadway — currently the three-story Oltarsh Building on the northeast corner. They first unveiled renderings for the site three years ago; the approved building is pretty much the same: a 21-stories with 159 rental units, 31 of which are affordable. The building was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects.

There’s also three floors of retail and as part of the deal, the developer is rebuilding the subway entrance (Canal Street N, Q and R) and adding an elevator with a bonus through the Zoning For Accessibility Program.

The original building was a 1920s-era Renaissance Revival-style theater, store and loft building and is inside the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension.

As part of their presentation, UAL noted that this is the only site within the historic district that has a subway running
directly below the building. It’s also located at the intersection of two wide streets — part of the rationale for allowing for a taller building than the rest of the district allows.

Looking north up Broadway