A July 13 Ephemeral New York blog post spotlighted the unexplained two-story state of a once six-story tenement at 2029 First Ave. in East Harlem. DOB records add current context: a new owner, AEGIS Madison-Jackson Group LLC, completed a $47,350 commercial renovation signed off April 8 — while a 2017 residential-conversion application by a prior entity remains technically open in plan review.

A ground-floor commercial renovation at 2029 First Avenue — the two-story stub between East 104th and East 105th Streets in East Harlem South — was signed off by the Department of Buildings on April 8, at a filed cost of $47,350. New storefront, new partitions, new ceilings; no change to use or occupancy. The owner of record in DOB filings is AEGIS Madison-Jackson Group, LLC, with Surinder Malhotra listed as principal.

That the building occupies only two stories of its original six-story footprint got wider notice this month. On July 13, the Ephemeral New York history blog documented the truncated silhouette and traced it through 1940 NYC Department of Records tax photos, which show a full-height tenement alongside its twin next door at 2031 First Avenue — both buildings sharing the same decorative window lintels across the second floor. A reader citing Sanborn Insurance Maps noted the building was still approximately 63 feet tall through late 1951.

What came next is not in the digital record. No demolition permit appears under BIN 1052719 at the Department of Buildings. When — and on whose order — four floors were removed remains open.

What the DOB record does show: in May 2017, the prior owner entity, 2029 First Avenue LLC (listed under Christopher Boyle), filed an A1 application to convert the second floor to a single dwelling unit, at an estimated $200,000 cost. That application remains in plan review — never approved, never withdrawn, never signed off. The building is classified K4 (store building) in an R8A zoning district, sits in a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area, Community Board 11, Council District 8, and carries two open OATH/ECB violations.

AEGIS's April fit-out is the first completed permit the building has seen in more than a decade. Who is moving into the storefront has not been identified in available filings.