The First Earth Day in Union Sq. Contd.

ByDon

Here’s a groovy photo of a groovy chick planting flowers in Union Square on the first Earth Day, 40 years ago. Funny to think she’s over 60 years old now.

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  • Latest New School Construction Update

    ByDon

    Next week (April 8 to April 12), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building as well as roof work. We will be work on the new sidewalks around the building as well and plan on completing the 14th street side by the end of the week.

    The following week (April 15 to April 19), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors and roofs as well as sidewalk work. Additionally we plan to begin removing the sidewalk shed along 5th ave.

    This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, April 6th for interior, superstructure, sidewalk, and hoist removal related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

  • Union Square Partnership Survey

    ByDon

    From the Union Square Partnership:

    Union Square Partnership invites you to share your opinion about our work in our 2023 Annual Community Opinion Survey. Your feedback helps us better understand our community’s priorities and perceptions of the Union Square-14th Street neighborhood and plan for future projects. The survey will be open until 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 24th, 2023. It takes about 10 minutes.Survey participants will be entered for a chance to win one of six (6) $50 gift certificates from one of the following neighborhood businesses: 

    • Books of Wonder
    • Café Salmagundi
    • Caffè Panna
    • Fishs Eddy
    • Sweet Chick
    • Urbanspace Union Square Food Hall

    The Survey is Here:  https://www.unionsquarenyc.org/2023-community-survey. Thank you for your participation! Your feedback is invaluable.Sincerely,Union Square Partnership Team

  • A Bit More About 12 East 13th St.

    ByDon

    From the NY TIMES:

    As bikes abound and roads grow narrower, New York can seem to be turning its back on cars. The rapid disappearance of gas stations may not be helping things either.

    Parking garages are befalling similar fates, which may not be that surprising: Often humdrum, and built for function, they rarely seem to be the focus of preservation efforts, and developers have long eyed their sites for their potential.

    But in Greenwich Village, two garages are being incorporated into condo developments, at 12 East 13th Street, with eight units, and 17 East 12th Street, with nine.

    On East 13th, near Fifth Avenue, DHA Capital and Continental Properties are at work on a garage once used mainly by Hertz, the rental car company, which also had a ground-floor office. With eight floors, the garage was built in 1930, before modern zoning laws were imposed on the low-slung area, limiting height.

    Indeed, had the developers torn down the garage and built new, it is doubtful that a new structure could have been as bulky as what is there now, which meant converting was a better option, said Dan Hollander, DHA’s managing principal.

    Still, the developers could shift some things around; by shaving off the back of the building and adding that mass to the top, they were able to boost the height to 12 stories.

    Other alternations are needed. The windows were not big enough for residential use, so they are being enlarged, as the building also gains a new facade, Mr. Hollander said. But starting with a foundation and walls cut some construction costs on the $75 million project, he added; similarly, the condo will take less time to complete, about 16 months, versus 24 months for ground-up construction.

    DHA is also keeping a parking area, but for 11 cars, not 100 as before, and just on the second floor. Residents will drive into the original bay, then a robotic lift will pick up the vehicle and stow it.

    Starting at $7.5 million for a three-bedroom, the units went on sale in April, although no contracts had been signed by late June.

    An almost identical game plan is being followed on East 12th Street, where Rigby Asset Management is removing walls and floors from the back of the eight-story building to allow it to grow to 11 stories, giving apartments more light and air. There, too, a floor will be kept for parking, on the ground floor, for nine cars; and the same automated apparatus as at East 13th Street will serve as attendant. The nine condos, most of which have four bedrooms, are much pricier, however, starting at $14 million. Sales began at the end of June.

    “You get column-free space and tall ceilings,” said Peter Armstrong, Rigby’s managing partner, who previously converted a garage at 73 Wooster Street into a six-unit condo. “You feel like an artist with a blank canvas.”