Confinance Selling Former School and Brownstone

[IMGCAP(1)]NEW YORK CITY-Confinance Inc. is selling the former Gateway School of New York and an adjacent brownstone on Stuyvesant Park at 236 Second Ave. and 306 E. 15th St. here, Massey Knakal Realty Services partner James Nelson, the exclusive agent working on the deal, tells GlobeSt.com. Nelson, along with partner John Ciraulo, have been retained to sell the properties, which Nelson says were acquired as part of a trade to make the Gateway School’s purchase at 211 W. 61st St. possible.

Nelson continues that Cofinance sold the Gateway School’s 117,357-sf commercial condominium at 211 W. 61st St., last year for $20.6 million. “Simultaneously, Cofinance purchased their previous school building—236 Second Ave.–and a vacant townhouse—306 E. 15th St.–that the school had contemplated expanding into, but never did,” he says. “Reselling the properties was always part of Cofinance’s investment strategy, by repositioning them and then offering them to the end user marketplace.”

[IMGCAP(2)]Nelson tells GlobeSt.com that offers are currently being taken, but notes that it is difficult to speculate where 236 Second Ave. will trade—as far as pricing—as “the product is unique.” Rather than go out with an asking price on it, Nelson says Massey Knakal has asked buyers to make proposals. The property at 236 Second Ave. is a 25-foot-wide property with seven levels–including a basement, sub-basement and a mezzanine–with approximately 12,366 usable sf. Since September 2001, the property was occupied by the Gateway School, a non-profit institution that serves students between the ages of five and 13. The building has been completely renovated. The layout consists of nine classrooms–divided amongst all floors–a 45-foot-deep gymnasium with high ceilings, a multi-purpose grandstand room, an art room, library and numerous faculty offices. There is a 20-foot by 25-foot rear courtyard in addition to an outdoor recreational area on the rooftop.