Posts from — February 2007
AWNY Video Connection
As the New York Times discusses the purity of New York’s famously high-quality tap water, AllWaysNY continues with the public service announcement theme and reminds you to save water and brush up on your New York dialect.
February 19, 2007 No Comments
Garment District Rezoning Reselling
Garment District detritus by Lodigs on Flickr.
This week it was reported that the City is considering plans to rezone the area that has traditionally housed the city’s garment manufacturers–roughly from Broadway to 9th Avenue, from 34th Street to 40th Street. Amanda Burden, the chair of the City Planning Commission recently cited declining numbers of manufacturing jobs and disinvestment in building infrastructure as reasons for the rethinking of the
neighborhood. Today Crain’s reported that the lifting of the restrictions on mixed-use development in the area would “spark a flurry of buying and selling” as developers seek to snap up undervalued space in this area so close to Midtown. Obviously, the unions are not happy, but the writing seems to be on the wall and the Garment District may be going the way of the withering Meatpacking and Flower Districts.
February 16, 2007 No Comments
Bird Guano And The Early Undulators
Big Bird = Big Guano. So what is bird guano and what does it mean for me? Well, guano is a polite term for those semi-petrified piles of bird poo that one finds all around the city. Today the local news was a twitter with reports of Operation Bird-B-Gone–a plan by State representatives and the MTA to equip the ceilings and undersides of some elevated subway stations with electrically charged strips. The strips give the birds a mild shock when touched and are supposed to deter them from getting too comfortable (comfortable enough to, well, you know) high above our heads.
Bird guano did not always have the bad rap it does today. In fact, during the nineteenth century fortunes were built on the thriving guano trade. Ships from New York set off to the outlying islands of Peru (which because of their climate were particularly conducive to the preservation of high quality guano) to bring back huge shipments of fecal gold that could be used as fertilizer.
One of those who cashed in on this trade was William Russell Grace. Grace immigrated to the United States from Ireland when he was still a teen and worked his way through New York business until he followed the guano trade to Peru. There he amassed a great guano fortune and finally returned to New York to found W.R. Grace & Company. Grace eventually entered politics, and with Tammany’s backing became the first Irish-Catholic mayor of New York in 1880. His relations with Tammany soured, for among other reasons, trying to reform the city’s corrupt and ineffective sanitation services. He did not run for reelection at the end of his term (mayors served two years), but ran again on the reformist ticket in 1884 and was reelected. In 1885 he had the distinction of accepting the Statue of Liberty from the nation of France. Grace’s company continued operating after his death in 1904, and still bears his name today, although it deals mainly in industrial chemicals rather than guano. One of New York’s more unique Midtown buildings also bears the Grace company name.
The W.R. Grace Building and its plaza on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues was completed in 1971 by Gordon Bunshaft and the team at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and reflects earlier SOM work on 9 West 57th Street. Both buildings feature a flared base (derided as bellbottomed–but such a cute conception of it) that rises dramatically to a standard cubic form.
The curving facade was intended by its designers to conform to light/air zoning regulations without utilizing the common stepped, ziggurat-like setbacks so commonly found on New York towers. The Grace and 9 West 57th towers were not well received by critics who found the interruption of the flat and solid street wall disconcerting. In addition, their relation to neighboring buildings was also geometrically troublesome (the neighboring buildings now–gasp!–had their side-bits revealed because of the gradual, curving setback of the new towers). The towers’ immense scale (particularly 9 West 57th’s) in relation to their surrounding neighborhoods was also a concern, but in comparison to today’s sometimes massive and/or undulating developments, the two seem stolid and restrained. Another plus is that the single, sweeping, upward curve of the towers offers no perch for pigeons to land on and do their business!
Grace Building (Left) by mdumlao98 on Flickr.
Grace Building (Right) by alistairmcmillan on Flickr.
9 West 57th Street towering over the Plaza by Infinite Jeff on Flickr.
February 15, 2007 1 Comment
AWNY Linkomat
Mayor LaGuardia.
Speaker Quinn Gearing Up To Succeed Bloomberg… (Intelligencer) Will She Have Adolfo Carrion Of The Bronx To Contend With? (Polit.Bureau) And what about Marty Markowitz? (Brooklyn Record)
Analysis Of City Council Election In Brooklyn (Gotham Gazette)
Spitzer Gets A Thorny Reception From Joe Bruno (The Politicker)
Council: 1 Murder And You’re Out Of The Booze Business (NY Sun)
Bloomie Signs Off On His Own Report Card (Office Of The Mayor)
February 14, 2007 No Comments
Church Closings Spark Protests
Several papers today reported the continuing angst felt by communities slated to have their local parishes closed by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York as part of its grand reorganization plan that’s been in the works for three years. In some neighborhoods, that angst is turning into action as the planned closings become a reality. The Times reported on the sit-in that has been taking place since last Sunday at Our Lady Queen of Angels on East 113th Street in East Harlem. The small group of dedicated parishioners have vowed to remain in the church until its doors are reopened to the community. At Our Lady of the Rosary in Yonkers two parishioners were arrested for trespassing after remaining after the final mass. The shuttered St. Brigid’s in Alphabet City will also soon be joined by Mary Help of Christians just across Tompkins Square Park–it’s worshipers are looking into legal action. For those who may have missed the list of closings, here it is:
Parishes to be closed:
1. Mary Help of Christians, Manhattan
2. Our Lady Queen of Angels, Manhattan
3. Saint Mary, Bronx
4. Saint John the Baptist de LaSalle, Staten Island
5. Our Lady of the Rosary, Yonkers, Westchester County
6. Saint Margaret of Hungary, Yonkers, Westchester County
7. Saint Stanislaus, Hastings, Westchester County
8. Holy Cross, Sleepy Hollow, Westchester County
9. Most Sacred Heart, Port Jervis, Orange County
10. Saint John the Baptist, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County
Realignment Announcement Decisions (NY Archdiocese)
Some Suspect Hand Of God Developers (NY Sun)
Committee To Save St. Brigid’s Church
Voice Of The Faithful New York Announces Its Support (VFTD)
Photo of Mary Help of Christians School by InfoMofo on Flickr.
February 13, 2007 No Comments
AWNY Video Connection
Two public service announcements from We Care About New York, Inc. (whatever happened to them?). You decide which is scarier–the one by David Lynch from 1991 that highlights our furry, disease ridden neighbors, or the other that features a subway car full of disgruntled riders from the days before today’s L-train-à-go-go.
Clean Up - David Lynch
New York, Let’s Clean Up New York (with bonus accent)
February 6, 2007 No Comments
NYPD Parade Permit Row
AllWaysNY reminds you to get to biking with your fifty of your closest friends before you’re breaking the rules–and while you’re at it, explore a great interactive map (above) of bike routes at NYC Bike Maps.
The Police Department recently announced its new rules regarding public assembly (fifty or more and you need a permit whether you are walking, biking, driving, or riding or herding animals) on city streets to take effect February 25th. The move comes months after the NYPD was criticized for trying to peg it at even lower than fifty in their attempt to curb (among other things) Critical Mass bicycle rides (judges tended to throw out the cases of the Critical Mass arrestees since the rules on the books were vague about what constitutes a parade). Strong opposition to the changes remains in some quarters, however, if the City Council does not act on the matter, you’re going to find many worried walking tour operators and funeral directors. If you get caught “parading” without a permit after the 25th, you may face a maximum of ten days in jail and a $25 fine.
Below is a portion of the announcement in the City Record regarding the rule change by the NYPD:
Notice of Adoption
Revision of Chapter 19 of Title 38 of the Official Compilation of Rules of the City of New York
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN the Police Commissioner by Section 435 of the New York City Charter and in accordance with the requirement of Section 1043 of the New York City Charter, that the Police Department hereby amends Chapter 19 of Title 38 of the Official Compilation of Rules of the City of New York. New material is indicated by underlining. Deletions are indicated by brackets.
Written comments were accepted concerning the rules and a public hearing was held on November 27, 2006 at 1 Police Plaza, New York, New York 10038 commencing at 11:00 A.M. Written comments and a tape recording or oral comments received at the hearing were available for public inspection between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. at 1 Police Plaza, Room 1406, New York, New York 10038.
Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 19-02 of Title 38 of the Official Compilation of the Rules of the City of New York is amended to read as follows:
(a) A “parade [or processional]” is any [march, motorcade, caravan, promenade, foot or bicycle race, or similar event of any kind,] procession or race which consists of a recognizable group of 50 or more pedestrians, vehicles, bicycles, or other devices move by human power, or ridden or herded animals proceeding together upon any public street or roadway …
It continues, but you get the drift. March 30th is the date of the first scheduled Critical Mass ride after the new regulations go into effect, so stay tuned!
February 1, 2007 1 Comment
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