Get Him to the Greek
Signage indicates that a new, and rather large, Greek restaurant will be setting up shop on the east side of University Place around 10th Street.
Construction of the glassy turtle shell-shaped dome on top of Union Square’s landmarked Tammany Hall building is officially underway. The building at 44 Union Square, formerly home to NYC’s Democratic party machine, is being transformed into modern office and retail space. New construction photos provided to 6sqft show the start of the unconventional dome’s installation, with the diagonally intersecting glass and steel now visible from the street. The political organization of Tammany Hall formed in New York City in the late 18th century and helped Democrats control city and state politics for decades. After a few different headquarter locations, the society landed in a building on East 17th Street and Union Square. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union bought the building in 1943. Other tenants have included the New York Film Academy and the Union Square Theatre. Designed by BKSK Architects, the redevelopment project consists of a gut renovation and the addition of four stories of retail space in the building’s base, with three levels of office space on the upper levels, including inside the dome. The architects designed the glass dome as an ode to the turtle which Lenape Chief Tamanend stands upon on a Philadelphia statue. Tammany Hall was named after the leader. According to the firm, the dome is “meant to be both evocative and respectful of the building’s past while also bringing architectural spectacle to this rather staid corner of Union Square.” BKSK first submitted plans to revamp the historic building in 2014. After the project was approved a year later by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, developer Reading International secured $57.5 million in financing. Renovations began in 2016. The dome features a framework of intersecting glass and steel, manufactured by German-based firm Gartner. There’s no doubt the top floor will not only be drenched in natural light but also offer unique views of Union Square and beyond.
The Girl Scout troop serving girls in the city’s homeless shelters that captivated New Yorkers last year will be selling cookies again in Union Square this week.
Troop 6000 will hold its cookie sale at Kellogg’s NYC Cafe, where members had their successful inaugural sale last year. Long lines quickly formed as news spread about the troop, and the girls ended up selling 36,000 boxes.
This year, the troop has a goal of selling 60,000 boxes. The girls will be at the store from 1 to 6 p.m. on April 22 to April 26.
The troop started at a homeless shelter in Queens in 2017, but grew to include hundreds of girls at 15 shelters across the five boroughs, the city announced last year. The troop is led by women and mothers also living in homeless shelters and holds meetings every week at the participating shelters.
Tim Horton’s donut shop is taking shape on Union Square East at the former Zen Palate location. In case you don’t know, Tim’s is the Dunkin Donuts of Canada. Instead of Munchkins, they have TimBits.
For the next two weeks, through May 6, the New School reports that construction will be basically “more of the same.” In other words, they’re still digging the hole.
From the Union Square Partnership:
Union Square Partnership invites you to share your opinion about our work in our 2023 Annual Community Opinion Survey. Your feedback helps us better understand our community’s priorities and perceptions of the Union Square-14th Street neighborhood and plan for future projects. The survey will be open until 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 24th, 2023. It takes about 10 minutes.
Survey participants will be entered for a chance to win one of six (6) $50 gift certificates from one of the following neighborhood businesses:
The Survey is Here: https://www.unionsquarenyc.org/2023-community-survey.
Thank you for your participation! Your feedback is invaluable.
Sincerely,
Union Square Partnership Team