Latest New School Construction Update

The 14th st. YMCA has been spruced up.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has been doing some reconnaissance to find out what exactly developer Billy Macklowe has planned for his new condo building that will replace Village icon Bowlmor Lanes, and what they’ve found has not heartened them: “[The building] will take the form of a short base with retail uses coming out to the streetwall, and a very tall, narrow, residential tower rising above it. At approximately 308 feet in height, this will be one of the tallest, if not the tallest, buildings in the Village. Apparently Mr. Macklowe has told elected officials that the building will be limestone rather than glass or steel

What used to be a fur shop is now Petco. Somehow appropriate.

In Union Square Park, the 16th Street transverse and eastern plaza are now open to pedestrians, complete with additional park benches along the north sides of the transverse. New asphalt pavers and crushed bluestone allow the stately elm trees along the transverse to thrive while removing the previous trip hazard, and the entrance to the center lawn is now accessible to wheelchairs. The park’s new and expanded 15,000-square-foot play space is nearing completion with Parks Department final site inspections scheduled in the next few weeks. Soon, area kids will have endless hours of fun in this creative, colorful and beautifully landscaped play space designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The North End Project is 91% complete and the remainder of the project, including new restroom facilities and the Pavilion, are expected to be finished by the end of the year.

New near Union Square, SONA reimagines the wonders of Indian fare in a space that evokes a bygone era of a boisterous yet elegant India—all within the heart of New York City. Visit at 36 East 20th St.

The upscaling of 14th St. continues just three doors down, where Le Petit Belge has opened. Stop in for a Belgian waffle. $3.50 is a bit pricey for what’s essentially a zeppole, but they are pretty good, and who would have ever thought we’d have a takeout place on our block that features not one but six crystal chandeliers? New York magazine says: “When the waffles-to-go kiosk that Belgian expats Maor Livni and Greg Galel had planned for Logan Airport was nixed by a security-crazed fire marshal, the partners transplanted the business to Manhattan, where they’ve converted the former Tavalon tea shop into Le Petit Belge. A shrine of sorts to all things Belgian—or at least to Liège waffles, various imported chocolates, and paper cones full of mini-pancakes they call “poffys”—the shop takes a cannily ecumenical approach to New York snack food. That’s why it also serves frozen yogurt, provided by Berrywild, and rugalach made with Callebaut chocolate. And tea drinkers will still find the Tavalon line, in hot, frozen, and bubble varieties.”