Virgin Liquidation Has Begun

As you’re well aware, the demolition and construction of The New School site at 65 Fifth Avenue is well underway. On Thursday, The New School revealed for the first time the official design of the building, which includes some of the elements from its earliest sketches, such as the exposed staircases, but is different in two notable ways: the building is smaller than originally planned, and it is partially class in brass, rather than entirely in glass.

The building is being constructed as of right. There is no more debate over design or size. This is pretty much what we’re going to see: a university hub of about 16 stories with eight floors of campus space topped by a smaller eight floors of dormitory housing for 600 students.

To get caught up on what the building looks like and see many photos of the model, click here.

To read the somewhat positive New York Times architecture critic’s review, click here.

A neighbor attended the public viewing of the model and came away with some great facts:

–The loading dock is on 13th street at the eastern most corner of the lot.

–The main entrance to the building is on the southwest corner. This is for everything except the dormitories.

–The dormitory entrance is on 5th avenue, about 1/3 of the way down from 14th street.

–The northern 1/3 of the building at street level is retail – no word on what though.

–Directly above the retail is a cafeteria. It looks like seating for 300, which makes sense considering the 600 person dormitory.

–The dormitory floors are set back on all sides, and shaped in a ‘C’ with a light well on the eastern side of the stack. They are four bed suites, with kitchenettes in them.

–The set-back between the lower and upper halves is a green roof, and they say that for liability reasons it will not be open to the general building population. Pressing on this, and the answer was that while the green roof hasn’t been engineered yet, it is likely going to be possible to have foot traffic on it and will perhaps be open to supervised use (during a class, or for an experiment of some kind). (So no midnight keg parties, we hope.)

The green roof is at the level of 7 East 13^th St/10 East 14^th St, so about the same height as our roof.

— It looks like it’s designed to keep students inside the building, and not loitering on the street. The canopies are small, and the doors aren’t inset, so there isn’t any natural gathering space just outside on the sidewalk.

We hope that this brings everyone up to date on a project that will be a big part of the pulse of the neighborhood for the next two years….and beyond.

What the cluck? Roast Kitchen is gone.

They are dropping like flies. Goodbye to Nanoosh, Nix, Blue Stripes, Le Midi (in our building) Le Maison de Croque Monsieur, and more. What will replace them?

The Times reports that Jackson Diner on University Place will be replaced by Nix, a high-end vegetarian restaurant. Gentrification by carrots.

As per the Governor’s Executive Order issued April 15, everyone is required to wear face covering in the form of a mask, scarf, or other reliable protection of the nose and mouth while in public.  Also, every building occupant is to wear face covering while you are within any common area of the building including hallways, stairwells, elevator, lobby, laundry room, etc.

Most shareholders/owners are signed up for online payment of maintenance/common charges.  We strongly encourage those who are not already signed up to please contact your AKAM Management Executive for additional information.

Below are a few other reminders and best practices (as applicable to your building):

• Continue notifying your AKAM Mgt. Executive should anyone in your household test positive
• Essential repairs within apartments/units will be made in accordance to COVID-19 protocols
• We will advise when restrictions on renovations are lifted
• Be mindful of noise emanating from your apartment/unit to avoid disturbance to your neighbors
• Be aware of potential impostors/scams looking to gain access into your apartment/unit
• Continue practicing social distancing everywhere

Please see the following COVID-19 related links you may find helpful:

CDC.gov – COVID-19 Updates and Best Practices / NYC.Gov – COVID-19 Updates and Best Practices

As the New York Pause period now extends through May 15, 2020, we have listed various types of stay-at-home things to do which may interest you:

• The New York Philharmonic has launched “NY Phil Plays On”. It is a new free digital portal streaming 150 hours of free performances online.  Go to www.nyphil.org/playson to watch.
• Nowadays is streaming virtual DJ sets every night live from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM.  Go to www.nowadays.nyc/stream for disco beats, tutorials and deep-listening sessions.
• The New York Public Library is offering more than 30,000 free titles available to download on their app SimplyE.  You need to be a New York City resident with a library card which you can apply for on SimplyE.  Go to www.nypl.org.com for details.
• The Tribeca Film Festival will be releasing 15 free VR films starting on April 17^th.  They will be available on Oculus Quest and Oculus Go headsets.  Go to www.tribecafilm.com for details.
• The Metropolitan Opera is offering free online performances.  Every day a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is released. Go to www.metopera.org to watch.
• The Children’s Museum of the Arts is offering a free online series. These free interactive sessions take place over Zoom and invite children of all ages to participate in sing-a-longs, create their own artwork and explore creative movement. Go to www.cmany.org for more information.
• BroadwayHD is currently offering a free seven-day trial. You can enjoy Broadway classics like “Cats”, “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music”. Go to www.brodawayhd.com to register.
• Headspace is offering free sleep, meditation, and movement exercises. Visit www.headspace.com/ny for details.
• Taste Buds is hosting free online cooking classes every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00PM using basic pantry supplies you likely have in the house. The classes are for adults and kids to cook together. Go to www.tastebudskitchen/cooking-club to enroll.
• Visit Timeout NYC – At home entertainment / City Guide NY – At home entertainment for updates!

Please join us in continuing to thank all building staff members for their continued hard-work and dedication.  We would also like to thank all building volunteers, including members of the Board, for their valuable time and input.