The New School has been saying since late February that it now plans a smaller building on its 5th Ave. site.

A sign of the times. The long abandoned Zen Palate restaurant on Union Square West has been stripped of its copper facade as high as human hands can reach. Copper scavengers on the prowl.

Many of the films in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival are being screened at the Loew’s on 3rd and 11th. It’s easier than ever to attend.

Go to Gonzo on Monday nights to get two of their fantastic grilled pizzas for the price of one. That’s a $19 savings, and the pizza is so good. Highly recommended.

Here are the details.

Check out Lillie’s, a new bar on 17th St. between 5th and Broadway. Cool decor.

Your reporter visited an open house at 15 Union Square West. The verdict: the ceilings are incredibly high and the windows are huge. Fixtures are fantastic although overdesigned for someone with more sedate tastes. The most interesting feature: an interior atrium complete with 19th century ironwork and a skylight that will be restored. Incredible to see it. The big problem: these apartments are insanely expensive.

Yesterday at 4PM, an attendant in the parking garage on 13th across from our building put an SUV into reverse by accident and drove it out a sixth floor window. The NY Post has all the details plus video. Click here.

Crain’s reports:

Time may be running out for brides to dash to Filene’s Basement. The off-price retailer, famous for its Running of the Brides discount wedding dress events, is on the block. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, the chain’s Columbus, Ohio-based parent Retail Ventures Inc. said efforts to cut costs “is not likely to lead to sustainable operations for Filene’s basement.”

In January, Retail Ventures had announced the closing of 11 underperforming Filene’s stores, including one in Levittown, N.Y. Yet performance at the remaining 25 locations, which include four in New York City, “has continued to deteriorate significantly since that time,” according to the filing. Retail Ventures, which also owns footwear chain DSW Inc., said it will delay the filing of its annual results with the SEC.

The New York Post reports this robbery just one block away:

A woman who left her Union Square apartment to check in on a 102-year-old neighbor returned to find a well-dressed burglar grabbing $50,000 worth of her jewelry, cops said yesterday.

The thief — decked out in a black suit and tie — had sneaked into an apartment building on University Place at 3 p.m. Monday and was prowling around for an unlocked door when he hit the jackpot at Linda Kaplan’s home, sources said.

As the thief was stashing bling in a canvas bag, Kaplan, 76, walked in.

She demanded to know what he was doing, and he responded, “I’m with the Fire Department,” according to cops.

When Kaplan demanded to see ID, the 6-foot-2 bandit threw her down.

“He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me to the ground,” Kaplan said. “I grabbed his legs. I tried to stop him from leaving.

“Once he knocked me down, I started screaming for help.”

Among those who ran to her aid was a painter working in an apartment upstairs. Minutes earlier, the thief had poked his head in that unit but fled when he saw the worker.

Cops said the bandit operated like an “office creeper,” a well-dressed thief who looks for laptop computers or purses at unoccupied office desks.