Terminal Warehouse

261 11th Avenue | also 605 West 27th Street, 604 West 28th Street, 637 West 27th Street | Chelsea | built 1891

Open on the map5 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1891

    The Terminal Warehouse opens with rail tracks running straight through it

    Commissioned by William Wickes Rossiter and designed by George B. Mallory, the Terminal Warehouse was finished in 1891 at a cost of $650,000. Twenty-five buildings were joined into one block-long structure enclosing about 24 acres of storage. Huge arches on both avenues let New York Central trains enter from Eleventh Avenue and Erie and Lehigh trains from Twelfth Avenue.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  2. 1986

    The Tunnel nightclub opens in the warehouse's old freight rail space

    In 1986 the Tunnel nightclub opened at 220 Twelfth Avenue, using the building's former rail freight tunnel, with old train tracks still visible by the dance floor. Originally owned by Boaz Aharoni and Elli Dayan, it was taken over in 1992 by promoter Peter Gatien and became a haunt of Club Kids such as Michael Alig and Amanda Lepore. It closed in late 2001 over unpaid rent and pressure from Mayor Giuliani's quality-of-life campaign.

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 1992

    Promoter Peter Gatien acquires the Tunnel nightclub

    Peter Gatien took over the Tunnel in 1992, six years after it opened in a former railroad freight terminal in this warehouse. The club was named for its tunnel-like main room, where old train tracks ran through a sunken part of the dance floor. Other rooms were decorated as Victorian libraries and S/M dungeons.

    Source: Wikipedia

  4. 2001

    The Tunnel nightclub closes after unpaid rent and a city crackdown

    The Tunnel closed late in 2001 because of unpaid rent and Mayor Rudy Giuliani's quality-of-life campaign. Owner Peter Gatien and his wife later pleaded guilty to tax evasion and were deported to Canada in 2003.

    Source: Wikipedia

  5. 2020

    January

    The city approves a redevelopment of the Terminal Warehouse into offices

    In January 2020 the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved a plan by L&L Holding and Normandy Real Estate Partners, who had bought the building for $880 million in 2018. Architects COOKFOX would convert 500,000 square feet of storage space into offices. The plan also restores the 670-foot rail tunnel, uncovering its original wood, brick and rails, and adds shops and restaurants inside.

    Source: amny.com

Nearby

All 72 buildings with stories in Chelsea