Real East Intrigues on the UES

Block Buster - In a Dec 2025 East Side Observer column, I wrote that “Another demolition derby is scheduled for the 300 block of East 77th Street where multifamily buildings are set to be demolished. In fact, a 30-story tower is now under construction and local folks are not happy. [see story on page 1]. I also noted that farther uptown, on East St between 3rd and Lex, a residential and commercial block, had “the aura of a NY gone bye-bye.” I was onto something. Lately, I’ve been hearing that the property owner of the three walk-up buildings at 163-167 East 87th St., built in 1910, is making offers to tenants to vacate.

The properties are controlled by Solil Management, a family run empire comprised of the heirs of the real estate empire of Lillian Goldman. As the NYPost detailed last year, the family is feuding and engaged in contentious litigation.

The 87th Street block, on the north side between 3rd and Lex, is book-ended by Bocado restaurant on the Lex corner and Barnes and Noble on the 3d Avenue corner.

B&N is located in the neo-Greek Agora building. Between Bocado and the walk-ups is 153 E. 87th, a luxury high-rise. A check-cashing store, garage, Doyle’s auction, and other commercial spaces, fill the block on the northside of the street.

While the property owner, Solil Management, decides the fate of the three pre-war walk-ups that were build in 1910, they’ve rented a storefront to Sweet Rehab Parisian Bakery at 167 E. 87th. It’s a world class patisserie in a very small space with a very pricey menu. I’d venture to say that that they have a short-term lease that coincides with a vacate date. Buyout not intended.

Law & Order - The race is on. While primaries are done and over on June 23rd, the race to the November ballot is in high gear. And the judges jockeying for the three open judicial seats on New York County Supreme Courts are out meeting and greeting judicial delegates and Dem club members before the Manhattan Democratic Convention in August to get their endorsements and support. In the time before the convention, I’ll let you know about the meet and greets I’m at or hear about. As a member of Four Freedoms Dem Club and as a sometimes Judicial or Alternate Delegate, I was invited to the meets and greets. While I’m still an FF member, I’m not a delegate. So we’ll see if newspaper types get to go. Stay tuned.

Among the contenders for one of the three open seats is Acting Supreme Court Judge Christopher Chin. Kicking off his campaign, Judge Chin held a meet and greet at Nick’s on 94th and 2nd. Nick’s is a popular UES locale on the UES for these gatherings. Over pizza, pasta and more, Judge Chin introduced himself. He talked about his background and qualifications. That he was reported out as one of the “Most Highly Qualified” candidates in the two years that he appeared before the New York County Independent Judicial Screening Panel. That he is currently an Acting Supreme Court judge and presides in NY County Supreme Court, Civil Branch. In that capacity, he says, he “hit the ground running” and was “assigned to manage over three thousand cases relating to motor vehicle accidents, including one involving the Adult Survivor Act, where the jury awarded a total of $1.68 billion to 40 plaintiffs, for acts that occurred in the 1980s to the 2000s.” Elected as a Civil Court Judge in 2021, Chin served on the Criminal Court in Bronx County. He explained that his Criminal Court experience gave him an “essential perspective” which adds to his years of experience as a trial lawyer prior to being elected to the bench.

Prior to being elected, Judge Chin’s legal background includes litigating on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury cases in New York State and Federal courts. He handled cases through all stages of litigation, including jury trials to verdict. He believes that through his “adversarial interactions with opposing counsel and judges” and handling cases “through every stage of litigation,” he has developed an even temperament.

Born in Burma, now called Myanmar, Chin and his family moved to the US, where they first lived on Ludlow St on the LES, and then moved to Queens. In speaking at Nick’s and in the information - resume and written communications with Dem club members and delegates - he emphasizes that his experience growing up and adapting to life in America has given him a “unique perspective and compassion to be fair to everyone, despite how a person looks or sounds.” He emphasizes that he continues to be “mindful that many people that come through the courts are not familiar with the complexities of the legal system,” and is “ever mindful that the people in the judicial system - lawyers, litigants, interpreters, court reporters, staff, etc. - are heard and treated fairly.”

Judge Chin and his family live on the East Side.