“Love Armor”, a nationwide collaborative art project, will be on exhibition at the Brenda Taylor Gallery, 511 W. 25th St., NYC from May 14 until June 30th.
The Opening Reception is on Thursday, May 14th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. I would love to greet my neighbors there that evening. All are welcome!
Exciting new for the neighborhood that proves that the 14th St. shareholders live in an important building: our neighbor at number 22, namely the Duane Reade building, has been landmarked by the city for its historical significance. This action protects it in perpetuity. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation gives us this historical background:
“The Baumann Brothers Furniture and Carpets Store was built in 1880-81 for James McCreery (1826- 1903), a well-known textiles merchant of Scottish descent. It was designed by the architectural firm of D. & J. Jardine, whose principals, David and John Jardine, were brothers also of Scottish birth. One of the more prominent, prolific, and versatile New York firms in the late-nineteenth century, D. & J. Jardine executed designs for a wide variety of building types, including a number of notable cast-iron fronts, in contemporary styles. The wide cast-iron front facade of the Baumann Brothers store is one of the firm’s and one of the city’s most inventive, unusual, and ornamental. Built toward the end of the heyday of cast-iron fronts in New York and the flourishing creativity in that material, the Baumann Brothers store is also a signal achievement of Aesthetic Movement design. An amalgam of ornamental influences, including neo-Classical, neo-Grec, and Queen Anne styles, is embraced to achieve a decorative overall composition. Another designed, though simpler, facade on 13th Street is clad in brick and stone with a cast-iron ground story. The building’s prime location was in the midst of Manhattan’s primary retail shopping district, which included 14th Street, Union Square, and Ladies’ Mile. From 1881 to 1897, it housed Baumann Brothers, a furniture-manufacturing company established c. 1870 by Albert and Ludwig Baumann, Bohemian Jewish immigrants. By 1884, the firm occupied the entire structure and billed itself as “the largest and most complete furnishing establishment in America.” A painted sign advertising Baumann Brothers is still visible on the building’s western wall. For eight decades, the ground story contained 5-10-and-25-cent stores, beginning with the fourth Woolworth store in Manhattan (1900-28), acclaimed at its opening “the largest ten-cent store in the world.” This space was later a store for F. & W. Grand, H.L. Green, and McCrory. The upper stories were leased for over eight decades for show rooms and manufacturing by various firms related to the textile and sporting goods industries, as well as a gymnasium and classrooms for the Delehanty Institute (1930-63), which trained candidates of the Police and Fire Departments. The building currently contains a drugstore, while the upper stories are used as an annex to the Parsons School of Design.”
A bit surprising to see Goodwill pop up here at a time when everything is skewing high-end, but here it is, in the former location of the much-missed Metro Drugs.
A report:
In honor of Barack Obama’s 100th day in office, an artist has painted what is just one more rendering of Obama as Jesus Christ complete with crown of thorns. ‘The Truth’ will be unveiled on April 29th in Union Square in New York City. No, it’s not some clever blogger’s photoshop or cartoon. It’s a real painting by artist Michael D’Antuono and it’s called ‘The Truth’ in honor of Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office.
The acrylic painting depicts The One appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross with a crown of thorns on his head. He is opening the curtain (much like biblical symbolism of ‘the curtain ripping’ at the crucifixion) revealing the Presidential Seal.
The popular artist, insists he isn’t claiming The One is Messiah, but only inviting ‘individual interpretations’ of his painting. And he generally paints non-political subjects, but felt the need to make a statement.
Once on display in Union Square, the painting will be seen by one viewer at a time behind a voting booth-inspired set up. Kitschy!
New Yorkers go to Union Square for various reasons. Whether it be to peruse the farmer’s market, doing a little shopping, or just to catch their next train, but on Thursday, June 27 you can also get a free HIV test. To mark National HIV Testing Day, the Community Healthcare Network (CHN) will provide all-day free HIV tests and Hepatitis C screenings, as well as meningitis vaccines.
The HIV tests take 20 minutes for the results, so to make the wait more bearable there will be free massages, snacks, life-coaching, and stretching workshops while you wait. The CHN’s mobile van will be in the park from 9am-5pm, so stop by to find out your status, and get your meningitis vaccine before the weekend’s Pride festivities!
Your reporter visited an open house at 15 Union Square West. The verdict: the ceilings are incredibly high and the windows are huge. Fixtures are fantastic although overdesigned for someone with more sedate tastes. The most interesting feature: an interior atrium complete with 19th century ironwork and a skylight that will be restored. Incredible to see it. The big problem: these apartments are insanely expensive.
