The very expensive new condo at 64 University Place will eventually have a very expensive bakery at street level. Dominique Ansel, inventor of the cronut, is bringing his talents to the street at Papa D’amour. Read all about it here.
Souen, the slightly funky smelling organic/vegan/macrobiotic restaurant on the other side of 13th St., has closed for what it says will be a months-long renovation. Will it return? Only time will tell.
It looks like our local BID wants to stretch its boundaries as improvements to Union Square and 14th St. continue to be planned.
“Next week (August 1 to August 5), Contractors will continue to excavate earth and rock, and load out material. Installation of bracing rakers, line drilling, lagging and sheeting around the perimeter will progress as well. Concrete foundation walls will continue along the perimeter of the site. Final adjustments to the access ramp within the site are ongoing. As early as Thursday, July 28th, the construction fence along the North end Fifth Avenue will be relocated to the curb line with pedestrians diverted to a walkway in the street as approved by the Department of Transportation. The following week (August 8 to August 12 ), we will continue with concrete foundation walls, line drilling, rock excavation, and loading out, as well as lagging and sheeting. DEP will continue to work on the water main along 13th Street. The site will be open on Saturday, July 30th. Work hours are between 9AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork and rebar for concrete placement, wood lagging, and installation of walers and braces. There will be no rock excavation, rock chopping, or hauling on Saturday.”
Later this year, Capital One will open a new banking concept in New York City’s Union Square with a large café, operated by Peet’s Coffee, and an upstairs lounge that will function as a communal work space, complete with free Wi-Fi.
Not unlike the Apple Store, the bank will serve customers with mobile tellers, who will have iPads on which they will handle transactions, rather than the standard glass window setup.
The bank already operates a number of Capital One 360 Cafés, where customers are invited to enjoy coffee while they learn about ways to manage their finances, but the upcoming location takes a page from the rising popularity of communal office spaces, which are increasingly common in New York City.
The basement of the café at 853 Broadway will be used as a classroom. Customers can take courses on mortgage financing and other topics.
The elevated café concept is expected to expand beyond Union Square; the bank is reportedly already looking to open a location in the SoHo neighborhood, but a deal has not yet been made.
The Union Square Partnership (which is our business improvement district) has come up with a sweeping five-point plan to help the neighborhood bounce back after COVID. Check it out.
Reyna, the new restaurant that is taking over the Le Midi space in our building on the 13th St. side, is now about seven months late, but work is proceeding quickly. You may have noticed they have already installed not one, not two, but EIGHT AC units and fans on the roof of the courtyard, and we can only imagine what they will sound like when they all turn on. Such is life in the big city. To learn more about Reyna, which originated in Toronto, visit their Web site.
