Ariston Flowers Has a Lovely Cafe

Permits have been filed to build a 12-story 29-unit building at 34 Union Square East. The proposed 124-foot-tall building will have 29,390 square feet of residential space and 1,555 square feet of commercial space. The site formerly held a TGIF restaurant and then the Spacious co-working space. It has been vacant for six years.

Here’s a very old and undated photo of Union Square West. The 1842 building at 35 Union Square West that currently houses Barn Joo is one of the neighborhood’s oldest structures.

With rooms starting at $529 (rack rate), you probably can’t afford to stay at the new Hyatt Union Square when it opens, but perhaps you can check out one of its restaurants or bars:

THE FOURTH: The Fourth, an all-day American Brasserie serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch provides straightforward high-quality items with surprising accents. A chic European style espresso bar, located at its entrance, will offer a comfortable casual place to enjoy our signature coffee – Café Quatrième – pastries and nibbles. Soaring ceilings and wide open-air French doors allow streams of light to fill the room.

SINGL LOUNGE: A full service bar and lounge featuring an extensive single malt scotch selection and single vineyard wine by the glass selection. An exciting place to gather during the day and evening.

KITCHEN AND WINE GALLERY: A vibrant venue for your next gathering. This versatile space features an open kitchen and hearth connecting you and your guests to our team of chefs. This venue features a New York approach to South American Dining combining progressive Latin sounds with warm succulent scents. Glowing wine displays and decanting stations will enhance the beverage aspect of your experience. Cutting edge art throughout the space reflects the art scene of Greenwich Village and Union Square.

Next week (October 31 to November 4), Contractors will finish excavating and loading out material. Concrete foundation walls and slab on grade work will conclude as well as underground electrical and plumbing work. DOT approved street connections to underground utilities on Fifth Avenue will progress. Superstructure work will continue at cellar, 1st, and 2nd floor levels.

The following week (November 7 to November 11), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs. Street utility connection work will continue. A sidewalk shed will be erected around the perimeter of the site, subject to DOB approval, to protect pedestrians from superstructure work.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, October 29 for foundation and superstructure related activities between the work hours of 9AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels within the site, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork, plumbing and electrical work, waterproofing and rebar for concrete placement and use of the crane and equipment to support all activities. We may pour a section of slab on grade concrete on Saturday. There will be no rock excavation or rock chopping.

The newest Citibank branch, at 14th and Broadway, is supposed to be a “flagship” and a model for future bank brances, with hotel-lobby-like amenities and a clubby feeling. Enjoy.

From the NY TIMES:

As bikes abound and roads grow narrower, New York can seem to be turning its back on cars. The rapid disappearance of gas stations may not be helping things either.

Parking garages are befalling similar fates, which may not be that surprising: Often humdrum, and built for function, they rarely seem to be the focus of preservation efforts, and developers have long eyed their sites for their potential.

But in Greenwich Village, two garages are being incorporated into condo developments, at 12 East 13th Street, with eight units, and 17 East 12th Street, with nine.

On East 13th, near Fifth Avenue, DHA Capital and Continental Properties are at work on a garage once used mainly by Hertz, the rental car company, which also had a ground-floor office. With eight floors, the garage was built in 1930, before modern zoning laws were imposed on the low-slung area, limiting height.

Indeed, had the developers torn down the garage and built new, it is doubtful that a new structure could have been as bulky as what is there now, which meant converting was a better option, said Dan Hollander, DHA’s managing principal.

Still, the developers could shift some things around; by shaving off the back of the building and adding that mass to the top, they were able to boost the height to 12 stories.

Other alternations are needed. The windows were not big enough for residential use, so they are being enlarged, as the building also gains a new facade, Mr. Hollander said. But starting with a foundation and walls cut some construction costs on the $75 million project, he added; similarly, the condo will take less time to complete, about 16 months, versus 24 months for ground-up construction.

DHA is also keeping a parking area, but for 11 cars, not 100 as before, and just on the second floor. Residents will drive into the original bay, then a robotic lift will pick up the vehicle and stow it.

Starting at $7.5 million for a three-bedroom, the units went on sale in April, although no contracts had been signed by late June.

An almost identical game plan is being followed on East 12th Street, where Rigby Asset Management is removing walls and floors from the back of the eight-story building to allow it to grow to 11 stories, giving apartments more light and air. There, too, a floor will be kept for parking, on the ground floor, for nine cars; and the same automated apparatus as at East 13th Street will serve as attendant. The nine condos, most of which have four bedrooms, are much pricier, however, starting at $14 million. Sales began at the end of June.

“You get column-free space and tall ceilings,” said Peter Armstrong, Rigby’s managing partner, who previously converted a garage at 73 Wooster Street into a six-unit condo. “You feel like an artist with a blank canvas.”