In a post about the legendary Fillmore East music venue in the East Village, Ephemeral New York reported that "the ground floor is—what else?—a bank branch" at the March 2021 time of publication. But as recently filed permits show, the historic building at 105 Second Avenue is now set to become—what else?—a boutique residential building, possibly condos.
About two months after 16 Handles CEO Neil Hershman, using the entity Fillmore East Realty LLC, bought 105 Second Avenue for $4.5 million in June 2026, permits were filed to convert the longtime bank branch in the base to a new 16 Handles outpost and the upper levels to six residential units. Sotir Associates is listed as the architect of the conversion, and there will be storage space and a laundry room in the building's basement. The second floor was previously office and lunch space associated with the bank tenants that occupied the building's base from 1995 to the 2020s, and the third and fourth floors are vacant.
In this article:
The Fillmore East (Photo credit: Amalie R. Rothschild)
Future residents of 105 Second Avenue will arrive to a plaque on the building commemorating its time as the Fillmore East, so named as a sister venue for then-owner Bill Graham's venue The Fillmore in San Francisco. The Fillmore East was only open from 1968 to 1971, but hosted some of the most popular music acts in the world during that time. Patti Smith touches on a concert by The Doors in her critically acclaimed memoir Just Kids, and it also hosted Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Ike and Tina Turner, the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, and The Who, to name but a few. However, Village Preservation observes that after Woodstock, larger venues like Madison Square Garden proved more lucrative for musicians, and the Fillmore East closed.
Plaque commemorating the Fillmore East, placed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (By Historicplaques - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53257982)
The years as the Fillmore East and the forthcoming residential conversion are two chapters in 105 Second Avenue's nearly 100-year history. The Medieval Revival-style building was designed by Harrison Wiseman and constructed in 1926 as the Commodore Theater, a Yiddish theater on a section of Second Avenue that was then known as the Jewish Rialto for the volume of similar performance venues. It was later taken over by Loews, renamed the Loews Commodore, and became a movie theater.
After the Fillmore East closed in 1971, 105 Second Avenue continued as a music venue on and off for a few years before reopening as The Saint, a gay members-only club that offered an elevated, circular dance floor, a perforated planetarium dome, and spectacular shows that included performances by high-profile DJs and the leather- and kink-themed Black Party every spring. However, the AIDS epidemic affected attendance, and it closed in 1988.
In the present day, 105 Second Avenue is located in close proximity to Merchants House Museum, the Public Theater, Cooper Union, and many popular East Village restaurants, including Little Ukraine and the East Village's Little India. Whole Foods and Wegmans outposts are a short distance from the building, and transportation options include the Astor Place 6, the 8th Street R/W, and the Broadway-Lafayette Street B/D/F/M trains.
105 Second Avenue (center; Wikimedia Commons)
Select Manhattan Residential Conversions in the Pipeline
291 Broadway, Tribeca
Developer: William Macklowe Company
Architect: Daniel Goldner Architects
150 residences | 22 stories | 190 feet
Developer: William Macklowe Company
Architect: Daniel Goldner Architects
150 residences | 22 stories | 190 feet
By Beyond My Ken - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18259697
Earlier this month, William Macklowe Company filed permits for the residential conversion of 291 Broadway, a 1910 office building at the corner of Reade Street just east of the Tribeca South Historic District. The 19-story building, originally constructed for the East River Savings Bank and later home to the YMCA's national headquarters, was acquired by the developer for approximately $52.7 million in late 2025. Plans call for converting the upper floors to residential use and increasing the building three floors to 22 stories with 150 apartments. The approximately 127,800-square-foot project sits across Broadway from the African Burial Ground National Monument and is very close to City Hall Park, the Civic Center, and numerous subway lines.
83-85 Chambers Street, Tribeca
Developer: United American Land LLC
Architect: Design by GreenbergFarrow (conversion)
16 rental apartments | 6 stories
Developer: United American Land LLC
Architect: Design by GreenbergFarrow (conversion)
16 rental apartments | 6 stories
83-85 Chambers Street (GreenbergFarrow)
In the Tribeca South Historic District, work is underway to transform a pair of store and loft buildings into a mixed-use development. The existing, distinctive cast-iron and masonry facades are being carefully preserved amidst the conversion, and apartments will start on top of commercial and amenity space. The site is located in close proximity to City Hall and popular Tribeca dining.
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Chelsea Beacon, 550 West 21st Street
Developer: Camber Property Group and Osborne Association
Architect: Design by COOKFOX (conversion)
131 permanently affordable residences | 16 stories
Developer: Camber Property Group and Osborne Association
Architect: Design by COOKFOX (conversion)
131 permanently affordable residences | 16 stories
Rendering of Chelsea Beacon (COOKFOX)
Earlier today, a groundbreaking ceremony took place for the conversion of the former Bayview Correctional Facility on the corner of West 20th Street and Eleventh Avenue to Chelsea Beacon, a vibrant residential and community development that will preserve much of the Art Deco design by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Architects, whose firm also designed the Empire State Building. It has been empty following damage in Superstorm Sandy, and Governor Hochul said in a statement, "Chelsea Beacon reflects our commitment to tackling the housing crisis from every angle, including putting underutilized State property back to work for New Yorkers."
Upon completion, Chelsea Beacon will include 131 permanently affordable housing units for households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income. It will also include 79 supportive housing units for those who were formerly incarcerated, seven fully accessibly apartments for residents with mobility impairments, three units equipped for residents with hearing and visual impairments, and a 15-bed Short Term Transitional Residence Program that provides intensive support for individuals living with severe mental illness before they move to a more independent housing setting.
Rosette, Midtown South
254 West 35th Street
Developed by Joyland Management
Conversion by Kao Hwa Lee Architects
166 rental residences | 16 stories | 190 feet
254 West 35th Street
Developed by Joyland Management
Conversion by Kao Hwa Lee Architects
166 rental residences | 16 stories | 190 feet
Rosette (Real NY Properties)
Rosette is a Garment District rental conversion taking shape at 254 West 35th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. Developer Joyland Management is converting a 16-story former office loft building into 166 rental residences with Kao Hwa Lee Architects as the designer of record. Plans call for the 109,600-square-foot property to have new building systems, a buffed up exterior, while retaining its 190-foot height. The building is a short walk from Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall, Herald Square, and several subway lines. Leasing is expected to begin by year end, with Rosette's website advertising a summer debut.
229 West 36th Street, Garment District
Conversion by Kao Hwa Lee Architects
177 rental residences | 13 stories | 160 feet
Conversion by Kao Hwa Lee Architects
177 rental residences | 13 stories | 160 feet
Rendering of 229 West 36th Street (Brickman)
Permits were filed earlier this month to transform 229 West 36th Street, a 1921 office building between Seventh and Eighth avenues in the Garment District, into a residential rental. The property was acquired by Empire Capital Holdings in 2025 as part of a roughly $50 million two-building purchase, and new filings by Kao Hwa Lee Architects show there will be a total of 177 apartments across 13 stories (one additional floor). The approximately 160-foot-tall building is just a few blocks from Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall, Herald Square, Bryant Park, and Times Square.
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