Bowery buyer hopes to replace theater

The buyer of the Amato Opera theater building at 319 Bowery plans to find another theater to occupy the ground floor of the building, said James Famularo, senior executive managing director at Coldwell Banker Commercial Properties, who represented the buyer in the sale of the four-story Building Near Second Street. The Amato Opera, founded in 1948 by Tony Amato, will hold its last performance in May. The 7,600-square-foot building sold on December 16 for $3.7 million, according to city records. The buyer was 319 Bowery NY, LLC, which shares an address with Croman Real Estate, owned by Upper East Side landlord Steve Croman. Alex Picken, a broker at Picken Real Estate, represented the seller.