New Thai to University and 11th

The New School says of its upcoming building:

“Although gardens are rare in a place as densely built as Manhattan, the designers of the University Center found room for a front lawn of sorts: On the setback between the seventh and eighth floors will sit the Green Roof, carpeted with a leafy green flower called sedum. And in true New School fashion, the Green Roof’s purpose is interdisciplinary, providing both decoration and a boost to sustainability. The sedum plantings help cool and heat the center by providing an extra layer of sustainable insulation. Further, sedum allows the roof to absorb 40 percent of the rain falling on the building, which reduces impact on the city’s water system. The Green Roof, which is just one part of an overall water conservation strategy for the University Center, will reduce the building’s potable water usage by 74 percent and sewer discharge by 89 percent.”

Next week (September 23 to September 27), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building. Additionally we will be using a lift on the sidewalk to wash the exterior of the building.

The following week (September 30 to October 4), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, September 21st for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

Here is a photo of 5th Avenue looking north at 14th St. sometime in the 1940s. Note that 5th Avenue was a two-way street at the time.

Read this excellent post at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York to learn the complete history of the doomed building at 61Fifth Ave. on the corner of 13th.

Thanks to Charles Stimson we are gifted with six more images of yesteryear. This one shows the east side of Fifth Ave. at 13th St. See Schrafft’s on the corner, which is now the burned out deli? Remember that you can double click on all these images to get a much closer look at some of the detail. The views of 14th St. are especially interesting. The trucks, the signs, the decorative cornices, including the one on our building . Enjoy.

I write to remind all that the lower 8 floors of this building are still a construction site which is regulated by the Department of Buildings. New School has heard your complaints but at this time we do not control this site. It is our hope that when we take over the building we can make some necessary changes. The University Center is a LEED building with many energy saving designs incorporated into the building so that we will be good neighbors.

Next week (December 23rd to December 27th ), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building. (Site closed on Christmas)

The following week (December 30th to January 3rd ), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors (Site closed on New Year’s Day)

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday and Sunday, December 21st and 22nd for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 7PM as permitted by the City.