An affordable housing lottery has opened for a small number of apartments in a historic Romanesque Revival-style Williamsburg theater. The building has undergone a residential conversion from its most recent use as a gym, while keeping its historic 19th century facade.
The lottery for the four-story building at 107 South 6th St. includes eight apartments priced between $922 and $2,706, all rent stabilized and income restricted. They are targeted at households of one to five people earning between $41,212 to $145,800 a year, or between 40 and 100% of Area Median Income, according to the listing.
Five of the eight apartments are truly affordable, intended for households of one to five people earning 40 to 80% of AMI or $41,212 to $140,000 per year. Of those, two are studio units priced at $922 per month, one is a one-bedroom apartment for $2,117, and two are two-bedroom apartments going for $2,452 a month.
The remaining three apartments are for households of one to three people earning 100% AMI, or between $96,926 and $145,800. There is one studio apartment for $2,572 a month and two one-bedroom apartments renting for $2,706.
Market rate units started leasing in August 2025, according to StreetEasy, and the priciest units rented so far have been three-bedrooms for $7,200 a month. The cheapest market rate unit was a studio priced at $3,600 per month.
According to the housing lottery listing, the complex includes a gym, community center, bike storage, and shared laundry room. Apartments have dishwashers and air conditioning, the listing states. Pets are not allowed in the building, aside from service animals, and tenants have to pay for electricity, which covers the stove, hot water, and heating.
Renderings show the units have white walls, large windows, and light wooden cabinetry, along with stainless steel appliances. The building’s historic red-brick facade has been cleaned, and its terra-cotta and other ornamentation is still in place, photos show. The windows are new.
Prior to plans for the conversion, the theater building was slated to be razed for a 26-story hotel. The preservation may have been helped by the site’s current zoning, which stopped developers from being able to build anything larger on the site without undergoing a rezoning. The four-story former theater is already bigger than what would typically be allowed on the site in the mixed commercial residential area, according to PropertyShark data.
While the little-known 1891 architectural gem hasn’t been landmarked by the city, it was declared eligible for the National Register in 2019. The National Register notes of the building: “Distinctive features include the rusticated corner piers, turrets, round and square medallions, and round-arched windows on the upper floor…This is a relatively rare surviving building type.”
The report also says the building is representative of local industrial architecture of the late 19th century and early 20th century in Williamsburg. Its arched windows on the top floor, turrets, and decorative terra-cotta medallions, combined with its functional form, give the building a strong and elegant presence on the block.
The building, which most recently housed a fitness center, opened in October of 1891 as the Bedford Avenue Theater and was designed by William H. Gaylor. The new theater replaced a brick stable previously on the site that was torn down to make way for the new venue. By the fall of 1901 the theater was closed. The stage and the back section of the building were sacrificed for the construction of the Williamsburg Bridge, which almost abuts the rear facade of the building.
A 1916 historic map shows that the truncated building was being used as a garage and repair shop, a use that continued through the 1920s and 1930s. In the middle to later half of the century, it became the headquarters and warehouse of Fruitcrest Corporation.
In 1975, Central Mayflower Storage Corp took ownership, along with the neighboring three-story mixed-use building at 109 South 6th St., city records show. In 2006 the deeds to both properties were transferred to Williamsburg Workshop LLC for no money, with Joseph Lentini signing for both companies.
In 2007, the building at 107 South 6th was converted into use as the Soma fitness center and the exterior was restored. After a more than 20 year run, the gym closed around the start of 2020, online reviews show.
In April 2020, an application for a new-building permit was filed for a 26-story, 242-unit hotel that would have replaced 107, 109, and 111 South 6th St., as well as 394 Bedford Avenue, according to DOB records. The building would have had 94 underground parking spaces, commercial offices on four floors, and 20 floors of hotel rooms, the application said. However, the 255 feet tall hotel, designed by Achimaera Architecture, was ultimately rejected by the DOB.
In January 2024, Williamsburg Workshop LLC sold the theater and neighboring building at 109 South 6th St. to 107-109 S6 LLC for $10 million. The LLC appears to be managed by Borough Developers.
Shimon Kleiman of Borough Developers is listed on an Alt-1 permit that saw the building refitted with 29 apartments and 5,444 square feet of commercial space. Nikolai Katz of Nikolai Katz Architect is the architect of record for the project.
City records show 109 South 6th St. has also undergone interior renovations on the second and third floors, which are both residential, but with no change in use, egress, or occupancy. The ground floor of the building, which is fitted out as a restaurant, has also had work done, city records show. StreetEasy shows the units at 109 South 6th St. were both recently rented.
The conversion work done on the theater at 107 South 6th St. was funded through the city’s 467-M Tax Incentive Program, the listing says. The program is designed to create affordable housing, offering partial property tax exemptions for rental buildings converted from non-residential uses that include required affordable housing.
The 107 South 6th St. Apartments lottery closes on January 13. To apply, visit the listing on New York City’s Housing Connect website.
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner.
