Photo © Ondel Hylton

In 1976, the city seized four neglected buildings in Chelsea through a tax lien foreclosure with plans to renovate and turn the rentals into affordable co-ops. Fifty years later, the tenements at 201-207 7th Avenue have been demolished, and a new nine-story residential building (with the address 170 West 22nd Street) has risen in their place. The city on Monday opened a housing lottery at the site for 21 middle-income co-ops for purchase, priced from $385,865 studios to $451,600 two-bedrooms.

The city took control of 201, 203, 205, and 207 7th Avenue in the 1970s after the owner stopped paying property taxes. The four contiguous buildings, which were built in the late 19th century, held 14 apartments and ground-floor retail. Shortly after the city took possession,

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