As we reported in the last several days, demolition is scheduled to begin this week on the vacant building on the south side of Delancey Street that once housed a portion of the Essex Street Market. The 1940 structure will be replaced by a 24-story residential and commercial tower as part of the big Essex Crossing project. We stopped by to snap some fresh images of the building, a part of Lower East Side history.
Seventy-five years ago, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia built the market to get the neighborhood’s pushcarts off the street. In 1995, the Essex Street Market was consolidated into a single building on the northeast corner of Essex and Delancey streets. That facility will remain open until the new building – including a gleaming new market space – is ready for occupancy in the year 2018. Jade Fountain Liquors and Olympic Diner were forced to close due to the looming development.
Plywood has now gone up on two sides of the property. We’re told the subway entrance on the west side of the building will remain accessible throughout demolition. What will become of Space Invader’s “Snow White” that has been affixed to the building facade since the fall of 2013? We shall see.
