The Toy Factory lofts, the Pencil Factory lofts—when New York’s manufacturing buildings get made over into condos or co-ops, they often take on the former name of the building in a bid for authentrification.
The developers of the Ex-Lax loft co-ops (above), on Atlantic Avenue between Nevins and Hoyt Streets, didn’t shy away from the building’s past as a laxative factory when they converted the circa-1920s plant into 57 residences in 1979.
According to a resident interviewed by The New York Times in 1997, “the stigma of living in one of those five units has mostly disappeared — within the neighborhood, that is.”
What’s left of that stigma can be yours today for over a million bucks.
Of course, the Hit Factory wasn’t a factory in the traditional sense.
But this mega recording studio (at left) on West 54th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues cranked out tons of hit records from the 1970s until it closed in 2005.
Now, the place where John Lennon reportedly spent his final hours mixing tracks before he was murdered is a 27-unit condo with residences going for over seven figures.
Tags: Atlantic Avenue, Ex-Lax Factory Lofts, factories turned lofts, Hit Factory Condos, John Lennon final hours, luxury residences Manhattan, New York City lofts, recording studio New York City, The Hit Factory
Ephemeral New York 
October 12, 2011 at 12:54 am |
A little off-subject, but I do not know how to pass this query on, otherwise? I was looking at my home Southport, N.C., Dutchman’s Creek Bluff view, via Google Earth; then used the way-back satellite pictures from 2011 to 1999 (coverage in my area ends then). Have you used this on any NYC landmarks from overhead?
Being NYC is so historical, via conventional aerial photos you could likely go back to the 1930’s? Say what was at now London Terrace Apts., before the Terrace, and even earlier?
Another approach would be to take an 1830’s pseudo “balloon” view painting (actual made via artists walking street-by-street and sketching?), then replicate that once NYC “balloon” view today, via from the Google Earth where you get low to the ground, then do a 360*?
If I’ve mentioned any brand names I should not have; I apologize?
October 12, 2011 at 2:35 am |
for a mere million dollars you get to brag; I live in the Ex-Lax!
October 12, 2011 at 12:20 pm |
Have a smooth move into the Ex-Lax Building.
October 14, 2011 at 11:07 am |
[…] Luxury Apartments Named after Old Factories: checking out a trend in authentrification. […]
August 14, 2017 at 6:37 am |
[…] Here is a place city residents can turn to for late-night prescriptions, or even for an emergency laxative (Ex-Lax was invented in 1906 and manufactured in Brooklyn, hence the Ex-Loft lofts on Atlantic Avenue). […]