Latest New School Construction Update

Carnival, the nightclub atop Bowlmor Lanes, will be transformed into a mini-golf nightclub called The Greenwich Village Country Club in October.

This image looks south on 6th Avenue from 14th St. in 1909. It’s hard to imagine a time when there were so many elevated trains.

Next week (August 8 to August 12), 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. Interior core foundation work will proceed. The following week (August 15 to August 19 ), we will continue with concrete foundation walls, line drilling, rock excavation, loading out,and interior core foundation work & underground plumbing. DEP will continue to work on the water main along 13th Street. The site will be open on Saturday, August 6th. 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.

According to a report from Crain’s New York:

Foot traffic is stepping up in Union Square. The area now sees 11% more visitors on summer Fridays than it did in 2012, according to a recent survey conducted by the Union Square Partnership, the neighborhood’s business improvement district. After counting pedestrians and using data from subway turnstiles, the BID estimates that 383,000 people are in Union Square on a Greenmarket Friday.

“Union Square has it all,” crowed Jennifer Falk, executive director of the BID, in a statement, referring to the park, transit options, shops and the Greenmarket.

In recent months, the neighborhood has also drawn a variety of retailers—from Brooklyn doughnut shop Dough to classic outdoor-clothing brand Eddie Bauer. E-commerce brand Rent the Runway also set up a showroom in the area last fall. According to the BID, Union Square has a ground-floor retail vacancy rate of 2.9%, though several spaces are currently on the market.

Retail rents in the area are pricey and rising. Dylan’s Candy Bar signed a deal for 3,300 square feet at 33 Union Square West, a spot formerly held by Puma, for $545 a square foot in the fall, for example. Such rents have pushed out several longtime retailers, including Union Square Café. The Danny Meyer-owned restaurant announced over the summer it will be vacating its space on East 16th Street after three decades. When Mr. Meyer opened the eatery in 1985, he reportedly paid around $50,000 a year in rent—that price has jumped to $650,000.

Summer in the Square has kicked off with Thursday night events. See the list here.

All gone.