Shape Up for Free in the Park

Eater reports:

The 40-year-old icon Gotham Bar and Grill has shuttered again — this time for good. Earlier this year, it was the victim of a cyberattack in which it lost $45,000. “The restaurant could not claw back from the theft,” owner Cassandra Csencsitz said of the decision not to reopen. “The goal was to go back to our investors to reopen this fall, and time just kept going by until it became clear we could not reopen this fall or for the holidays. It is over,” she told writer Andrea Strong. This is the second permanent shutter since 2020, with Gotham closing permanently the first round in 2020 — after 36 years — before reopening in 2021. In 2019, Victoria Blamey took over the kitchen from longtime chef Alfred Portale. Chef Ron Paprocki, a former Gotham pastry chef, most recently led the kitchen.

The north end of Union Square Park will soon look a lot better. 21 trees are on the way.

Next week (January 23 to January 27), Superstructure work will continue at and 3rd, 4th and 5th floor levels. All sidewalk sheds around the site have been opened up.

The following week (January 30 to February 3), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs on 4th and 5th floor levels.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, January 21st for superstructure related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels within the site, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork and concrete, plumbing and electrical work, rebar for concrete placement, using the crane and equipment to support all activities. Safety horns are used, and required by law, to coordinate lifting with the crane and to alert the workers of the danger overhead. We have directed the operators to limit the use of horns to one short sounding and to use the crane later in the day so as to avoid any excess noise.

In addition to the normal work this Saturday we will be installing the main auditorium trusses at the 3rd floor level. During the installation 13th St. will be closed as well as some lanes on 5th Ave. Pedestrian traffic will also be temporarily closed on the east side of 5th ave. for safety during the lifts.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you.

Jane R. Crotty
Senior Vice President
George Arzt Communications, Inc.
123 William Street, 22nd Fl.
New York, NY 10038
T (212) 608-0333

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.

From Crain’s New York Business:

The P.C. Richard & Son store near Union Square is going the way of the cathode ray television set and VCRs.

The city’s Economic Development Corp. has announced a request for proposals to redevelop a city-owned site at 124 E. 14th St. that for the past 19 years has been home to a two-level building occupied by the electronics and appliance store.

The EDC is encouraging developers to pitch projects that include new office space for booming industries in the neighborhood, such as technology and creative businesses. According to the city’s guidelines, the development could provide fledgling companies with the space to get started and also a location for young but established firms to transition from incubator and co-working spaces that have sprouted around the city into their own digs.

Proposals may also include residential space, although a spokesman for the city said the EDC’s goal is an office-focused development. Current zoning on the site, however, would seem to encourage a residential component. About 140,000 square feet of housing can be built at the address versus about 93,00 square feet of commercial space. A project could be a blend of the two.

Midtown South has become the city’s hottest office market, with space in the vicinity of Union Square especially popular for its access to transit, shopping, restaurants and tony residential neighborhoods.

“The current site of the PC Richard store will serve as a new tech hub in Union Square, capitalizing on the academic and transit advantages offered by the neighborhood and its proximity to the Flatiron district,” said Maria Torres-Springer, president of the EDC, in a statement. “This is just one example of how we are finding creative uses for the assets we have in a city where space is harder and harder to come by.”

Bids for the property are due by February, the spokesman said, which is the same month that P.C. Richard’s lease is set to expire.

Soon to arrive at Union Square West and 17th: Portland, Oregon’s Voodoo Doughnut.