Columbia University is officially on a buying spree for Manhattanville property.
City records shows that the university closed today on two more properties, both on 131st Street, for approximately $18.6 million total. The two addresses–615 West 131st Street and 633 West 131st Street–sit on a block that may soon be owned entirely by Columbia. Calls to the university for comment were not immediately returned.
Just yesterday, The Observer reported that Columbia had closed on a vacant building at 3270 Broadway between 131st and 132nd streets for $10.4 million; and, last week, the Ivy League institution closed on 635 West 131st Street for $2.26 million.
Today’s purchase brings the number of properties that Columbia has acquired in the Manhattanville footprint over the last two weeks to four, and we're not at all suprised–in fact, we expect more closings soon. The university plans a massive northward expansion into Manhattanville that could transform West Harlem forever.
