Photo by Nick Carr/Scouting NY
The next time you pass by 5 Beekman Street (near City Hall Park), now you'll know it's abandoned. Nick Carr at Scouting NY got inside recently and discovered the building's lonely secret: there's no one inside. He reports back with some amazing photos of the interior, and notes that it's been empty for around a decade "with much of the interior shuttered since 1940." Allegedly the atrium you see pictured was boarded up at that time due to firecode violations, hiding it from future tenants—but it will all be restored. Carr says the new owners are converting the building in to a hotel, to be called The Beekman Palace.
Back in 2008, the Post had an item on the building, noting that Bonjour Capital and Joseph Chetrit were in contract to buy the landmarked building, which was built in 1881. They told the paper at the time: "It's a one-of-a-kind asset that will be restored to its former beauty and elegance."
