New Old View of Union Square

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. 

The Center for Jewish Society, at 15 East 16th St., will be presenting a very special exhibit, beginning on January 27th.

For the first time in history, the Anne Frank House will present a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the Annex, where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jewish inhabitants spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

Anne Frank The Exhibition gives visitors of all ages the chance to learn about Anne Frank, not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. More than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, including several never-before-exhibited artifacts, help to convey the context that shaped Anne’s life, death and posthumous fame. Her diary is one of the most translated books in the world.

Order tickets here. 

From the NY Times:

The latest record store to close in New York is a big one: the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Following its announcement last month that the Times Square Megastore would close down in April, Virgin Entertainment Group North America will shut down the Union Square shop in late May or early June, a spokeswoman said, confirming a report in Billboard. Virgin will also close its Market Street store in San Francisco in April. The New York closures will leave Manhattan without a large-scale record store. Thousands of music retailers have shut down in recent years as CD sales have plunged, and Virgin has been closing most of its locations around the country since it was bought by the real estate companies Vornado and Related in 2007, but its high-traffic New York stores were said to be profitable.

Next week (July 15 to July 19), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building. We will be working on the new sidewalk around the building on 13th st. Additionally we will be working on the roofs of the building.

The following week (July 22 to July 26), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors as well as sidewalk work.
This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, July 13th for interior, roof, and sidewalk activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

After nearly two and a half years since Dryden Gallery moved out, 129 Fourth Ave. is getting a new full-time tenant.

The Post reports that the first U.S. outpost of Mi Garba (“I like it” in Italian!) is opening here just south of East 13th Street.

And what will they sell?

“The flagship 1,000 square-foot space, at 129 Fourth Ave., will include a restaurant with 10 tables. There will also be Tuscan food and wine for sale along with a boutique offering fashion items, including custom-made shirts and jackets.”

Please note that the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders for 7-11 East 13^th Street Tenants Corp. will be held on Tuesday, December 3^rd at 6:00PM. The meeting will be held at Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue located at 11 East 11^th Street, New York, NY 10003.  A formal notice of the meeting will follow.

The primary purpose of the meeting is to elect the Board of Directors for the upcoming year. If you are interested in running for a seat on the Board, please submit a short synopsis or bio outlining your qualifications and desire to run for the Board of Directors. You may send this information to Mecca White at Mwhite@akam.com no later than Friday, November 1, 2024, so that your name may appear on the ballot.

We look forward to your participation at the Annual Meeting.