"The Totality of This Tribeca Home Is an Homage to Art Deco," Curbed.com, 10/13/14. "Among the many spaces open to the public as part of Open House New York weekend was a Manhattan home that evokes a very different time-and design sensibility," says Curbed.com. "Thirty-one years ago, Johan and Dia Scholvinck found themselves living in Tribeca and have, ever since, been remaking their home into a largely Art Deco tribute piece." For the complete article, with photos, click here.

Chipotle coming to Battery Park City: A spokesperson for Chipotle, a Mexican grill, says that a Chipotle restaurant will be opening at 325 South End Ave. in Battery Park City in the first quarter of 2015. Workmen are already redoing the interior of what was formerly the Gateway dry cleaners. Chipotle serves burritos, tacos, salads and guacamole for under $10. The Chipotle website says that most of the ingredients are organic.

Southbridge Towers update: Things are still up in the air at Southbridge Towers, the 1,651-unit co-op in the South Street Seaport whose residents seem to have voted to remove it from the subsidized Mitchell-Lama program and take it to market prices. Those in favor of privatization won by 10 votes, a margin so slim that those opposed have asked for a recount. New York State's Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), which administers Mitchell-Lama buildings, is investigating the vote. In the meantime, a letter to the New York State Attorney General from attorney Barry Mallin, who represents the group opposed to privatization, resulted in the AG agreeing not to proceed with the process of taking Southbridge Towers private until DHCR concludes its investigation.

"City, State Warn Case Could Undermine Rent Stabilization," New York Law Journal, 10/14/14. With little affordable housing in New York City compared with the large number of people who want and need it, the case of a 79-year-old woman who lives in a rent-stabilized apartment and had to declare bankruptcy is attracting considerable attention. "The ability of an elderly woman to keep her rent-stabilized apartment in Manhattan may hinge on the state Court of Appeals' interpretation of whether her lease is protected against sale in a bankruptcy proceeding," says the New York Law Journal. "The court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that has been closely watched by real estate and tenants' rights attorneys in New York City. In an amicus curiae brief in Santiago-Monteverde v. Pereira, 180, the city and New York state argued that the case raises important questions about protections provided to leaseholders in rent-stabilized apartments at a time when moderately priced housing has never been at a higher premium in the city." The woman's landlord wants to buy her rent-stabilized lease as part of the bankruptcy proceeding. The funds would be used to pay off her debts of around $23,000 but then she could be evicted. The case could set a precedent for other rent-stabilized tenants. For the complete article, click here.

"346 Broadway Conversion Plans Include Penthouse Addition," Curbed.com, 10/14/14. The proposed condo conversion for 346 Broadway has raised some hackles at Community Board 1. In the current plan, the space allocated for use by the community board is less than promised, but that's not all. There's also a penthouse addition that drew fire. "The landmarked building, an 1898, two-block-long Renaissance Revival that was formerly the New York Criminal Courts, is being converted into condos by the Elad Group and Peebles Corporation, who recently presented their plans (at multiple meetings, to multiple committees) to the local board," says Curbed.com. "During the landmarks committee meeting, the developers, along with architect John H. Beyer of Beyer Blinder Belle, outlined their design for the building, and while they will be preserving multiple interior elements, as they are interior landmarks, the board still found issue with a few things-mainly the penthouse addition, something that is never popular with preservationists." Curbed.com noted that, "Historic spaces that will be preserved and restored include a grand curved staircase, a conference room on the fourth floor, the Banking Hall, and the clock tower on the roof." For the complete article, with photos, click here.

(Re: "Battery Park City's North Cove Marina up for grabs," DPNYC, 10/8/14): Your tribute to Fortenbaugh's devoted and highly successful work in getting New Yorkers to experience their harbor under sail was worthy of the subject and I hope will stir all kinds of readers to respond!

For decades I have been following his great work in getting more New Yorkers to sail the waterways that embrace and sustain their city. Over these years I have met many people who have benefited from his programs, which originated in the South Street Seaport in the 1980s but soon graduated to the North Cove Marina in Battery Park City.

In my work in the South Street Seaport Museum and later in the National Maritime Historical Society, I have become continuously aware of the educational value of these programs which both lift people's spirits and lift their sights in understanding what seafaring values and experience have added to the city's story, opening fresh perspectives and opportunities to people in all walks of life.

I thank him for this very creative and challenging contribution to people's experience of New York, and add my voice to that of Captain Robert Rustchak and the people of Save Our Seaport who urge the renewal of his contract to manage the Battery Park City marina, which he has done so successfully in fair weather and foul, providing a notable service to New York and New Yorkers.

Peter Stanford
President Emeritus
National Maritime Historical Society

From the editor:
Michael Fortenbaugh has asked that people who support his application to remain the manager of North Cove Marina write him letters that he can include with his proposal. His email address is mike@myc.org. Mailed letters can be sent to North Cove Marina Management, 375 South End Ave., Apt. 20L, New York, NY, 10280. All responses must be received by Friday, Oct. 17 in order to be included.

We welcome letters to the editor. Email them to editor@downtownpostnyc.com. We reserve the right to edit them for clarity and length.

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.

Ongoing: "Give Me Liberty," a solo exhibition of new works by Brooklyn-based artist Sylvanus Shaw, is at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. In this site-specific exhibition, Shaw utilizes images from the Museum's permanent collection, invoking imagery of early American statehood in media ranging from oil on panel to collaged holograms, security envelopes, and other mediums.

Through March 16, 2015. Place: Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl St. Museum hours: Mon.-Sat., noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $7; $4 (seniors, students, children 6-8); free (children under 5 and active duty military). For more information, click here.