One of downtown’s most talked-about corners is back in play. The hulking Beaux-Arts former bank at 190 Bowery in Nolita has quietly been put up for sale, putting a fresh spotlight on one of Lower Manhattan’s most photographed intersections and marking the first formal marketing push for the property in more than a decade.
RFR principal Aby Rosen has hired a brokerage to bring the building to market, and a senior Avison Young broker has been tapped to field offers, according to reporting from the New York Post. Rosen called 190 Bowery “one of New York’s great landmarks” and said he is “inviting someone else to write its next chapter.”
About The Building
The former Germania Bank Building at 190 Bowery was completed around 1898 to 1899 and rises six stories, with roughly 32,000 square feet of space and notably lofty retail ceilings at street level. Public property records and commercial databases list the structure’s footprint and show that RFR acquired the building from photographer Jay Maisel in 2015 for about $55 million. PropertyShark
Tenant Lineup And Asking Rent
Late last year, flexible workspace operator Industrious agreed to take the office portion of the building, roughly 33,231 square feet, with the asking rent for that space reported at about $95 per square foot. The deal covers the upper floors of the property. Commercial Observer
At street level, the retail space remains occupied by streetwear brand Supreme, which keeps the corner firmly on the radar for the fashion and youth-culture crowd. The Real Deal
Why The Sale Matters
In a neighborhood where big development sites are scarce, 190 Bowery stands out as a one-off landmark parcel on a tight Nolita footprint. A trade would put a highly flexible asset into motion, with retail, offices and potential residential conversions all in play at a time when every square foot downtown is being scrutinized for its best use.
The seller, RFR, is a heavyweight on the Manhattan ownership scene, with a portfolio that includes headliner addresses such as the Seagram Building and 477 Madison Avenue. That pedigree alone is likely to draw attention from institutional buyers and deep-pocketed families looking for a statement property. RFR
What Buyers Could Do
When RFR first moved on 190 Bowery about a decade ago, its principals floated a grab bag of possible futures for the property, including retail at the base with condominiums above, straight office use, or some form of art space. The Real Deal
More recent marketing materials circulated by Avison Young highlight the building’s leasing and broker contacts, signaling that the team is positioning the asset for both end users who might want to occupy part or all of it and investors who might prefer to hold it as a leased, income-producing property. Avison Young
Key details of the offering structure, such as whether there will be a firm asking price, how open the seller will be to condominium conversion plans, and whether a new owner is expected to keep the Industrious tenancy in place, should become clearer as the listing circulates more widely among prospective bidders. Coverage will be updated as new filings and broker disclosures emerge.
