An investment group that includes surgeon Fadi Dagher, MD purchased the Eckhardt Building at the northwest corner of Broadway and Fillmore on Friday for $374,000. The property had been owned by the Eckhardt family since the 1880’s and had turned down at least one purchase offer from a national drug store that sought to demolish the building.
The circa-1940, 42,000 sq.ft. building has been vacant since 2004 when the New York State Department of Labor and 78 Restoration Corporation, a neighborhood based education and job training program, closed their offices.
Dagher is working with a community health provider to occupy the property. According to plans shown to neighborhood stakeholders, a day care center and offices would be located on the lower level, a cafe, classroom, fitness center and pharmacy would occupy the ground floor, and medical offices and labs would take up the second and third floors.
Dagher’s FJD Capital Real Estate LLC purchased 998 Broadway in February for $600,000. It is the former location of Sattler’s Department Store and most recently a K-Mart directly across from the Broadway Market. A charter school is said to be lined up to occupy the building.