Plumbing showroom coming to vacant retail space on 29th Street?

Neighbor Bridget writes in with an important question, concerning a long-vacant ground-level space on 29th Street near the restaurant Kahlo: “I’m also curious whether you have any scoop on the construction at 515 W. 29th. A retail store? A spiritual sanctuary? The long-awaited Chelsea outpost of Medieval Times? I’m deeply intrigued by the stairway leading to the basement, which I’ve caught glimpses of when the construction workers occasionally leave the door open. Is this how neighborhood conspiracy theories begin?” We like your style, Bridget, and thus we put our very best investigators on the case; here is what they came back with: A showroom for a plumbing fixture company.‍ ‍

Here are further details: The ground-level space at 515 West 29th is the bottom of an 11-story luxury condo building itself called 515 West 29th Street, which opened in 2018 and was designed by the same architects who designed Soori High Line, right across the street on 29th Street. The condos in the building are swanky enough for Dermot Mulroney to have house hunted there in 2020 and for the two currently available units on StreetEasy to run in the $5m range. In 2024, a shell company called “515west29 LLC” (really creative naming all around here) bought the ground-level space for $2.5 million from the original developer. We reached out to the new developer and lawyer for the buyer for details on what’s next here, neither of whom responded as of the time of this posting

However, we do see a work permit recently posted on the front of the building, which says the following: “Interior Renovation & Fitout for Retail Display Showroom for Plumbing Fixture Company.” A plumbing fixture company would be like your showers, your faucets, your sinks. Regular followers of this enterprise know that we of put a great deal of thought for you into the secret to happiness, and so I’d like to take this opportunity to revise what we said a few weeks ago—it is a good shower. That’s it. Good water pressure; heats up quickly; stays that way. And so welcome to you in particular, showroom to a plumbing fixture company. Happy to have the good vibes, the good heat, and the good pressure on our block.