14th St. in 1899, Our Building in the Background

Next week (January 21 to January 25), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building as well as roof work. Additionally we will begin work on the new sidewalks around the building. The site will be closed for the holiday on Monday, the 21st.

The following week (January 28 to February 1), Material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors and roofs as well as sidewalk work.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, January 19th for interior and superstructure related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

A major renovation is coming to the former Tammany Hall headquarters in Union Square where owners want to put a new glass dome over the landmarked building and demolish a theater to make way for retail and office space, the project’s architects said.

The historic structure at 44 Union Square East, built in 1929 to house the Democratic Party machine, will undergo a major overhaul that will restore the facade, gut the existing theater and add windows and glassier storefronts, according to BKSK Architects which is designing the project.

The most striking change will be a new 30-foot glass dome on top of the building, which will add about 27,000 square feet to the structure and will house office space, according to Harry Kendall, a partner at BKSK.

“Our effort is…to make it a more distinctive destination and presence on Union Square,” Kendall said. “We think we can make this building into something it never was.”

After hearing a presentation about the proposal this week, Community Board 5’s Landmarks Committee voted unanimously to reject it, saying the changes would be too drastic for an historic building that was just landmarked last year.

“While I like the way it looks — can you put something like this on a landmarked building?” said Edward Klimerman, a committee member. “It turns it into a different building.”

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a landmark in June 2013, noting its references to early American architecture, including Colonial columns out front. The building’s design drew inspiration from the original Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan, where George Washington took his first oath of office.

The Villager reports:

This year has witnessed many milestones in the ongoing renaissance of the Union Square district. While New York City and the nation struggle to break free from this recession, Union Square stands as a rare bright spot and is poised to remain a vibrant neighborhood during these worrisome times.  

The arrival of more than a dozen new businesses plunged the district’s retail vacancy rate below 4 percent, making Union Square among the most viable business locales in the city. Retailers lululemon athletica, Skechers, Muji and 7 for all Mankind, as well as new eateries Pret a Manger, Crumbs, Lillie’s, Cantina Latina and Momofuku Milk Bar, helped to strengthen the broad base of offerings in the area. 

And while the departure of Circuit City and the Virgin Megastore was a temporary cause for concern, we couldn’t be more pleased that Best Buy chose to open its first 24-hour store in the nation in the former Circuit City space this month, and that next spring, the city’s first Nordstrom Rack will open in the lower level of the Virgin location. Our partners at The Related Companies are to be congratulated for moving so quickly to fill our district’s most visible retail space.  

The north-end project in Union Square Park, now more than 90 percent complete, has been eagerly followed by park lovers and community stakeholders. This is why we are very pleased to announce that the community’s new and expanded 15,000-square-foot playground is set to open this month. In addition, pedestrians can now walk the repaved 16th St. transverse complete with new park benches. The western, northern and eastern plazas, which had been resurfaced and reopened earlier this year, have been well received by visitors and Greenmarket vendors alike, with a new row of 25-foot-tall Japanese pagoda trees lining 17th St. and Union Square West. Additional features of the renovation include the rehabilitated pavilion and additional restroom facilities, which should be completed by the end of the year.  

The Partnership’s ongoing beautification efforts, combined with the district’s engaging and vibrant lifestyle, continue to attract people from across the city to our area for a variety of reasons. We once again made a series of targeted investments for the upgrading, maintenance and beautification of the park. The high points of this season’s efforts include the expansion of the stone screening area of the center lawn by 2,500 square feet to accommodate additional bistro tables and chairs, as well as the expansion of many of the planting beds throughout the park. The Partnership also funded improvements to the dog run, including a new gravel surface and much-needed repairs to the dog run entrance walkway, which had been flooding after heavy rain. 

Partnership-sponsored programming was a big draw this year, especially our free Summer in the Square series, which once again proved to be a hit with children and adults alike, featuring fitness classes, kids’ programming and multiple musical performances. We expanded our selection of volunteer events from the biannual It’s My Park! Day, to preparing food for those in need with God’s Love We Deliver, to collecting food from Greenmarket vendors at the end of a busy day for City Harvest. One of the most anticipated occasions in the Union Square district every year is the annual Harvest in the Square, the city’s premier food-tasting event. This year more than 50 restaurants and beverage companies served signature dishes and cocktails to over 1,000 foodies. These events are all great ways for active residents and employees to come out and give back to their community while getting to know their neighbors.  

Union Square continues to be among the cleanest districts in the city, which is crucial to its overall success. Our Sanitation Team has worked thousands of hours sweeping sidewalks and removing tons of garbage to ensure the area is inviting. With a 59 percent increase in foot traffic over the last five years in the neighborhood, more trash receptacles were added, including Big Belly Solar compactors, which reduce our carbon footprint by decreasing the number of garbage bags used and lessening the number of vehicular pickups.  

Another important factor to Union Square’s vitality is the Greenmarket. As New York City’s largest and most famous greenmarket, the year-round, open-air market attracts shoppers from around the region looking to support their local farmers. 

Union Square’s rich history is relived every week during the Partnership’s Crossroads of New York walking tour, which draws a diverse group each Saturday for a free, 90-minute exploration of the social and political history of the neighborhood through discussions of the people, architecture and forces that have shaped the community. 

While the past year has been eventful for the Union Square district, there is more to look forward to in the upcoming months, especially the annual Holiday Market operated by Urban Space Management, which returns to the south plaza on Nov. 25 and runs through Christmas Eve. Don’t forget to stop by the Holiday Market’s information booth and pick up your restaurant coupon flier good for discounts at 22 local eateries 

The Union Square Partnership team, including our board of directors, Residential Advisory Committee members, business partners and staff, work hard to make sure that Union Square remains a flourishing community. To follow the district’s progress, learn more about our work and sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us at www.unionsquarenyc.org .

The trendy and chic Asian Eatery Qi (31 West 14th Street, 212 929-9917) combines environmentally conscience design and hip ambiance with an adventurous menu of options, including seasonal and macrobiotic selections that help detox and cleanse the body to reset energy flow. Dishes include Lemongrass Tuna Tartar and Ginseng Duck with Five Spices. Lunch specials start at just $6.90, everyday from 11 AM – 3:30 PM, including a free appetizer and rice.

The next place to get expensive sandwiches and drinks will be Pura Vida Miami, which will open its next NYC location at 5th Ave. and 15th St.

Restaurant Week starts January 20 and includes nine Union Square restaurants, including Reyna in our building.