By HarlemGal
These pictures say it all. We now know who purchased the church located at 371-373 Manhattan Avenue in Harlem. The picture below says “this is what you paid for. Please continue to donate.” No moving date was listed on the signage below. We also asked a few people standing outside Masjid Aqsa Mosque if they knew when they were relocating and no one would comment. If the mosque is relocating to Manhattan Ave., then what’s to become of their current property located on Frederick Douglass Blvd. between 115th and 116th Street? Will they sale it or rent it out? In due time, we will find out.
I just went to some open houses on 8th ave yesterday and the realtor told me that the building in question was “just sold 1 month ago”. Of course, the apartment that he was showing me was facing the mosque, so he wanted to boast that the current view will most likely change. Being that I am thinking of moving up this neighborhood, I would like to know what will eventually be built on that spot.
@Pete. Thank you for the additional information about the church and mosque. I am sure our readers appreciate the additional insight you have provided for all of us. Isn’t that what a blog is all about? As for further information, we saw a mention of these two properties in NY Mag recently, but they did not have any more information than what we are discussing here. Again, thanks for the additional info. Much appreciated!
It’s worth filling in the flip side of the ACRIS equation: 371-373 Manhattan Ave. It seems the property has been owned by the Greater Zion Hill Baptist Church since 1967 — and there’s no indication of any sale or other recent real estate transaction (the latest activity was a 1999 mortgage in the amount of $500,000).
I suppose it is possible that a sale is still pending. But if Masjid Aqsa is planning to rent the space from Greater Zion Hill, one really has to wonder what they did with the proceeds from their November 2006 property sale…
I’m rather surprised there has been no speculation or further information on this topic, so I’ve gone ahead and done a little research. According to ACRIS (see timeline highlights below), they already sold the property to a developer in late 2006.
So, given the information above on the new Manhattan Ave location, it would seem the writing is already on the wall (so to speak). That whole side of FDB at 116th St could soon look dramatically different once the mosque tenant has vacated and moved to the new location.
I also came across a 2009 article from the NY Daily News which adds some additional color — it’s pretty clear that the new owner has been trying to push the tenant out by doubling the rent and refusing to sign anything more than a 1-year lease. Amazingly enough, the article is titled, “Rent increase puts storefront Bronx mosque in danger of closing” — but it is entirely about the Masjid Aqsa in Harlem:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/02/01/2009-02-01_rent_increase_puts_storefront_bronx_mosq.html
Highlights from ACRIS timeline:
1988: City of New York sells building to Amin Ijbara Eqty Corp for $500,000.
2004: Amin Ijbara Equity Corp takes out a new $1,400,000 mortgage.
11/6/2006: Amin Ijbara sells property (2132-2136 8th Ave) to Homeside Development Corp. for $3,650,000.
2/6/2007: Homeside Development Corp transfers property to 2136 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, LLC (an entity it formed).