If you haven’t been down East Houston in the past few weeks you may have missed that a large building is now missing.
Sunshine Cinema was a historic landmark building and an iconic establishment of the Lower East Side for nearly a century. However, when it could no longer be protected as a city landmark due to major alterations that occurred over time, the owners sold it to K Property Group and East End Capital. After purchasing the theater in 2017, it finally closed in January 2018 but was not fully demolished until recently.
The theater was officially demolished at the end of July this year, and disappeared somewhat quietly. When you walk past now you’ll find an empty lot that will soon be turned into a mixed-use buildings with both offices and retail space available. According to our first report on the buy out, East End Capital had said at the time that plans for the lot “will offer cutting-edge design from Roger Ferris Architecture, huge windows with expansive views, high ceilings and column-free efficient space – all on top of a subway stop in a unique and exciting location.”
It seems another one bites the dust. Literally.
featured image source: Tero Koistinen [CC BY-SA 4.0]