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Excavation proceeding at 110 Third Avenue
By Carter Horsley   |   From Archives Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Excavation work has begun for a new 21-story residential condominium tower on the former site of the historic Variety Arts Theater at 110 Third Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets.

Greenberg Farrow is the architect for the building, which is being developed by Toll Brothers, one of the country's largest developers of luxury homes. Toll Brothers is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and this is its first project in Manhattan. It is also planning four other projects in the city.

The new building will have 77 one- to three-bedroom apartments and is being built "as-of-right," that is, within existing building and zoning regulations. Sales are expected to start this summer and completion is anticipated for next spring. Pricing is estimated to range from about $850,000 to $2,200,000.

The building will have balconies, large windows, and a roofdeck with partly roofed private spaces with electrical outlets and running water that will be for sale to the residents.

The Variety Arts Theater opened prior to World War I as a nickelodeon and its three-story, red-brick building was renovated in 1930 and again in 1991. It had 498 seats and was used for many Off-Broadway productions such as "Return to the Forbidden Planet" in 1991, "Annie Warbucks" in 1993, "Death Defying Acts" in 1995, "Zombie Prom" in 1996, "June Moon" in 1998, "Dinner with Friends" in 1999, "Reefer Madness" in 2001, "Endpapers" in 2002, "Ominium Gatherium" in 2003 and The Joys of Sex" in 2004. The theater closed in October, 2004.

The theater had a large marquee and was around the corner from the very large Academy of Music theater that was converted to the Palladium disco and it was also around the corner from Julian's Billiards. In recent years, New York University has erected several large dormitory buildings nearby including one on the Palladium site and another on the former site of Luchow's, the famous German restaurant that was a few doors west of the Palladium site on 14th Street.
Architecture Critic Carter Horsley Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.