A Kansas City-based investor has bought the commercial condo units that house VITAL Climbing Gym at Essex Crossing for roughly $34 million, with the deal closing Feb. 19, 2026. The purchase hands a national experience-focused property owner control of one of the Lower East Side’s newest retail anchors just months after the gym opened.
Deal details
EPR Properties paid about $34 million for three commercial condos at 180 Broome Street that contain VITAL’s Lower East Side location, according to Crain's New York Business. Deeds reviewed in that reporting show the sale closed on Feb. 19, 2026, and that a Taconic Partners-led team sold the basement-level condo for roughly $21.4 million while Deutsche Bank sold two ground-level retail units for about $12.7 million.
Vital’s new home
VITAL signed a long-term lease for the Essex Crossing space and opened the Lower East Side gym in late 2024, taking roughly 45,000 to 50,000 square feet across multiple floors, as reported by The Real Deal. The facility combines bouldering, yoga and cycling studios with a weight room and a public cafe that connects into the Market Line’s retail circuit.
EPR’s playbook
EPR is a publicly traded owner of experiential properties, from movie theaters to ski resorts, and has been buying into urban fitness and entertainment assets, according to investor materials on the EPR Properties site. The company has previously paid for Vital-anchored real estate, and Crain's notes that it paid about $43.3 million in 2023 for another Vital-operated site at 221 North 14th Street, underscoring the REIT’s appetite for experience-driven leases.
What it means for members and neighbors
The sale does not change Vital’s lease terms: the gym signed a roughly 20-year deal with Delancey Street Associates when it moved into Essex Crossing, The Lo‑Down reported. For members and surrounding small businesses, that should translate to steady programming and public-facing amenities even as a national landlord steps in.
As Essex Crossing’s retail footprint continues to be traded and refinanced, the EPR purchase is another example of national capital buying into the megaproject’s street-level mix. Local climbers and Market Line vendors will likely keep a close eye on whether EPR invests in upgrades, new partnerships or tweaks the space to chase higher-margin offerings.
