DOWNTOWN
POST NYC

News and Events
in Lower Manhattan

Volume 1, No. 27 Feb. 14, 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Quote of the day:
"Engineers and architects do an exhaustive analysis of the performance of tall buildings under all conceivable conditions." - Carol Willis, founder and director of The Skyscraper Museum, on whether the falling ice at 1 World Trade Center could be attributed to the building's design. (2/14/14)

* Battery Park City School to get stop sign at dangerous intersection
* Is 1 World Trade Center design causing falling ice or is it just a bad winter?
* More snow pix
* Bits & Bytes: Blue Ribbon Sushi coming to Brookfield Place; BMCC scholarships
* Calendar

Masthead photo: Helga Davis performing love songs in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Feb. 14, 2014. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION AGREES TO INSTALL A STOP SIGN AT DANGEROUS BATTERY PARK CITY SCHOOL INTERSECTION

A stop sign will be installed next month at the intersection of Battery Place and First Place in front of the Battery Park City School. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

A stop sign will be installed next month at the intersection of Battery Place and First Place in front of PS/IS 276, the Battery Park City School. On Jan. 29 around 8 a.m., a crossing guard was struck by a taxi cab at that intersection. The car's mirror hit her left hand and she was taken to New York-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital for treatment.

Parents, educators and 1st Precinct Commanding Officer Capt. Brendan Timoney have long expressed concern about that intersection, however, it seems to have been the intercession of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that finally persuaded the New York City Department of Transportation to do something about the problem.

"I am pleased to tell you that I have received word from the Department of Transportation (DOT) that a stop sign will be installed at that intersection," Silver said in a statement on Feb. 14.

"Protecting pedestrians, particularly school children, must remain a top priority, which is why I have been pressing the DOT to make safety improvements at that dangerous intersection. I expect the stop sign to be installed within the next month. I want to thank the DOT for responding to the needs of our community and I will continue to work with the city to improve pedestrian safety in Battery Park City and throughout Lower Manhattan."

"It's wonderful to have this development and help from the Speaker," said Anthony Notaro, chairman of Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee, which has also weighed in on the hazards of that intersection. Tammy Meltzer, a member of the BPC Committee, said she was "thrilled." Meltzer has three children who attend the school.

PS/IS 276 opened at 55 Battery Place in the fall of 2010. It currently has around 900 students.

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

IS 1 WTC DESIGN CAUSING FALLING ICE OR IS IT JUST A BAD WINTER?

1 World Trade Center as seen from Battery Park City. (Below) The hoist on 1 World Trade Center has been blamed for some of the ice accumulation. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

The Port Authority has erected a shed over the PATH entrance near 1 World Trade Center to shield pedestrians from falling ice as experts debate whether the problem has been caused by a design flaw in the building or by an exceptionally cold and snowy winter.

Falling ice was first reported on the morning of Feb. 7 and has recurred several times since then.

A New York Times article ("On the Lookout for Falling Ice Amid Manhattan's Towers," 2/11/14) cited a 2012 report published by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat that stated that energy-efficient buildings utilizing large amounts of glass retain heat while the outside of the building gets cooler.

Roman Stangl, a co-author of the report, said that this design leads to more ice accumulating on building exteriors. He is an engineer and director of Northern Microclimate, Inc., a Canadian firm that consults on the effect of snow and ice on tall buildings.

The New York Daily News also cited an expert, Chris Benedict, former head of the Building Enclosure Council of New York, who attributed the falling ice to the design of 1 World Trade Center. He said that, "The shape of the building could lead to the formation of ice, as ice thaws and refreezes on uneven surfaces. On vertical buildings, the ice just sits on the roof."

However, Carol Willis, founder and director of The Skyscraper Museum at 39 Battery Place and professor of urban studies and planning at Columbia University, disagreed. "Engineers and architects do an exhaustive analysis of the performance of tall buildings under all conceivable conditions," she said.

Asked about the possible effect of lower Manhattan's strong winds on the ice formation, she commented, "The wind-tunnel testing is done in specialized labs where wind, temperature, material strength, etc., are simulated and analyzed in a 'boundary layer' wind tunnel that replicates the specific context of the existing buildings, say in lower Manhattan."

She attributed the ice problems to "a record-bad winter, nothing more."

The Port Authority has noted that it is not unusual for ice to fall from tall buildings in Manhattan. The Port has closed the streets immediately adjoining 1 World Trade Center to pedestrian traffic and will continue to monitor the situation.

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Commuters leaving the PATH station near 1 World Trade Center. The Port Authority blocked off the streets immediately around the building. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

MORE SNOW PIX

The Battery Park City esplanade, Feb. 14. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Was yesterday's snowstorm No. 4 or No. 5 since the beginning of the year? We've lost count. Also, when you've been socked a few times with some whoppers, little snowstorms hardly seem worth mentioning.

At any rate, we have some more snowstorm pictures for you. We're sorry if this is getting redundant, but in the interest of recording exactly what's happening here in lower Manhattan, that's the way it is. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Buried cars. Feb. 14. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Running for the school bus. Feb. 14. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Bits & Bytes

BLUE RIBBON SUSHI COMING TO BROOKFIELD PLACE; BMCC SCHOLARSHIPS; SEAPORT LANDMARK TO GET GLASS UPPER FLOOR

The Borough of Manhattan Community College gets $100,000 donation for scholarships. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Blue Ribbon Sushi signs on at Brookfield Place
The Zagat guide to New York City restaurants raves about Blue Ribbon Sushi in SoHo, calling the sushi "a work of art." Now, Blue Ribbon Sushi is coming to Brookfield Place, where it will open in the spring of this year along with 13 other casual dining establishments.

Blue Ribbon restaurants were founded in 1992 by chefs and owners Bruce and Eric Bromberg. Toshi Ueki is their partner and sushi master.

The new outpost of Blue Ribbon Sushi will offer take-out, catering and delivery in addition to seating overlooking North Cove Marina and the Hudson River. The space, designed by AvroKO and BCV Architects, will be located directly above a French-inspired marketplace operated by Peter Poulakakos. The marketplace's offerings will include meat, seafood, produce, coffee and desserts in addition to two restaurants. Poulakakos said that he expects the marketplace to open around Thanksgiving.

"A Gift of Opportunity for New Yorkers: A Scholarship Gift to the Borough of Manhattan Community College," Wall Street Journal, 2/12/14. Elizabeth Butson has donated $100,000 to the Borough of Manhattan Community College to endow scholarships for academically gifted students, according to the Wall Street Journal. A long-time resident of Greenwich Village, she emigrated to the United States from Turkey and ultimately had a successful career in public relations for Philip Morris and as the publisher of Downtown Express and The Villager newspapers. "What she likes about the college," says the Wall Street Journal, is that it is a 'mirror of New York City and of a pluralistic environment.'" For the complete article, click here.

"Landmarks Approves Glassy Top for Historic Seaport Building," Curbed.com, 2/12/14. Undaunted by initial disapproval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission and from Community Board 1's Landmarks Committee, BKSK Architects reapplied with a modified design for a glass and steel bulkhead that will sit atop a 200-year-old building in the South Street Seaport. In accepting the new design, the commission reasoned that the building at 40 Peck Slip "doesn't have a basement where mechanical parts for the elevator would ordinarily go, so they had to sit on the roof," Curbed.com reported. For the complete article, click here.

"Tech, media firms still flocking to lower Manhattan, report says," New York Business Journal, 2/12/14. "Leasing activity reached a seven-year high in lower Manhattan in 2013 as technology and media companies poured into the comparatively cheap office space, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Alliance for Downtown New York," and cited in the New York Business Journal. "All told, 6.2 million square feet of office space was leased in the market last year, up from 4.5 million a year earlier. That's a high water mark since 2006, when 6.9 million square feet went." For the complete article, click here.

CALENDAR: Week of Feb. 10

Friends, Farah and Miranda get their picture taken in the "Love Frame" on Valentine's Day for a chance to win $25 worth of food when Hudson Eats opens at Brookfield Place in the spring. The ice carvings were done by sculptors from the Okamoto Studio.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Feb. 14: "My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer," a play by Brian Watkins, is at The Flea Theater. It's about two estranged sisters, their needy mother and a sheep. Through Feb. 15. The Flea, 41 White St. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets, $15 to $35. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Feb. 14: "Bikeman: The 9/11 Theatrical Experience" is a new play by journalist Thomas F. Flynn based on his book describing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Flynn, an award-winning writer and producer for The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, was outside his Greenwich Village home when the first plane flew directly over his head. He immediately called into the news desk to tell them he was headed downtown. He jumped on his bicycle and began his ride to the towers. His harrowing story recounts his transition from reporter to participant. Now in preview at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St. Opening night is Feb. 18. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets: $39-$79. For more information and tickets, click here.

Feb. 14: Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra at Front Row/Stage, The Howard Hughes Corporation's heated music tent on Fulton Street. Ages 21+. Time: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets: Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here.

Feb. 15: The Night the Music Lived at Front Row/Stage in the South Street Seaport. Ages 21+. Time: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets: Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here.

Feb. 16: The New York Audubon Society in partnership with New York Water Taxi offers a cruise of New York harbor to see birds and seals that are only here in the winter. The two-hour cruise, "Winter Seals and Waterbirds of New York Harbor," takes place on Sundays through March 9, leaving from Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport. Time: Noon to 2 p.m. Tickets: $35, adults; $25, children, 3 to 12 years old. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Feb. 16: "The Big Picture" at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place. Joined by other musicians, master clarinetist David Krakauer explores the intersection of music and Jewish identity in iconic movies of the last 50 years. They will play songs from films ranging from "Funny Girl" and "Fiddler on the Roof" to "Sophie's Choice" and "The Pianist." This is the sixth in a series of eight concerts on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. Time: 2 p.m. Tickets: $35; $30 (students/seniors); $25 (members). For tickets and more information, click here.

Through March 28: Exhibit of artwork done in classes sponsored by the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. 75 Battery Place, weekdays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free.

Ongoing: "Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage," is at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City. The exhibit details the dramatic recovery of historic materials relating to the Jewish community of Iraq in a flooded basement in Saddam Hussein's intelligence headquarters, and the National Archives' ongoing work in support of U.S. government efforts to preserve these materials. Through May 18, 2014. Place: 36 Battery Place. Varying hours. Museum admission fees: $12 (adults); $10 (seniors) and $7 (students). Members and children 12 and under, free. Free admission on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, click here.

Ongoing: The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission. It offers free films, docent-led tours of its exhibitions and tours of its premises, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, designed by Cass Gilbert. The building, which was completed in 1907, is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One Bowling Green. Phone: (212) 514-3700. For the museum's calendar, click here.

Downtown Post NYC is emailed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

To subscribe, click here.

Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer

We welcome comments, questions and letters to the editor. Send them to editor@downtownpostnyc.com

To advertise, email advertising@downtownpostnyc.com

Previous issues of Downtown Post NYC are archived at www.DowntownPostNYC.com

All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and

may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.

� 2014