Latest New School Construction Update

This report from Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservaation notes that 64 University Place, the non-descript building currently housing Agata and Valentina, may be scheduled to meet its destiny with the wrecking ball. In its place, a 12-story building.

Village Preservation has learned that a developer has filed plans to demolish 64-66 University Place (10^th/11^th Street) within our proposed South of Union Square Historic District we have been fighting to get landmarked.

No permits have yet been filed for a new building, though we understand a 12-story building is being contemplated. The zoning for the site allows a roughly 42,000 square foot building here, of residential, commercial, and community facility uses, with about 6-7,000 square feet of additional air rights purchased from neighboring 70 University Place. By comparison, neighboring 21 East 10th Street is approximately 56,000 square feet.

Village Preservation has been campaigning for landmark designation for this area, and our research and documentation submitted to the City shows that this building, in spite of its utilitarian looks, actually has an incredibly important history worthy of recognition and protection. While we have made some progress recently advancing our landmarking proposal, the City has nevertheless resisted landmarking the full proposed district, and Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who represents this area, has not endorsed the historic district landmarking proposal.

That’s weird. Bar 13, which has been at the corner of University and 13th for more than 20 years, has been reborn as Cheers NYC, which is a non-alcoholic bar. Mocktails only. Go figure. Seems it’s true the kids are drinking less these days.

The annual holiday market runs till 8PM nightly (7PM on Sunday) through 4PM on Christmas Eve.

Next week (June 11 to June 15), Mechanical equipment deliveries and work on them will continue at the 17th and 18th floor levels. The superstructure concrete work will be completed on the building buy the end of the month. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic.

The following week (June 18 to June 22), we will be working on the machine room levels on the 17th and 18th floors. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic. The crane on site will be demobilized and removed from site at the end of June.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, June 9th for superstructure related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels within the site, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork and concrete, plumbing and electrical work, rebar for concrete placement, using the crane and equipment to support all activities. Safety horns are used, and required by law, to coordinate lifting with the crane and to alert the workers of the danger overhead. We have directed the operators to limit the use of horns to one short sounding and to use the crane later in the day .

Middle Eastern food, cooked on site, coming soon to 83 University Place. Visit eatnaya.com.

The Union Square Partnership recently surveyed residents, asking them what they’d like to see more of in the neighborhood. The results: