Warhol's Factory going condo

Yesterday’s news of Veselka’s anti-Rusyn gaffe reminded us that news broke recently that the final location of Andy Warhol’s Factory is about to go condo. Plans call for the four-story building to be converted into 22 stories with 50 luxury loft units.

The building, a former ConEd substation at 19 East 32nd Street, 158 Madison Avenue and 22 East 33rd Street, actually still bears a bit of Warhol-era graffiti reading “I never wanted to be a painter, I wanted to be a tap-dancer.” The graffiti is visible below a second-floor balcony in the 33rd street entrance lobby.

Back in March 1998, the New York Times profiled the building in “Warhol's Old Factory: A Restaurant and Offices; 15 Minutes of Pasta?” when the condo plans were first floated. This time, though, it seems the plans will go forward.

Warhol bought the building in 1981 and turned it into the fourth location of The Factory. Upon his death in 1987, the building became the headquarters of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which is now located on Bleecker Street. The first Factory was on the fifth floor of 231 East 47th Street from 1964-1968, then 33 Union Square West until 1974 when it moved to 860 Broadway and was rechristened The Office.

Check out Warhol condo coverage at Gothamist (Clips from The Factory), Towleroad (Andy Warhol Factory Going Condo) and Triple Mint (Warhol Factory Condos)

(Photo: Triple Mint)