Shloime Goldstein Buys Hell’s Kitchen Development Site for $30M
By Isabelle Durso February 6, 2026 4:45 pm
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Brooklyn-based developer Shloime Goldstein has acquired a development site in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood for $30 million, according to city records made public Thursday.
Goldstein, who’s also president of brokerage Skyline Capital & Associates, bought the 12,553-square-foot lot at 539 West 54th Street — currently home to a five-story former church and women’s home — from Excel Development Group, records show.
Goldstein signed the deal for the buyer, which used the entity 539 West 54, while Michael Heletz, owner of Excel, signed for the seller, which used the entity 539 West 54th Street, according to records.
It’s unclear who brokered the deal. Spokespeople for Skyline Capital and Excel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Heletz bought the site between 10th and 11th avenues from nonprofit Catholic Charities in 2021 for $25 million, according to brokerage BKREA, which represented Catholic Charities in that deal. Bob Knakal, founder of BKREA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Heletz’s Excel had filed plans in 2023 to replace the former St. Ambrose’s Church and Centro Maria church and boarding house on the site with a 21-story residential tower with 71 units, amenity spaces, and a community facility on the first and second floors, according to New York YIMBY.
It’s unclear why Excel’s plans fell through, or what Goldstein’s plans are for the property.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
