Benny’s Laundry Wiped Out by Rent Increase

Here’s a view of Union Square from 1985. The angle is from the southeast looking toward the northwest from the corner of 4th Ave. and 14th. Note that in the good ol’ days, the statue of George Washington was located in the intersection. It was later moved to the southern end of the park. 

It’s not quite ready yet, but after two years there is finally movement at the new location of Serafina Express at 110 University Place. Italian food soon.

This wonderful interactive map lets you explore the history of most of the buildings in our neighborhood.

Crain’s reports:

Time may be running out for brides to dash to Filene’s Basement. The off-price retailer, famous for its Running of the Brides discount wedding dress events, is on the block. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, the chain’s Columbus, Ohio-based parent Retail Ventures Inc. said efforts to cut costs “is not likely to lead to sustainable operations for Filene’s basement.”

In January, Retail Ventures had announced the closing of 11 underperforming Filene’s stores, including one in Levittown, N.Y. Yet performance at the remaining 25 locations, which include four in New York City, “has continued to deteriorate significantly since that time,” according to the filing. Retail Ventures, which also owns footwear chain DSW Inc., said it will delay the filing of its annual results with the SEC.

This image looks southeast from the park toward the intersection of 14th St. and 4th Ave. in 1922, almost exactly 100 years ago. Note that at the time, the statue of George Washington stood at that corner.

From the Union Square Partnership:

Union Square Partnership invites you to share your opinion about our work in our 2023 Annual Community Opinion Survey. Your feedback helps us better understand our community’s priorities and perceptions of the Union Square-14th Street neighborhood and plan for future projects. The survey will be open until 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 24th, 2023. It takes about 10 minutes.

Survey participants will be entered for a chance to win one of six (6) $50 gift certificates from one of the following neighborhood businesses: 

• Books of Wonder
• Café Salmagundi
• Caffè Panna
• Fishs Eddy
• Sweet Chick
• Urbanspace Union Square Food Hall

The Survey is Here:  https://www.unionsquarenyc.org/2023-community-survey. 

Thank you for your participation! Your feedback is invaluable.

Sincerely,

Union Square Partnership Team