The Beaux‑Arts firehouse at 6 Hancock Place, long home to the Faison Firehouse theater, appears to have a new owner. According to published reports, the limestone building in Central Harlem was sold to an entity connected to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a move that could reshape the block’s cultural footprint. The sale marks another chapter in a years‑long tug‑of‑war over whether the property will remain a community arts anchor or be steered toward redevelopment.
Sale reported to Sharpton
As reported by Crain's New York Business, the building was sold this week to a buyer tied to Rev. Al Sharpton. Crain's described the transfer as the latest twist in a long-running saga around the property, which has attracted both preservationist interest and attention from developers.
Faison Firehouse’s long arc
The four‑story Beaux‑Arts structure was purchased and renovated by Tony Award winner George Faison in 1999 and has operated for decades as the Faison Firehouse Theater, hosting performances, classes and community programs. The property has been marketed in several different formats, sometimes offered by itself and sometimes bundled with the adjacent vacant lot, as brokers floated both cultural uses and residential or mixed‑use redevelopment. Listing pages and neighborhood coverage outline the building’s theater space, high ceilings and unused air rights; see CityRealty and the broker posting on LoopNet for listing details.
Records, context and local stakes
City assessment records still list George Faison as the billed owner, a sign that any transfer may not yet be reflected in municipal filings or that paperwork is pending. The City Department of Finance assessment page lists Faison at 6 Hancock Place. City Department of Finance data show the address and ownership information used for tax assessment.
The reported sale arrives as Rev. Sharpton’s National Action Network has been reshuffling its Harlem footprint. NAN vacated a long‑disputed West 145th Street site earlier this year amid a fight with a developer, according to coverage of that episode. The Real Deal reported on NAN’s departure from the One45 project, a reminder of how civic organizations and real estate interests routinely collide in Harlem.
Neighbors and preservation advocates have in the past argued for keeping the firehouse’s facade and performance space intact, even as others point to the site’s development upside. Local reporting has documented the building’s cultural role in Harlem and the competing development pitches for the parcel and adjacent lots; see Patch for background on the property’s place in the neighborhood.
At this stage, details about a closing price, the buyer’s immediate plans or the timing of any recorded transfer remain limited. This story will be updated as public filings and statements clarify who now controls the Hancock Place landmark and what the new ownership means for the Faison Firehouse’s future.
