Archives: Union Square 1849

At one time it was the ONLY Barnes & Noble, and now it’s done.

Our students have moved into the dormitory which is on the top eight floors with its own entrance. The first day of classes was August 26th and a new semester is now underway. It is anticipated that the academic portion of the building (first eight floors) will be completed in time for this year’s second semester. We will keep you posted. Some of you can see our green roof which is also an exciting addition.

Next week (September 9 to September 13), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building.

The following week (September 16 to September 20), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.

The holiday shopping season kicks off in November with the opening of the popular Union Square Holiday Market, operated by Urban Space Management.  The market is open every day from Wednesday, November 25th through Wednesday, December 24th with the exception of Thanksgiving. Be sure to stop by for a variety of unique items including handcrafted jewelry, fine art, clothes, handmade ornaments, and toys for kids of all ages. Market hours are Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 8 PM; Saturdays, 10 AM to 8 PM; Sundays, 11 AM to 7 PM; and 10 AM to 4 PM on Christmas Eve. Don’t forget to stop by the Holiday Market Information Booth to pick up coupons for special discounts at over 20 Union Square restaurants and eateries.

Our new neighbor Ann Roth tells us about this incredible image of the 14th St. building that she dug up:

“I found the image on the web, where someone was selling a hand-colored print of the 14th Street facade, from a magazine that dates to 1891. So it clearly dates to that year (or earlier), not 1899, as all the real estate ads say. I ordered it, and they immediately took it off their site, so I can’t send you the link, but I copied the image first, so I’ve attached it. I must say, I wish it still had the fancy spire. The architects were D’Oench & Simon. Albert D’Oench studied in New York and Stuttgart, and then worked for Robert Morris Hunt (who designed the Metropolitan Museum’s facade) for a while. He was the NY Inspector of Buildings for five years, which seems to have mainly involved fire safety. After that, he had a successful architectural partnership with Albert (or Bernard?) Simon, and they designed and built several fire stations in New York. D’Oench later married the mayor’s daughter. Clearly a man with good connections. The plan calls it a “store building,” built it for Mrs. Mary S. Van Beuren, who was the granddaughter and heir of Henry Spingler (who I think has a building on Union Square named after him). She lived nearby, on 14th Street, just west of 5th, and seems to have been a bit of a sharp customer, to judge from some of the legal tussles I found when I searched her name on Google.”

Karaoke Boho has struggled to open at the old Crunch location on East 13th St. for six months. Now a slight change: in addition to karaoke, the store is offering a full Korean restaurant, some competition for the adorable Do Sirak on our block.

NYU, which will lease it back to Forbes for five years before moving in.