A long-vacant corner building at 265 Malcolm X Boulevard in Bedford-Stuy has reopened after a gut renovation, with seven apartments and commercial space. Cosmo, a children's store, has opened in the storefront at the corner of Macon Street, as reported by Hoodline.
The 1893 building, originally known as 265 Reid Ave., was part of a row of four mixed-use buildings constructed by William Bowers. The properties contained 27 homes and seven commercial spaces. Macon Pharmacy occupied the corner storefront by 1900 and later offered photo developing services.
The property's redevelopment followed decades of changing ownership, vacancy and litigation. The city controlled the building by the late 1970s before it was sold to a church and later transferred to Mission Field Holiness Church.
The property became the subject of legal disputes beginning in 2014, including allegations of deed fraud and competing claims over the authority to sell it. A court later ruled that a 2018 contract involving the sale of the building and adjacent vacant lot to JAM MXBLVD LLC had to be enforced.
The properties at 265 and 267 Malcolm X Boulevard changed hands several times in Jan. 2025. Malcolm Terrace LLC ultimately acquired them for $2.75 million. A permit for a full gut renovation of 265 was filed in Feb. 2025 and the project received signoff in April.
The renovated building has seven apartments, with units rented during the past year. Three-bedroom apartments were listed for as much as $5,000 a month. At the time of the report, however, the building did not have a certificate of occupancy. The apartments also may be subject to rent stabilization, depending on applicable requirements.
The vacant lot at 267 Malcolm X Boulevard is planned for a new four-story, 10-unit residential building. A construction permit had been filed but not issued at the time of reporting, leaving the next phase of redevelopment pending.
