Demolition Permits Filed For Historic UES Building, Records Show

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Developers have filed to demolish a unique Yorkville building and replace it with a 37-story apartment tower, recent city permits show.

According to the official filings with the New York City Department of Buildings, the new tower would replace the four-story building currently at 1491 Third Ave. and rise 510 feet over Third Avenue, yielding 120 apartments, two cellar levels, 30 parking spaces, a backyard and 18,994 square feet of designated commercial space.

Permits for a full demolition of the building were filed on Jan. 23 and are under review by the city, and a permit to build a construction fence around the site for protection has been approved.

The owner of the building is Samy Mahfar, according to the filings, and the architect is Hill West Architects.

Preservationists have tried twice to landmark the building, in 2015 and again in 2025, but both times were turned down by the Landmarks Preservation Commission due to renovations on the ground floors, Nuha Ansari, Friends of the Upper East Side's executive director, previously told Patch.

The building was designed by architect George Dress and built in 1930, constructed by Peter Doelger Inc., a major brewery founded by German immigrants.

The space originally served as a German and Irish ballroom and event space. Traces of this history can still be found on the terra cotta ornamentation with musical instrument motifs on the facade.

No official timeline for demolition and construction has been published yet.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.

Read more:

• Yorkville History At Risk In New Tower Plan, Preservationists Say
• Massive 37-Story High-Rise Proposed For Upper East Side: Docs