By Roger Paradiso Starting October 19th with THE LOST VILLAGE premiere at the legendary Cinema Village Theaters, we did community panel discussions after each screening. Sponsored by WestView News, we ended up doing 8 panels in that first week. But none was more memorable than the night Doris Deither came to visit. She has been
-
-
City Council Announces Legal Action for Public Review of Two Bridges Proposal
By Brian J. Pape, AIA In the Two Bridges area of the Lower East Side, on the East River just north of the Manhattan Bridge, JDS, Extell, CIM, L+M, and the Starrett Group are planning five new residential towers. The collection of towers will include over 3,000 units, with retail spreading across the base of
-
Wintry Mix
By Keith Michael “Baby, it’s cold outside.” I’ve used that as a title before, but it’s apropos this morning. I’m holding the front door open to the street and Millie is standing on the landing, procrastinating, glancing back at the now closed inner door, feeling the chill, damp air on her nose. After repeated encouragement
-
-
Can the Village Help Save Democracy?
By John Bredin There are few places in America, or the world, with the active civic life of Greenwich Village. Where else would a 90-year-old zoning maven named Doris Diether, who puts the big shot developers in their place, be feted like a celebrity by an overflow, dignitary-studded crowd at Judson church—as she was last
-
Villagers Speak as Cornelia Street Café Curtain Comes Down
Gone But Not Forgotten: A Tearful Farewell to a Venerated West Village Institution Bittersweet though it was, I’m deeply grateful for the experience of participating in one of the two final shows at Cornelia Street Café, whose legacy includes 41 years of presenting world class songwriters, spoken word, poetry, theatrical readings, storytelling, adventurous jazz, contemporary
-
The Strand Bookstore Landmarking Debate
By Carol Yost There has been a proposal to landmark some buildings near where the 14th Street Tech Hub is going to be. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) would actually like to include far, far more buildings than the ones now under consideration. In any case, the threat of gentrification arising from the imminent
-
L Train Not Shutting Down—But Will 14th Street?
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Back in 2016 the MTA did an Environmental Assessment of its now abandoned plan to shut the L Train down for 15 months, so that it could do electrical repairs in the Canarsie Tunnel. That 200-page report had a half page about mitigation. It said to add some more trains going
-
L Train—14th Street Project Update and Aftermath
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP After months of valiant and sustained efforts to save their neighborhoods from an ill-advised MTA/DOT scheme for an L Train shutdown planned to start April 2019, local citizens persuaded Governor Cuomo to seek a 3rd opinion from engineers. Engineers recommended alternate plans, which do not require full shut-downs. Since
-
Jefferson Market Library Offers Environmental Justice Course
Mark your calendars and sign up for the new (free) Environmental Justice and Community Action course brought to you by Jefferson Market Library University Programs of the New York City Public Library. Registration opens to the public on January 29 at 10:00 am and closes on February 11 at 8:00 pm. Students may register online, in person
-
Changes Coming to West 8th Street and MacDougal Street Buildings
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP The public was treated to presentations for new building proposals at recent LPC and CB2 meetings. This first offering seems to be a welcomed addition to a rather neglected spot on the once thriving “Positively 8th Street” section near Jimi Hendrix’s former Electric Lady recording studios. This corner in
-
Eating the Brand
By David Porat Lexus, Starbucks and Restoration Hardware (RH) are all trying to make friends by tickling your taste buds and satiating your tummy. All three have opened up impressive, or shall I say grand, temples to their brands in the Meatpacking and Chelsea Market Neighborhood. I have enjoyed in curious ways visiting all three and
-
IN AND OUT
January was a quiet month for openings and closings. One trend we observed was that a number of shops that opened in challenging locations closed just as quickly. Chelsea Market/Gansevoort Market Update Big Mozz took over the Very Fresh Noodles spot in Chelsea Market (Very Fresh Noodles moved in to the larger space vacated by
-
Kill the Zombie Park Already, Part VI: “I support affordable housing, but…”
By Alec Pruchnicki As the process to build the affordable and low-income housing called Haven Green on Elizabeth Street continues, Community Board 2 has held several public hearings. At the most recent one, I noticed something new. Virtually every speaker who supported keeping the Elizabeth Street Garden intact started with a phrase like “I support
-
Elizabeth Street Gardens: A Classic Double-Cross?
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Neighbors of the Elizabeth Street Garden (ESG), in the NOHO and Special Little Italy District (SLID), have expressed their concern that years of promises and being ignored have brought about a fiasco of controversy. CB2 joined in recapping the disingenuous way the city has mistreated this district at its
-
Then&Now: The Last One Left
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Greenwich Village has been challenged on many fronts, but the car-centric culture has been one of the biggest. You may already be aware that when the early civic leaders decided Manhattan needed a simple, logical street layout for the city to grow north of Chambers Street, The Village
-
Storefont Billboards
Storefront billboards are the spreading garish shrouds for dead retail shops that continually elude retail leases for months and even years. It is hoped that the City Council will enact legislation to end this new unique commercial blight; but landlords who despair of rentals are rapidly succumbing to the obvious attractive fees and Bleecker Street may
-
Jacques Benveniste, 1928-2019
By Caroline Benveniste My father, Jacques Benveniste, a longtime Village resident, died unexpectedly on January 7, 2019. He was 90 years old. He was found unresponsive at home and transported by ambulance to Lenox Health, Greenwich Village, but the paramedics and doctors were unable to revive him. My father was born in Athens, Greece on
-
Corey asks Subway Riders to Fund Race to Mayor
I’m writing to share some exciting news: I am thinking about running for Mayor of New York City. It’s a big decision, I know, but I love this City and am committed to making it a better place for all. As much as I love New York, we are capable of so much more. And
-
What You Need to Know About Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care Facilities
By Joy Pape Many people have some confusion about the difference between an emergency room and an urgent care facility. Even I, a health care provider, wanted to clear up some confusion. So once again, I reached out to Dr. Warren Licht, Vice President of Ambulatory Operations for the Western Region of Northwell Health and
-
Northwell
George, I just read your “Somebody Just Shot My Neighbor” article in the January issue. As the editor of this paper, the person who wrote this story, someone who has been well informed on numerous occasions about exactly what Lenox Health is, someone as well that has visited the site on multiple occasions and have
-
An Open Letter To Speaker Johnson
As we have argued since the first announcement of the L Train tunnel repair plans, thanks to innovative, out of the box thinking by Governor Cuomo and his team of experts, there is a much more intelligent method for the Canarsie Tunnel repairs that keeps the L train running and that does not disrupt the
-
9/11 Bus
Dear George, I was sorry to learn that the 9/11 Tiles for America bus is actually a permanent thing! I kept hoping it would move. The 9/11 tiles should be displayed in a more dignified way, preferably outdoors as they were originally, and, ideally, somewhere near the new World Trade Center complex itself. For the
-
More than a Coat of Paint and a New Stove
George, your statement, “My guess—her studio apartment with a coat of paint and a new stove would get $3,000” (“If Only God Had Money,” George Capsis, WestView News, January, 2019), was based on old business principles, but not accurate about housing. There are many things, worn out and practically worthless, that you could spiff up
-
How the Berks Were Able to Live in Their Apartment for 20 Years and Collect $500k Upon Leaving—An Update
By Paul Dalnoky Long before the guardianship of Ruth Berk and the canonization of her attorney, Arthur Schwartz, there was a newbie East Village lawyer named Paul Dalnoky who worked, mostly, out of his rent-stabilized apartment. Dalnoky long ago gave up on the practice of law and discovering intelligent life (save a precious few) on
-
Then&Now: That Gay Street!
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP In the 17th Century Wouter van Twiller operated a brewery here before this tiny street was laid out in the early 19th Century. The first documented mention of Gay Street appeared in the Common Council minutes of April 23, 1827. Gay Street was widened in 1833. 1820s period houses
-
Seniors in Our City Can Have Scary Choices to Make
By Arthur Z. Schwartz In mid-December I got a worried phone call from George Capsis. An older woman (who I will call Fran for purposes of this article) had found her way to George’s apartment, holding a clipping from WestView about another older woman who George had referred to me with a landlord problem. She
-
Dress Code
There really is a distinct difference between West Village garb and that of the folks who live north of 14th Street. Recently, I went north to attend a birthday party for a dear friend and, on another night, for dinner at a fancy Upper East Side restaurant. That’s when it hit me—the dress code and
-
Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
TO ALL MY FELLOW ‘CREATURES OF HABIT’: MAY YOU, AND ALL THE READERS OF WVN, HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR—maggie b All photos by Maggie Berkvist, with the exception of photo bottom right credit: Laurence Edelman.
-
Paving the West Village: A Historical Primer
By Tom Lamia Something odd is happening in the West Village and other long-neglected areas of our city. New life is coming into throwback street paving and its importance to economic development. After decades of neglect for the old technologies, urban street paving is becoming a hot topic among politicians and urban planners. Historic New
-
City Council Proposes 18 Tenant Protection Regulations
By Carol Yost At long last, with a new Democratic majority in Albany, chances are better than ever to break the stranglehold the greedy landlords have held on our city. By hook AND by crook, saying they’re only trying to make an honest buck, they’ve managed to get laws that allow them to eliminate rent-regulated
-
Bird of the Year 2018
By Keith Michael As the National Audubon Society wraps up this Year of the Bird 2018—bringing international attention to the plight of countless bird species and the effects of climate change for us all—it is time, once again, here in the West Village, to celebrate our local ecosystem with the 13th Annual Bird of the
-
IN AND OUT
Open Top Openings: Encore 1 Little West 12th Street (between Gansevoort Street and Ninth Avenue) When I spoke to Harold Moore a few months ago about his just-opened French spot Bistro Pierre Lapin, he explained that French food had fallen from favor in New York but that recently it was making a comeback, following the
-
Somebody Just Shot My Neighbor!
By George Capsis I got a call from one of my readers who has now become a friend, to say a murder had just taken place on Bedford Street and I had met the man who had been murdered. I had been sitting out last summer at a small table near the kitchen of a
-
Why Do Google and Hi-Tech Firms Expand in the Lower Westside?
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP For those who have lived or worked in our area, the answer is obvious; we love the charm, character, mish-mosh of building styles and sizes, and the crazy streets, like nowhere else in the city. But are we loving it to death? Landmarked properties and districts help some areas,
-
Bicycle Enforcement Lacking
Thanks for WestView. I remember going to a meeting at your apartment about 20 years ago for PAPA, back when I parked at Pier 40. I’m glad you’re still on the front lines of local advocacy. I’m not writing you today about the destruction of our city caused by Uber, nor will I rant about one of my
-
Curb Appeal
Yesterday afternoon (November 9) I had a really interesting conversation with George and Dusty concerning a deficient curb. Below I am submitting all the details. Dusty took some photos and suggested that I contact the paper. Nine years ago I took on the job of restoring McCarthy Square from a shambles to the “oasis” it
-
Why Do I Still Do the Paper?
We were driving in an Uber to East Wiliston to my son’s house for Christmas dinner when we discovered that our 33 year-old driver used to work for Trader Joe’s and regretted quitting after he felt he had been downgraded when his job function was eliminated, but now he had a wife and tiny son
