Press

When S:US took over, Chase described the conditions as among the worst he had encountered. “A lot of the doors were off the hinges, bricks were loose, there were mice, vermin, rats,” he told W42ST in December 2024. At 353 W45th Street, pigeon droppings had accumulated throughout the building, mold covered walls, and a squatter was living on the first floor.

Speaking at Wednesday’s celebration, Chase described the project as the “rehabilitation and rebirth” of the four buildings, paying tribute to the tenants who endured those conditions.

“Special shout out to all the tenants who stuck through many, many hard and dangerous and scary years in these buildings,” he said. “If you had seen what we saw and what they lived through, you would be amazed at the transformation.”

Among those tenants is Max Ryan, who has lived in the buildings for 30 years. He recalled how conditions deteriorated during the pandemic, with squatters and strangers entering the buildings prompting him to install his own security cameras. “It became very, very intense and very scary,” he said.

Despite the conditions, Ryan held onto his rent-stabilized apartment, describing such leases as “like gold” in a neighborhood that has changed dramatically since he arrived in 1996.

“So I stuck it out, and I stuck it out — and I’m so glad I did because what’s happening here, I think, is just a beautiful, beautiful solution to what seemed like a problem, and it’s going to help a lot of people,” he said.

Ryan temporarily relocated to an East Village apartment during construction before returning to a fully renovated home. He credited Housing Conservation Coordinators (HCC), David Stuart, local elected officials and fellow tenants with helping push for change.

“Now this is safe housing,” he said. “You never feel scared. You never feel crazy. You never feel like, oh God, is someone following me? Is someone coming into the building?”

Working alongside Highpoint Property Group and SMJ Development, S:US completed extensive renovations, including modern kitchens, new appliances and individual heating and cooling controls. The buildings have also been fully electrified, eliminating the need for gas.

During an October 23 tour, Sherine Agard, Director of Housing Compliance at S:US, showed W42ST a one-bedroom apartment and a larger two-bedroom unit furnished for a family, complete with bunk beds. The 70 apartments reserved for incoming residents are equipped with furniture, kitchenware, cleaning supplies and other essentials, all provided by S:US.

“When I’m doing tours and showing the units to prospective residents, they always ask, ‘Is it staged? Is this a staged unit?’ No, it’s not,” Agard said.

Below street level, formerly cramped cellar spaces have been expanded and connected across the four buildings, creating a communal gathering space, free laundry facilities, a computer room and offices for S:US staff.

On-site property management and support services teams will help residents find employment, access food pantries, enroll in healthcare and register children for school. The buildings also have 24-hour security.

“Just transitioning from shelters, it’s not easy. It’s difficult,” Agard told W42ST. “Sometimes people are just starting all over, so having someone there that they can go to with any questions, concerns is definitely a positive thing.”

The project is part of the City’s Affordable Housing Services (AHS) program, which uses project-based CityFHEPS rental assistance vouchers to provide a reliable income stream, helping nonprofit housing providers secure financing to acquire and rehabilitate buildings.

S:US purchased the four properties for a reported $24 million, followed by the $54 million renovation financed through HPD and Enterprise Community Partners.

“We can use city rental subsidies, like CityFHEPS, and that actually becomes a financing tool, so that folks can get loans and other financing for buildings,” Scott French, administrator for the city’s Human Resources Administration, told W42ST. “So not only then do we house people, it helps generate housing for people in homeless shelters.”

Deputy Mayor for Housing Leila Bozorg described the project as an example of city agencies working with community advocates and nonprofit developers to turn distressed buildings into affordable homes. She also pushed back against the idea that rent stabilization and tenant protections were responsible for the properties’ deterioration.

For a neighborhood that spent years dealing with the consequences of Croman’s ownership, the W45th Street project offers an example of how severely neglected buildings can be brought back into use while preserving homes for existing tenants.

The City is now looking to replicate the model elsewhere. French said DSS is interested in hearing from community boards about other distressed properties that might be suitable for the program as it expands. “We definitely want to do more of this,” he said.