NYC’s earliest concrete building in Gowanus back on market for $3M
Photos by Vanessa DeGarcia, courtesy of The Corcoran Group
The Coignet Stone Building, the earliest known concrete building in New York City, is back on the market for $2,995,000. Located at 360 3rd Avenue in Gowanus, the landmarked structure was built in 1873 as both a showroom and a physical advertisement for Francois Coignet’s concrete construction company, marking the first documented use of concrete for a building in the city. Whole Foods purchased the property in 2005 and completed a $1.3 million restoration in 2016 before listing it for $6 million. The building returned to the market in 2019 as a proposed residential townhouse, asking $6.5 million.
Measuring 2,360 square feet across three floors, the former showroom showcases classic pre-war architectural details, including 13-foot ceilings, arched windows, a curved staircase, and decorative cornices.
The property’s broker, Erica Nieves of Corcoran, described the building’s current condition to the New York Post, which first reported the listing, as “raw.”
“It definitely needs some TLC,” Nieves said. “But if you’re someone who knows the history of this, who knows that Gowanus is an artsy neighborhood, then you can see the potential.”
“I’ve passed this building for decades upon decades, and I know that a lot of people in the neighborhood have been vying for this building just to be restored. And, indeed, that’s the experience of many — as the Gowanus Whole Foods Market very visibly hugs this historic structure that stands right on the corner.”
A new change to the building’s zoning allows only businesses such as restaurants, offices, or retailers, rather than mixed-use development. The space could easily become a venue, museum, showroom, or cafe, according to the listing.
Coignet’s company, the Coignet Agglomerate Company of the United States, was founded in 1869, according to Brownstoner. Construction on the all-concrete building began in 1872, with its distinct white stone exterior standing in stark contrast to Brooklyn’s predominantly brick and brownstone facades of the time.
Shortly after renaming itself the New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company, the business filed for bankruptcy in 1873. The building changed ownership several times, and at one point its exterior was covered in brick, before being abandoned in the 1960s.
In 2005, Whole Foods purchased the land surrounding the property for $4.95 million and pledged to restore the building’s facade, a promise fulfilled in 2016 when it removed the brick exterior and restored the historic white-washed concrete.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building in 2006, citing it as a “pioneering example of concrete construction in the United States.”
In 2013, Whole Foods decided against purchasing the building itself but completed roof repairs. In March 2014, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission fined Whole Foods for failing to maintain the structure, and following further restoration, the building was relisted in November 2015 with a $5 million asking price.
The building’s current owner, Richard Kowalski, acquired it in 1992 and ran a piping company out of it, according to Curbed. Previous attempts at sales in 2013 for $3 million and in 2019 for $5 million were unsuccessful.
[Listing details: 360 3rd Avenue by Erica Nieves of The Corcoran Group]
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