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Fredi Sandwich Bar, Now Open
ByDonYou’ll find it on 12th St. just west of University. Early reviews are great (although likely phony).
Twitter Gets a “Save Union Sq.” Feed
ByDonTwitter fans go here:
http://twitter.com/SaveUnionSqNYCWe Are Surrounded by SO MUCH History
ByDonThe Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has published a fantastic online photographic tour of all the historically important buildings in our neighborhood…. including our own building. So much fascinating history. The underlying message…. a lot of this history is constantly under threat.
Union Square Babies ‘r’ Us Is Closing
ByDonToy store chain Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy protection last September, and it has been downhill ever since. Today, the company informed 33,000 employees it would be selling or closing all of its 700 U.S. stores, according to published reports. In addition, Toys “R” Us said today it would close its 75 remaining stores in the U.K., CNN reported, after failing to find a buyer to save it from insolvency administration, which is similar to bankruptcy. (It already closed 25 stores in Britain.) Stores in New York State include a Babies “R” Us at 24-30 Union Square East and a Babies “R” Us at 139-19 20th Avenue in College Point, Queens.
86 University Place Seemed Doomed
ByDonReports are coming in that 86 University Place is likely doomed. More condos ahead? Here’s some history on the lovely old building:
“The structure, built as a single-family house ca. 1840 with alterations in the 1880s and 1919, captures some of the great currents of New York and Greenwich Village history. One of its earliest owners and occupants was one of the 19th century’s great philanthropists, involved in founding, expanding, or managing the New York Public Library, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Historical Society, the nation’s first chronic disease hospital, and the city’s first library for women. Later it was the residence and business place of one of the city’s most prominent and successful German immigrant families, when NYC had the largest German-speaking population of any city outside Berlin or Vienna. And in the 20th century it was home to The Royalist operated by “Mayor of Greenwich Village” Barney Gallant, the first New Yorker prosecuted for violating Prohibition, and The Bagatelle, one of the most prominent pre-Stonewall lesbian bars, frequented by writers Audrey Lorde and Ann Bannon.”
Here’s the plan:
The proposed 193-foot-tall development will yield 16,806 square feet, with 15,213 square feet designated for residential space and 1,593 square feet for commercial space. The building will have seven residences, most likely condos based on the average unit scope of 2,173 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar.
There’s much more about the history HERE.




