W. 13th St. Gazette 7
W. 13th St. Gazette 7
Gazette
Voice of the W. 13th St. 100 Block Association, Inc., 143 W. 13th Street, Suite 105, New York, N.Y. 10011 Issue No. 7 March 2001
The new lights have arrived!!! Lets celebrate at the
Annual Meeting:
Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 7:30 P.M.
At the City and Country School, 146 W 13th Street
Election of Officers
We thank all the public officials who went out of their way to aid us in this endeavor. The Department of Transportation, which is responsible for installing lamps, had missed some target dates. However, Iris Weinshall Iris Weinshall recently became Commissioner of the DOT. When Gary alerted her to our predicament, she cut through the red tape and delivered the goods. Commissioner Weinshall handled our entreaties with courtesy and responded expeditiously. We offer our deepest appreciation. Special thanks also go to: State Senator Tom Duane who, when he was Councilmember, obtained the original appropriation in the City budget; Scott Melvin of Duanes staff; Councilmember Christine Quinn who finished the project; and Borough President Virginia Fields; the Greenwich Village Alliance; Elizabeth Shuldiner and Ann Amato (presidents of neighboring block associations); and Arthur Strickler, District Manager of Community Board 2.
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floor and lower levels. This 67,000 sq. ft. facility will be the first Y to be built in Manhattan in 70 years. The Y will be a full community service YMCA for all ages. It will offer a panoply of services including: 1. An extensive gym which will feature: a sevenlane swimming pool; strength training equipment; aerobics exercise equipment such as recumbent bicycles and elliptical cross trainers; aerobics classes and stretch rooms; saunas and steam rooms; a state-of-the-art health and wellness facility. 2. A computer center for youth and adults. 3. Multi-purpose rooms that could convert into classrooms, meeting rooms (available to the community), youth areas, and a Teen Center. The Y anticipates opening in 2003. Membership fees have not yet been set. For more information, as it becomes available, residents can call Janet DeMarco, the Ys Membership Director, at 741-9218. In addition to the Y, the building (containing a twostory base topped with one 12-story and one 6-story tower) will have some 275 apartments of which 62 will be NYU faculty residences, and some 40 will be reserved for low-income tenants. Last year, the chain bulk retailer Costco had attempted to occupy the space that the Y has acquired. However, a large coalition of community groups, politicians, retailers, and a union, represented by Arthur Schwartz, filed suit to halt Costco. Costco then abandoned this effort to occupy the Armory site. The Block Association had approved of the lawsuit and would have joined as a plaintiff had Costco not abandoned its plan. We Arthur Schwartz congratulate all members of the coalition for their success in convincing Costco to relinquish its claim on the site. Given that Costco would only have sold bulk items and would not have provided any garage space, it would have been an inappropriate use of the space. Attorney Schwartz deserves special mention because he represented the coalition without charge. Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience representing community groups and labor unions. He is also a long-time resident of the West Village and has been one of the two Greenwich Village Democratic District Leaders since 1995.
Tree Report
Vandals! The Block Association, as part of its continuing program to beautify and improve this area, arranged with individual homeowners (at some expense) to have flowers planted in the pits on our block. Shortly after the May 2000 planting, some despicable person pulled these plants out of their pits! Although the New York City Department of Forestry maintains our trees, individual property owners own the tree pits. No one may remove plants or a tree from the tree pit without the permission of the landowner. Anyone who does so has violated the law, is guilty of vandalism, and is subject to criminal penalties, including heavy fines. What We Do for Our Trees Our block is adorned with a variety of beautiful trees. There are honey locust trees, London planes, saphora, mulberry, and pear trees. All the trees in our tree pits on the sidewalks are regulated by the City of New York. No one may trim or alter these trees without the express consent of the City. The Block Association had all of the tree pits professionally fertilized this past autumn to help further their health and growth. In addition, the Block Association had all of the
Before and after: Gary Tomei with new tree near City & Country School
trees trimmed of dead branches and overhanging limbs. One tree needed to be cabled and a few were inspected for caterpillars.
Harm to Three Trees A truck broke off a large branch of a tree at 111 W. 13th. Another truck did such extensive damage to the tree in front of the City and Country School (146 W.
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13th) that the tree had to be removed and replaced (see photo above). The Block Association also has had a dead tree replaced at 130 W. 13th.
Sewer Backup
The sewer drain at the northwest corner of 13th and Sixth Ave. was not clearing water from that corner and a very large puddle, i.e., a small lake, was forming making it very difficult to cross in any direction. The Department of Sanitation responded quickly to our call and cleared the problem, permanently we hope.
Katharine House
Katharine House at 118 W. 13th Street has closed. Final transfer of ownership is scheduled for May 2001. Our sources tell us that the new owners plan a residential condominium. This being in a landmarked area, the faade of the building should remain exactly as it is. Be assured that our Association will scrutinize any plans for renovation. The Ladies Christian Union began in 1858 to shelter young working women. The Katharine House at 118 W. 13th started to serve the organization in 1910 as a single old brownstone. Mr. Joseph Milbank gifted the brownstone to the organizaA lady enters Katharine House tion. Shortly thereafter, the two adjacent properties were acquired to accommodate more young ladies. Later, all three buildings were razed to make way for the present Georgian-type residence, which welcomed its first guests in 1931. Of historical significance: To address the issue of employment for their young ladies, the Ladies Christian Union opened an auxiliary in 1870 called the Young Ladies Branch. By 1872, this auxiliary had completely absorbed the employment work of LCU and became the prosperous and independent institution called the Young Womens Christian Association in 1875. By 1958, the YWCA had over 1900 branches in the United States alone. We bid a fond farewell to our Katharine House, which served as our Block Associations meeting room for years.
Subway Exit
Our subway exit (near 175 W. 13th) to the Seventh Ave. line has been in disrepair. Our contact at the MTA has reported to us that this station is due for a renovation in about one year, so they do not wish to do major repairs on it at this time. At our urging, however, they did agree to spruce up the exit for us. In addition, they have done some spackling of tiles, fixed and painted the handrail, removed the graffiti, painted the ironwork, and repaired the stairs.
Disturbances
The building at 144 W. 14th is in the process of a major renovation. Pratt Institute will be the major occupant. The building has activated an exhaust vent that blows air and creates loud disturbing noise into Page 3
Reminder:
Mail in your your Dues. Support your Block Association!
the backyards of 13th Street brownstones (151-155). The Block Association has been in contact with the owners of that building to rectify this problem.
Graffiti
Periodically the Block Association has the graffiti removed from mailboxes, lampposts, signs and the wall of the John Adams. If you see anyone engaging in this act of vandalism, please ask him or her to stop.
124 W. 13th has been sold and the new owner tells us that there will be no restaurant at the ground level where part of Zinnos used to be. The building is being renovated for the occupancy of the new owner. 126 W. 13th, which housed part of Zinnos for many years, is now the site of Gradisca restaurant. 154 W. 13th will house a new restaurant now that Cuisine de Saigon has departed. The new French/Italian restaurant called Domicile will open as soon as renovations are completed. It will be run by one of our local residents. We also note transitions of favorite shops on 6th Ave. between 13th and 14th Streets. The biggest loss is Second Hand Rose, a renowned second-hand record store that is now the location of a seller of electronic gadgets. Mr. Dees shoe store formerly on that same block became a store that sells fragrances. A 99-cent shop is a relatively recent arrival on that same block. Soon to come on the other side of the street: a branch of the national clothing chain Urban Outfitters. An Equinox gym will soon occupy the site of the Art Greenwich theater at Greenwich Av. and 12th St.
Personal Notes
The Block Association, along with residents of the block, wishes Marshall Allen a very speedy recovery. In addition, we offer our sincere condolences to Bruce Tuchman on the passing of his wife, Lois Kasper.
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