Redevelopment of Harlem’s Victoria Theater moves forward

The redevelopment of the Victoria Theater on 125th Street in Harlem is finally moving forward after setbacks,
the New York Times reported. The Empire State Development Corporation
had been trying to redevelop the property as a mixed-use hotel and
condominium complex since 2005, and chose Danforth Development
Partners to lead the project in 2008. But the real estate crash that
followed put the plans on hold. Now, Danforth says the $100 million
project can move along with a new equity partner, Exact Capital, and
will break ground in the second half of next year. The current design,
by Aufgang & Subotovsky Architecture and Planning, envisions two
towers to rise above the theater: a 140-unit rental building and a
separate 175-room hotel, with the base consisting of the historic
building, built in 1917 from a design by
Thomas Lamb.

That building will become the new home of the Classical Theater of Harlem,
Jazzmobile, the Harlem Arts Alliance and the Apollo Theater
Foundation. The developers hope to present the plans to the Harlem
Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Empire State
Development Corporation, in the fall. This project follows other
recent developments in the surrounding area, including the city’s
selection of developers for the former Taystee Bakery and Corn
Exchange building at 125th Street in July. [NYT]