Touring the United Auto Workers Building in Sleepy Hollow

“It’s a diminishing asset,” said realtor Scott Benson, exclusive broker for the sale of the United Auto Workers Local 664 building on Beekman.

That said, he thinks he’ll have no trouble getting close to the asking price of $895,000 for what he thinks is a tear-down.

When pressed, he did some quick calculations and figured it would cost $100,000 to get the place up to code – with ADA-compliant bathrooms, new roof, sprinkler system, resurfacing the lot. Aesthetically, you remove some weed trees and tenants will enjoy great views of the Hudson and, of course, their to-be-determined neighbors at the brownfield of the GM site.

The building dates much further back than the 1970 they have posted on the sale listing, likely 1930s.

It’s not the local union here that is selling the thing, or will enjoy the profits, Benson said. Rather the national organization, a non-profit, will take any proceeds into their fund for operations. The local members who attend monthly meetings in this space will find somewhere else to gather, he said.

Inside, it’s as if the union members ran off when an alarm sounded, leaving piles of paperwork in dated faux-wood paneled offices. There’s old phones and copy machines, trophies and flags in room and room. Take a look at these photos from my recent tour.