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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 2, No. 47 June 7, 2015
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Quote of the day:
"We'd love to know what they have done to rejuvenate the [South Street Seaport] museum. We'd be very interested to hear what they believe they've done."
- Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, commenting on a letter from Howard Hughes Corporation CEO David Weinreb to Mayor de Blasio in which Weinreb said that HHC had proposed a $50+ million package of benefits for the South Street Seaport Museum.
* Howard Hughes CEO Weinreb writes to Mayor de Blasio to protest "gross mischaracterization" * Bits & Bytes: CB1's Galloway guilty of tax evasion; EDC deputy assumes presidency
* Historic tug Pegasus seeks new funding and leadership
* Downtown Bulletin Board: Chorus auditions; free yoga; Get Low Tuesdays; July 4 fireworks
* Letter to the editor: Howard Hughes Seaport proposals ignore pedestrian safety
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of June 8
* Governors Island weekend
* Calendar: Weeks of June 1 and June 8
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, click here. DOWNTOWN POST NYC KUDO: Downtown Post NYC is honored to have been one of eight Manhattan publications to be included on Brick Underground's list of the "24 Best NYC Neighborhood Blogs." To see the article, click here. IF YOU LIKE DOWNTOWN POST NYC - Downtown Post NYC is emailed free to subscribers, but if you like DPNYC and want to support it, you can do that in three ways. 1) Support Downtown Post's advertisers by clicking on their ads, and if you use their services, tell them that you read about them in DPNYC. 2) Consider advertising in DPNYC if you have a business, service or event that you want to promote. 3) Tell people about DPNYC and suggest that they subscribe. They can sign up at www.DowntownPostNYC.com. Go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com for updates on breaking news.
All ads in Downtown Post NYC have clickable links. Click on an ad for more information. MASTHEAD PHOTO: A yacht in Battery Park City's North Cove Marina. June 6, 2015
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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WEINREB, HOWARD HUGHES CORP. CEO, WRITES TO MAYOR DE BLASIO EXTOLLING HHC'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOUTH STREET SEAPORT
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| | Fulton Street in the South Street Seaport, June 15, 2014, with 203-year-old Schermerhorn Row in the background. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
David Weinreb, CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation, which holds long-term leases on parts of the South Street Seaport, had had enough. On June 3, he wrote a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio decrying the "gross mischaracterization of the Seaport's redevelopment process" that had been laid out in a letter to the mayor dated May 20, 2015 and signed by Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy on behalf of the organization that she heads and seven other historic preservation and neighborhood groups.
"We are deeply troubled," Breen's letter began, that "the city is repeating past failures to protect the Seaport by entrusting the future of the district to a single developer." It went on to say, "There is an egregious absence of transparency and public review of the plans for the Seaport. Stewardship is being entrusted to a developer who has not adequately demonstrated capacity, experience or desire to create a sustainable plan linking the interests of preservation to the economic vitality of the area."
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A neighborhood gathering place created by The Howard Hughes Corporation on Fulton Street.
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Weinreb said in his letter to the mayor that this was baloney. He said that since Howard Hughes "inherited the stewardship of the South Street Seaport in November 2010," HHC had "worked diligently" to revitalize the area and to "create a much-needed neighborhood gathering place."
He said that after Superstorm Sandy turned the Seaport "into a ghost town overnight," and many retailers left, "we took it upon ourselves to revitalize the district with our SEE/CHANGE programming" and that HHC wanted to "preserve the unique character of the buildings within the Historic District and strengthen the South Street Seaport Museum."
He specifically mentioned a $50+ million package for the museum, which he said had been presented to the Seaport Working Group last year and to Community Board 1 this year.
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Some of the members of the Seaport Working Group.
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The Seaport Working Group was made up of elected officials and representatives of Community Board 1, neighborhood groups, businesses and residents plus officials from The Howard Hughes Corp. and the New York City Economic Development Corp. It spent around five months in 2014 hammering out non-binding development guidelines for the South Street Seaport.
"We incorporated nearly every single Seaport Working Group guideline into our proposed project," Weinreb wrote to the mayor, referring to HHC's proposed "mixed-use project" for the Seaport. This, he said consisted of funding for the South Street Seaport Museum, reconstruction of waterfront infrastructure, restoration of the Tin Building with development of a "best in class" food market, improved waterfront access and resiliency, affordable housing, community facilities and possibly, a school.
"The one Seaport Working Group guideline that our proposal did not completely satisfy was the request for a shorter building on the 'New Market" site,'" Weinreb admitted. The Howard Hughes Corporation wants to demolish the New Market Building, which opened in 1939 and was the last building erected for the Fulton Fish Market, and build a 494-foot-tall luxury apartment tower on that site. Now, said Weinreb, HHC is exploring building a shorter structure on that site.
"Our proposals have consistently met the stated needs and wishes of a majority of the community's stakeholders," said Weinreb. But he said that these proposals could only be realized if the apartment tower were built that would finance them.
Peg Breen's response to Weinreb's letter was to ask why, if HHC had really been responding to the
needs and wishes of the community as it claims, such a large coalition, including Community Board 1 and neighborhood groups, had signed on to the letter that went to Mayor de Blasio on May 20 protesting HHC's development activities.
Breen added that, "We do agree that Howard Hughes is trying to create a gathering place because their annual reports all show major parties up on the roof of their shopping center on Pier 17."
As for the South Street Seaport Museum support mentioned by Weinreb, Breen said, "We'd love to know what they have done to rejuvenate the museum. We'd be very interested to hear what they believe they've done."
Michael Kramer, a member of the Seaport Working Group and of Save Our Seaport, a grassroots organization that has been trying to preserve the historic South Street Seaport and its maritime history, said that, "HHC never presented their $50MM+ package of benefits to the Seaport Working Group despite numerous requests. We asked for it all the time and they never showed it to us. They never even said 'fifty million.'"
He also took issue with a number of other things that Weinreb said in his letter to the mayor.
"Rather than 'revitalize' the district post-Sandy, HHC seized the opportunity to evict their tenants with valid leases - among them, The Gap, Bridgewaters, Simply Seafood, Pizzeria Uno, - turning the Seaport into a 'ghost town overnight' by playing hardball with repairs and prompting tenant lawsuits."
Kramer went on to say that the revised Marketplace lease signed between The Howard Hughes Corporation and the New York City Economic Development Corporation on June 27, 2013 reduced HHC's annual rent to less than $3.24 a square foot.
"HHC continues to promote the false argument that only a tower can support a community benefits agreement," Kramer said. "The City has already approved their sweetheart rent deal which is sufficient to invest in the community as well as to produce a suitable bottom-line profitability for the privilege of developing the Seaport."
He said that Save Our Seaport estimates that Howard Hughes will collect $45.5 million in annual rent in 2016/2017, after Pier 17 lease-outs begin, (a figure based on asking rents in the range of $200-$300 per square foot as reported in the New York Post) but will pay only $1.2 million in rent to the City of New York in 2016/2017.
Kramer summed up his objections to the Howard Hughes letter signed by Weinreb by saying, "They're rewriting history."
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
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Food trucks installed by The Howard Hughes Corporation on Fulton Street. Community Board 1 repeatedly protested their presence. Nevertheless, in his letter to the mayor, Weinreb said, "As stewards of the South Street Seaport, we take very seriously our obligation to protect, preserve and celebrate the historical significance of the district."
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Bits & Bytes
CB1 MEMBER GALLOWAY GUILTY OF TAX EVASION; LOOPHOLE IN RENT REGULATION LAWS; HUGE LEASE SIGNED AT ONE BATTERY PARK PLAZA
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| Jeff Galloway at a Community Board 1 meeting in March 2010. He has pled guilty to tax evasion, a Class D felony that usually carries a minimum prison sentence of one year.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
"More than 100,000 rent-regulated apartments may surge to higher rates due to state law loophole," Daily News, 6/3/15. "More than 100,000 rent-regulated apartments are on the verge of flipping to higher market rates because of a loophole in the state housing law - setting the stage for housing to become even more expensive in the coming months, according to a new analysis.
It's particularly disturbing, advocates say, because the neighborhoods about to lose the most regulated apartments are some of the priciest in the city, which will likely lead to once-relatively cheap apartments hitting rents of about $4,000 a month. The lower Manhattan/Tribeca area stands to lose the most regulated units. Forty-six percent of the area's 19,000 regulated apartments are expected to be priced out of the system soon, according to a city analysis of census figures. The market rate for a studio in that area is a whopping $3,888 - and that's without a doorman." For the complete article, click here.
"Ex-Partner at Prestigious NY Law Firm Pleads Guilty to Felony Tax Fraud," Wall Street Journal, 6/4/15. The Wall Street Journal reported that, "A lawyer has pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud while earning close to $1 million a year as a New York City-based partner with the law firm Hughes, Hubbard and Reed LLP, the Manhattan district attorney's office said Thursday. Jeff Galloway, 61 years old, pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud in the third degree, a D class felony, according to the district attorney's office. He is expected to be sentenced on July 22." The Wall Street Journal said that, "According to court documents and his plea, Mr. Galloway failed to file his New York State personal income tax returns and pay the taxes owed upon his earnings between 2005 and 2010." For the complete article, click here.
"Hughes, Hubbard and Reed LLP Ex-Partner Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud," JDJ Journal, 6/5/15. "Sixty-one-year old Jeff Galloway, a former partner at the law firm Hughes, Hubbard and Reed LLP, plead guilty to criminal tax fraud in the third degree," says JDJ Journal. "The offense is a D class felony. Galloway was making almost $1 million a year with the New York City law firm. He failed to file his New York State personal income tax return or to pay his taxes owed from his earnings between 2005 and 2010." For the complete article, click here. The punishment for a Class D felony is usually up to seven years in prison with a minimum sentence of one year, but according to news reports, Galloway will be sentenced to three months in prison, a fine of $600,000 and disbarment. His sentencing is scheduled to take place on July 22.
"Law Firms Signs Lease at One Battery Park Plaza Confirming Lower NYC Comeback," JDJ Journal, 6/5/15. "Hughes Hubbard & Reed have signed a lease for an office space that boasts more than quarter of a million square feet," says JDJ Journal. "The law firm's new office will be one of the largest deals this year in lower Manhattan. Hughes Hubbard & Reed have taken a two decade lease on the 11 floors, from the 10th through the 18th floors, along with some space on the 7th floor as well as in the basement. The building itself is a 36 story giant, at 875,000 square feet with a beautiful glass exterior." For the complete article, click here. "NYC's Economic Development Corporation Deputy Assumes Presidency," Commercial Observer, 6/5/15. "Kyle Kimball, the two-year president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, has officially left his post, and the entity is being run on an interim basis by one of his deputies," says Commercial Observer. "It's not clear when a permanent president will be announced. The veteran EDC executive's last day was Monday after he announced in March he planned to leave the agency after leading it for a couple of years." Commercial Observer says that, "Kim Vaccari, the chief financial officer of EDC, is serving as the interim president by default, as per EDC bylaws, according to an EDC spokeswoman. Ms. Vaccari was the CFO and treasurer of the New Jersey Transit Corporation before joining the EDC, according to her biography on the agency's website." EDC is of great significance to Lower Manhattan because it is the landlord for much of the South Street Seaport. For the complete article, click here. "Midtown's Vanishing Historic Architecture," New York Times, 6/5/15. "The Rizzoli bookstore on West 57th Street. An automobile showroom designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on Park Avenue. And the Bancroft Building, a 19th-century red-and-white-striped limestone office building on West 29th Street. All three of these structures were gutted or leveled within the past two years, despite attempts to preserve them," says The New York Times on the collision in midtown Manhattan between historic architecture and development that has resonance for the efforts to save the South Street Seaport. "None of these sites were designated New York landmarks," says The Times, "but for many people, they were nevertheless among the treasures that define the city's neighborhoods - the mix of terra cotta and stone amid the glass and steel that makes the city unique." The Times notes that, "The Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has a meager $5 million budget, oversees 114 historic districts and 33,000 landmark properties, 1,412 of which are between 14th and 59th Streets. While many developers view the list of protected properties as bloated, preservationists worry about undesignated sites languishing on the commission's calendar for months or years. If a property owner receives a demolition permit from the city's Department of Buildings before a property is designated, city rules prevent the commission from stepping in to preserve it." The Times quotes Peg Breen, the president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, as saying, "One of the reasons that we are flooded with tourists is because we are a unique city. This is still New York. This is still a unique place to visit. It's because we have this incredible mix of architecture and layers of history that keep us as a unique center." For the complete article, click here.
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HISTORIC TUG PEGASUS SEEKS NEW FUNDING AND LEADERSHIP
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| | The Pegasus on the Hudson River. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
The tugboat Pegasus, built in 1907 for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, has been a presence in New York harbor for most of the last 108 years. Her longevity earned her recognition on the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places. For 90 years, she was a working vessel, towing oil barges, contractors rigs and barges and railroad car floats in New York harbor and in Norfolk, Va. In 1987, tugboat captain Pamela Hepburn bought Pegasus in Virginia and brought her back to New York City, where she raised money to restore her. Fifteen years ago, Hepburn donated the boat to a non-profit museum that she started with several other people. But now Pegasus is is looking for new leadership, new ideas and ultimately a new home. The Tug Pegasus Preservation Project has issued a press release that says, "After many years of hard work and hundreds of thousands of funding raised for capital improvements, the 1907 Tugboat Pegasus has been lovingly restored to a ship-shape condition and is no longer in debt. Since 2001, under the care of the Tug Pegasus Preservation Project, the popular vessel has educated tens of thousands about the importance of the New York Harbor as a vital water highway. Tug trips and work programs taught youth about maritime jobs. Tug and Barge ports-of-call included tour visits to Hoboken, N.J. and Brooklyn Bridge Park, Hudson River Park, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Cold Spring and Hudson in New York. "However, after being awarded a berth at Hudson River Park's Pier 25 in 2011, the organization continually experienced difficulty obtaining the necessary funds required to operate a historic boat as well as keep up with the high costs of insurance associated with getting the public onto the water. Regrettably, we are no longer able to sustain our operations. "Tug Pegasus Preservation Project is looking for exciting and creative ideas that will help transition the boat to a new leader or another organization that will continue the mission of getting the public out onto the water and informing them about vitality of New York Harbor's maritime activity and it rich culture." Pegasus does not have the money to continue operations this summer. The tug's board of trustees says that it welcomes "serious individuals to present their ideas and proposals" for ways to save the tug. Send an email to Capt. Pamela Hepburn at pamela@tugpegaus.org. For more information about tug Pegasus, click here.
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Downtown bulletin board
CHORUS AUDITIONS; GET LOW TUESDAYS; JULY 4 FIREWORKS;
SEAPORT VOLUNTEERS; FREE YOGA; DOWNTOWN POST PORTFOLIO
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| | Cowgirl Sea-Horse in the South Street Seaport is one of 32 restaurants offering 20 percent discounts on Tuesdays via the Downtown Alliance's Get Low Tuesdays promotion. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Open auditions for Downtown Voices: Trinity Wall Street is looking for experienced volunteer singers to join Downtown Voices, a new choir bringing together the best professional and non-professional singers in the New York metro area. The choir will rehearse once a week and perform Benjamin Britten's St. Nicholas, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in the 2015-2016 season. Stephen Sands will direct. If you have choral experience and are interested in singing alongside members of the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, audition for Downtown Voices. Click here for more information on audition requirements. Volunteer for the South Street Seaport Museum: The South Street Seaport Museum has a fleet of six historic ships and a workshop barge, all of which need constant upkeep. Schooner Pioneer and Lettie G Howard rely on volunteers to not only maintain them, but to sail them. Both are recipients of the Tall Ships America - Adventure and Education Under Sail "Sail Training Program of the Year" award (2012 and 2014 respectively). All are welcome to join the crew - no experience necessary! Training is provided as you go, and there are numerous possibilities for participating, learning and growing into a skilled maritime preservationist and traditional sailor. Email volunteercoordinator@seany.org for more information. Yoga in Wagner Park: Wednesday evenings through Sept. 30 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy offers free yoga in Wagner Park (at the southern end of Battery Park City, opposite the Statue of Liberty). Instructor Mary Ryan Barnes has been teaching yoga for more than 25 years. All levels of experience are welcome. Bring your own mat or borrow one from the BPC Parks Conservancy. Click here for the BPC Parks Conservancy calendar, with updates on this class and listings of the other classes and events that the Parks Conservancy offers.
Get Low Tuesdays: The Downtown Alliance has launched "#GETLOW Tuesdays," a new summer promotional campaign that will provide a 20 percent discount at nearly three dozen Lower Manhattan restaurants. In addition, participants who share the program using social media will be entered to win a four-day, three night trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Created by the Downtown Alliance, the program will be driven by social media. Participants can utilize 11 social media platforms to spread the word about the campaign, using the hashtag #GETLOW. Available platforms include: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Vine, Snapchat, Foursquare, Flickr, Pinterest and Tumblr. Participating restaurants are: 121 Fulton Street; Atrio Wine Bar | Restaurant; Barbalu Restaurant; Bavaria Bierhaus; Beckett's; Blackhound Bar; Church & Dey; Cowgirl Sea-Horse; Da Claudio Ristorante & Salumeria; Dina Rata; The Dubliner; Felice 15 Gold Street; Financier Patisserie; Fresh Salt; GRK; Harry's Caf� and Steak; Industry Kitchen; Lonestar Empire; Lumpia Shack; Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina; Merchants River House; Nelson Blue; Pound & Pence; Ramen Burger; Red Hood Lobster Pound; St. George Tavern; Schnitz; Seaport Smorgasburg; Smorgas Chef; SouthwestNY Restaurant; Stone Street Tavern; and Watermark Bar & Lounge. The campaign is also receiving support from the Millennium Hilton and Hilton Amsterdam. To learn more, click here.
Town Hall meeting on aging: City Councilmember Margaret Chin, who chairs City Council's Committee on Aging, is hosting a town hall meeting on June 14 to discuss issues affecting the elderly. It will be held at the BRC Senior Center at 30 Delancey St.
July 4 fireworks: This year's Fourth of July fireworks display, presented by Macy's, will again take place over the East River. The best places to see the show will be from Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and along the east side of Lower Manhattan. The light show starts at 9 p.m., but it would be best to arrive early. For more information, click here. Battery Park City Parks Conservancy summer programming: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy organizes free art, gardening, science, yoga, tai chi and sports programs that run from early May through late October in BPC's parks. The programs are for children as young as three years old to adults. Some are drop-in programs. Others require advance registration. For more information, click here.
Downtown Post Portfolio: Downtown Post Portfolio is a regular feature in Downtown Post NYC, showcasing artists and photographers who live and/or work south of Canal Street or who create images (paintings, drawings, photographs) of Lower Manhattan. To have your work considered for publication in Downtown Post Portfolio, send up to seven high-resolution jpeg files attached to an email to editor@downtownpostnyc.com. (One of the photos should be a picture of you.) Several of these photos will be published in Downtown Post NYC, along with a short artist bio and a statement about the work submitted, including whether or not it is for sale and how to purchase it. Not all entries can be published. Copyright remains with the artist. Before publication, each contributor will be asked to sign a release stating that Downtown Post NYC has the right to publish the work in the emailed newsletter and in the Downtown Post archives, and that there is no payment.
Downtown Little League opening day photo gallery: The Downtown Little League kicked off its 2015 season on April 18. This year, there are just under 1,100 players on 81 teams. For photos of the opening day, click here. Whitney Museum of American Art photo gallery: The Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort St. opened to the public on May 1. For photographs of the Whitney Museum's new building and of its opening exhibition, click here. South Street Seaport Museum Opening Day: The South Street Seaport Museum opened its 2015 season on April 25 with events on Pier 16 and activities for kids and their families in the lobby of the museum's 12 Fulton St. building. For photographs of the museum's opening day, click here. Downtown Post Portfolio: Jay Fine: Jay Fine is a New York City fine-art photographer and photojournalist, based in Lower Manhattan whose work was featured in Downtown Post Portfolio ( DPNYC, 5/6/15). To see some more of Fine's work on the Downtown Post NYC website, click here.
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Letter to the editor
HOWARD HUGHES SEAPORT PROPOSALS IGNORE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Although The Howard Hughes Corporation is seeking approval to bring motor vehicles onto the South Street Seaport piers, its drawings of how that might look show lots of people but no cars. (Drawing: ShOP Architects)
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To the editor:
CBS ran a story on June 3 about an elderly pedestrian who was struck by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus earlier that day at the intersection of Pearl and Fulton Streets. The woman was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. (" Elderly Pedestrian Struck By MTA Bus In Lower Manhattan," CBS New York, 6/3/15.) This was a tragic and serious accident. The Howard Hughes Corporation has failed to address the whole issue of pedestrian safety in an already crowded area, which they plan to make far more dense. They want to bring auto traffic onto the pier area (across the pedestrian esplanade), and then add young school children to the mix. Looks like a recipe for chaos, pandemonium and danger to me.
It has been noted that in all HHC's pretty and dishonest illustrations of Pier 17, no auto traffic is ever shown.
Diane Harris Brown
From the editor:We welcome letters to the editor. Email them to editor@downtownpostnyc.com. We reserve the right to edit them for clarity and length.
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COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of June 8
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| The Castree Building on North Moore Street in Tribeca was completed in 1891 as a warehouse. On June 8, Community Board 1's Planning Committee will hear a presentation on the NYC Department of City Planning's rezoning proposals, which the Tribeca Trust opposes in part because "We will lose our connection to history and our human-scale neighborhood will be diminished and lose its sense of place and distinctive character."
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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All Community Board 1 meetings take place at 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709, starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Bring photo ID to enter the building. June 8: Planning Committee * 9/11 Memorial & Museum - Update by Anthony Gardner, Vice President, Community Engagement * Cortlandt Street Reconstruction - Update by Don Iannuzzi, Chief Mechanical Engineer/Deputy Chief Engineer * World Trade Center Performing Arts Center - Resolution * NY County Supreme Court ruling on stabilization at 25 Broad Street - Presentation by Serge Joseph, Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben, Donoghue & Joseph Law * Zoning for Quality and Affordability - Presentation by Richard Suarez, NYC Department of City Planning June 9: Youth & Education Committee * School crossing guards - Resolution * Peck Slip School street safety - Resolution * Assembly Member Silver School Overcrowding Task Force meeting - Report * New York City Department of Education Proposed Five-Year Capital Plan Amendment Fiscal Years 2015 - 2019 - Discussion June 10: Tribeca Committee * Free public kayaking at Pier 26 - Update by Graeme Birchall, President, Downtown Boathouse * 101 Murray St. ("St. John's site") - Update by Alex Adams, 111 Murray Street development team, Franz Prinsloo, KPF Architects, and Geoffrey Valentino, Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects * Hudson River Park Trust - Updates by Nicole Dooskin, Assistant Vice President, Planning and Real Estate *Bikeway safety * Pier 26 Restaurant *355 Greenwich St., application for new unenclosed sidewalk cafe for 355 Greenwich Bakery - Resolution * 399 Greenwich St., application for restaurant liquor license for GST399 Inc. - Resolution * JCP sidewalk Sukkah street activity permit application for Duane Street between Church Street and West Broadway, Sept. 27, 2015 8 a.m. - Oct. 4, 2015, 6 p.m. - Resolution * 2 Avenue of the Americas, application for alteration of liquor license for Tribeca Grand Hotel, Inc. to permit turning portion of cellar floor into a jazz club - Resolution * 52 Walker St., application for renewal of tavern liquor license for KNH Enterprises, LLC d/b/a M1-5 - Discussion * HRPT Advisory Council - Update by Bob Townley The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits: * 277 Church St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for B Flat * 189 Franklin St. aka 369 Greenwich Street, application for a renewal of a liquor license for Benvenuto Caf� Tribeca * 339 Greenwich St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for Sarabeth's Tribeca LLC d/b/a Sarabeth's * 120 Hudson St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for Bubby's Pie * 136 West Broadway, application for a renewal of liquor license for Edward's June 11: Landmarks Committee - 6 p.m. Location: Southbridge Towers 90 Beekman St., Community Room * South Street Seaport Pier 17 and Fulton Market Building - Update by Howard Hughes Corporation
* Buildings 111, 112 and 114, Governors Island, landscape revisions, conversion of windows to doors and exterior installation of mechanical equipment - Resolution * 178 Church St., application storefront replacement - Resolution * Support for 2015 Borough Board/Community Board Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law and Value of Preservation - Resolution * 13 Worth St., reconsideration of resolution NOTE: On Tuesday, June 16, the New York City Economic Development Corporation is scheduled to appear before Community Board 1's Seaport/Civic Center Committee to discuss the New Market and Tin Buildings. That meeting will be held at the Southbridge Towers Community Room, 90 Beekman St., starting at 6 p.m.
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GOVERNORS ISLAND WEEKEND|
| | Figment returns to Governors Island this weekend. This treehouse was part of Figment in the summer of 2013. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Governors Island is just 800 yards away from Manhattan, with historic forts, shady parkland, bicycle riding paths and cultural events. It is open daily through Sept. 27.
All Weekend:
Indoor Exhibits:
"The Gallery at Building 110"- LMCC: Building 110 upper level, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
"What's Happening on Governors Island": Building 110 upper level, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"M�-Math: The Mobile Unit to Promote Mathematical Thinking": Building 11, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
"2015 New York Electronic Art Festival" presented by Harvestworks: Building 5A & 5B, 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
"Art Kibbutz": Building 6A, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. - (Sundays only)
"Laws of Attraction" Sculptors Guild: Building 15, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
"Better Than Jam Handmade Gift Shop": Building 410A, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
"Brooklyn Artery": Building 10B, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
"Billion Oyster Project": Building 20A, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
"The Art of Intuitive Photography" Building 16, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"The Holocenter's Summer Museum" The Center for Holographic Art: Building 19A, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Admirals House - open daily
Figment: Buildings 4A&B, 6A, 20B, 406B and 407A&B
Activities:
Bike and Surrey Rentals: Blazing Saddles - Colonels Row, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Free Art Island Outpost: Children's Museum of the Arts. Nolan Park Building 14, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Earth Matter Compost Learning Center, Enter at the Park Oval, 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
GrowNYC's Teaching Garden, Enter at the Oval, 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
Figment: Minigolf, season-long sculpture and treehouse open this weekend, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
(No free kayaking)
National Park Service Activities:
Castle Williams: Courtyard open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Fort Jay: Courtyard Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.- "Explore Castle Williams"- Tours of Castle Williams, including a visit to the roof. Tours leave hourly on the bottom of the hour and last 30 minutes.
11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - "An Island Star!" Every Hour; Tours are 30 minutes.
2:30 p.m. - "Hike through History" - Walking tour of the National Monument and Historic District. Meet at Soissons Landing. Tours last 90 minutes.
Food:
* Guest Food Vendor at Kings Ave.: Valducci's - pizza, sandwiches and desserts
* Both Liggett Terrace and Kings Ave. will be open
* SI Caf� at Building 403 will be open this weekend
* Beer is available at Little Evas in Liggett Terrace and at the Governors Beach Club
* Governors Beach Club will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. with food vendors, bar, and D.J. during the day.
Events:
FIGMENT Festival (Saturday and Sunday) Historic District, Liggett Terrace, Pershing, Buildings 4A&B, 6A, 20B, 406B and 407A&B
10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Figment is an island-wide interactive art festival. Including sculpture, dance, music, miniature golf, indoor exhibits, mobile art and children's activities
* Locations:
* Pershing Hall - Headquarters
* Buildings 4A&B, 6A, 20B, 406B and 407 A&B - Indoor projects
* Colonels Row - main stage area. Getting there: Ferries run from the Battery Maritime Terminal in Lower Manhattan all seven days and run from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 on Saturdays, Sundays, Memorial Day and Labor Day. There is a $2 round trip fare for adults and children over the age of 12. There is no fare on 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. ferries from Manhattan on Saturdays and Sundays. There is also no fare on the 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. ferry from Brooklyn on Saturdays and Sundays. These ferries are free to all. For more information, click here
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CALENDAR: Weeks of June 1 and June 8
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| | Folksbiene at the Winter Garden, Brookfield Place. A seven-day festival of Jewish and Yiddish music will begin on June 14 and will include a free concert at the Winter Garden starting at 7:30 p.m. For more information, click here. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
June 7: Bring your art materials to the historic lighthouse tender Lilac today to sketch and paint. Place: Pier 25 in Hudson River Park (near North Moore Street). Time: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. June 8: The Museum of Jewish Heritage presents "Lavender Songs: Weimar Cabaret and Beyond," performed by Jeremy Lawrence with Ariela Bohrod on piano; created by historian Alan Lareau. The concert harks back to the satirical cabarets and gay locales of pre-war Berlin, with historical recordings, archival images and a live performance. Place: 36 Battery Place. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets: $15; $10 (museum members and NewFest members). For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
June 8: Poets House will once again embark on a poetic pilgrimage across the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping along the way to listen to NYC-inspired poetry and ending at at 26 Bridge, a historic foundry-turned-event space in DUMBO for dinner, wine and more poetry. This is the 20th anniversary of the fundraising event that helps make possible the hundreds of free and affordable public programs that Poets House presents each year. Tickets start at $250; ($225 for Poets House members). Reservations are required. To buy tickets online, click here. For details or to make reservations, contact Krista Manrique at (212) 431-7920, ext. 2830 or email krista@poetshouse.org.
June 12: This is the 14th year that the Sunset Singing Circle has been held on Friday evenings in Battery Park City, led by singer/guitarist Terre Roche. As the sun sets over the Hudson River, novice and experienced singers sit on the lawn and sing folk songs (with words provided in the Sunset Singing Circle Songbook). Players of acoustic instruments are encouraged to add their skills to the mix. Place: Wagner Park. Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
June 14: A Municipal Art Society tour of Downtown's Lower West Side with Joe Svehlak, "I Remember New York: Lower Manhattan's Western Route" will show what's left of what was once a thriving immigrant neighborhood and a unique commercial area before two acts of eminent domain wiped out "Little Syria" and Radio Row, New York's first electronics district. As the approaches to the Battery Tunnel were being built, Joe remembers walking the old, narrow streets where his immigrant family used to live over a hundred years ago. Hear his family stories about life on the Lower West Side before the World Trade Center and the Battery Tunnel. View a former Syrian church, the Downtown Community House and a few remaining tenements and Federal townhouses. Hear about the struggle to preserve the memory and few remaining buildings of this former unique melting pot neighborhood where 27 nationalities were counted living here in an early 1900s report. The tour ends at New York's oldest Catholic parish, St. Peter's, where noted New Yorkers and various immigrant groups worshiped. Meeting place will be confirmed after tickets are purchased. Time: 10 a.m. Tickets: $20; $15 (Municipal Art Society members). For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
June 14 to June 21: The National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene comes to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for seven days. Kick off the festival on Sunday, June 14, with free Museum admission all day. Artists from around the world will gather to participate in KulturfestNYC, a festival that celebrates Jewish performing arts and explores the impact of Jewish and Yiddish culture around the globe. Click here for a full listing of plays, concerts, films, exhibitions, and lectures taking place at the Museum and around the city. Place: 36 Battery Place. Various times. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
: Celebrate summer with a sail aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's historic schooner, Pioneer, and get a new perspective on New York City. Bring a picnic lunch or dinner, snack, beverage or dessert. Pioneer was built in 1885 as an iron-hulled sloop to carry cargo along the Delaware River and is the oldest ship regularly sailing in New York Harbor. For more information or to buy tickets, stop by the museum's Visitor Service Center at 12 Fulton St. or ask the Museum's Associates on Pier 16. Afternoon Sails: Tuesday-Friday 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets: $38; $28 (museum members); $32 (students and seniors); $20 (children 2 to 11 years old); $5 (children uner 2 years old). Sunset Sails: Tuesday-Sunday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets: $45; $35 (museum members); $25 (children 2 to 11 years old); $10 (children under 2 years old). For more information or to buy tickets, click here. Ongoing: Governors Island is open daily through Labor Day. For a calendar of events, click here.
Ongoing: The historic lighthouse tender, Lilac, berthed at Pier 25 near North Moore Street in Hudson River Park, is hosting a three-month exhibition of artwork through Aug. 15. It focuses on three themes inspired by the ship's story - "Steam," "Work + Labor" and "Restoration/Reinvention." The exhibition features the work of more than 25 artists, with several site-specific installations. Performances, artist talks, film screenings, readings, community activities and educational events accompany the exhibition. For more information about the Lilac, click here. For a video about the Lilac, click here. For more about the art series, click here.
Ongoing: "America in Circulation: A History of US Currency Featuring the Collection of Mark R. Shenkman," an exhibition at the Museum of American Finance, showcases around 250 rare examples of American paper money accompanied by large, interactive touch screen displays. From Colonial times, American money has told a fascinating story of the country's struggles and successes. Often local and national currencies competed and coexisted with each other, while economic depression, war and counterfeiting drove constant advances in design. The exhibition spans the period from the Colonial era to the present day. Highlights include rare examples of currency bearing the signatures of signers of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence; a complete set of notes from the Educational Series of 1896, renowned for being the most beautiful paper money in American history; and rare examples of high denomination notes including $5,000 and $10,000 bills. Through March 2018. To see an online version of the exhibition, click here. Place: 48 Wall St. Museum is open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $8; $5 (students and seniors); free (museum members and kids 6 and under). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Cer�mica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed" displays 155 ancient objects from the National Museum of the American Indian's rarely seen collections of Central American ceramics. The exhibition examines seven regions representing distinct Central American cultural areas that are today part of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, where Central America's first inhabitants lived. Dating back to 1000 B.C., the ceramics help tell the story of the innumerable achievements of these ancient civilizations, each with unique, sophisticated ways of life, value systems and arts. Through January 2017. Place: 1 Bowling Green. The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays, until 8 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Museum of Jewish Heritage presents "Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism," an exhibition that explores the cultural context in which many Jewish �migr� architects and designers created a distinctly modern American design that still has wide appeal today. Walk-up tours will be offered on Sundays in May (except May 24) at 12 p.m. with no reservations necessary. Through January 2016. Place: 36 Battery Place. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Skyscraper Museum's new exhibition, "Ten Tops," surveys all buildings in the world today, completed or under construction, that are 100 stories and taller. Of these 24 towers, the exhibition focuses on 10 (plus a few more), zooming in on their uppermost floors to see how they were designed and constructed. Through September 2015. Place: 39 Battery Place. Hours: Noon to 6 p.m., Wednesdays to Sundays. Admission: $5; $2.50 (students and seniors). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Woolworth Building was designed by Cass Gilbert to house the offices of the F. W. Woolworth Company and was the tallest building in the world from 1913 until 1930. With its ornamental gothic-style exterior, it dominated the New York City skyline and served as an icon of American ingenuity with state of the art steel construction, fireproofing and high-speed elevators and it was dubbed "the Cathedral of Commerce." The building is still privately owned and operated, and has long been closed to the public. Tours of its magnificent landmarked lobby featuring marble, mosaics, and murals have only recently been made available and can be taken for 30-minutes, 60-minutes or 90-minutes. Custom and Private tours for groups of 10 - 35 can also be arranged. Place: 233 Broadway. Various times. Tickets: $20, $30 and $45, depending on the length of the tour. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Ongoing: "Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family" opened on Nov. 14 and continues through Jan. 10, 2016. The exhibit includes more than 300 examples of beautifully crafted jewelery, most of it made by the Yazzie family, with some from the National Museum of the American Indian's collection. Through a video, photographs and a handsome catalog, the exhibit shows how the jewelry expresses Navajo cultural values and way of life inspired by a majestic landscape of buttes, mesas and desert. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and on Thursdays until 8 p.m.; closed December 25. Admission is free.
Ongoing: "A Town Known as Auschwitz" is an exhibit of photographs at the Museum of Jewish Heritage tracing the history of a town called "Oswiecim" in what is now Poland, where Jews and non-Jews lived side by side for centuries. When German forces occupied the town in September 1939, they renamed it "Auschwitz" and established a concentration and death camp there. More than 1 million people died at Auschwitz, including 90 percent of the town's Jews. The museum is at 36 Battery Place. For information the exhibit, click here. For information on the museum's hours and admission fees, click here.
Ongoing: "Defining Lines: Maps from the 1700s and early 1800s" at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. Twenty-seven maps provide a perspective on the evolving nation's place in history. A map from 1804, never before exhibited, shows the U.S. postal routes. Place: 54 Pearl St. Time: Noon to 5 p.m., daily. Admission fees: $7; $4 (seniors, students with ID, children, 6 to 8 years old. Children, 5 and under, free. Active military with ID, free. 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.Ongoing: The lobby of the South Street Seaport Museum at 12 Fulton St. on Schermerhorn Row is open three days a week with interpretive displays and activities. Access to the museum's upstairs galleries is by appointment or for education programs only. For private tours of Schermerhorn Row and its old hotels, email info@seany.org. Lobby access: Fridays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Downtown Post NYC is emailed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
� 2014
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