June 2018 Nice to be back at WestView after the nightmare of Housing Court. After almost three years of fighting my new landlord’s attempt to evict me from my six-floor walkup in the heart of Greenwich Village, the Judge ruled against the landlord. The Court ruling said I was credible — the landlord’s witnesses were
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Giving is Ancient — The Need is New
By Graeme Napier The Open Door was a characteristic West Village response to HIV/AIDS. It was located where the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute is—in the courtyard of Saint John’s in the Village (West 11th Street at Waverly Place). At a time when men and women with AIDS (especially those who were young) were ostracized by
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So, You’ve Been Away
By Gordon Hughes The other morning I was enjoying a cup of coffee at Cafe Panino Mucho Gusto, when of all things, I ran into a pal and neighbor—not from the Village, but from Chester County (where I have a horse farm). I was so surprised to see him in this foreign location, but what
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14th Street Closure: MTA Talks, DOT Balks
By Arthur Z. Schwartz It was apparent to anyone attending the “Town Hall” meeting held at the New School on May 9 that the L Train shutdown, that we’re dealing with two very different approaches to the notion of public input. On the one hand, the MTA/NYC Transit Authority, and its new President, Andy Byford,
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In and Out
At the end of April, The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets reported that Brookfield Properties was purchasing seven storefronts on Bleecker Street, all located on the three blocks between West 10th and West 11th Streets. The properties are 350, 367-369, 382-384, and 387 Bleecker Street. Some of the storefronts had shops that recently
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Is Class War in the Village About to Begin over Senior Housing?
The fierce battle between the squatting Moms of Soho vs. seniors seeking affordable housing in CB2 has moved to the next step. The Mayor seems to be the only politician who supported the seniors in the battle over one of the only available pieces of land in CB2. Council-member Chin had the land designated for
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Hudson River Park Hits 20: How the Pier 40 Fight Brought Us Hudson River Park
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Friends of Hudson River Park will soon be holding its 20th Anniversary Fundraiser with a minimum price of $2000 per ticket. The Friends Board is made up almost entirely of very wealthy people: bankers, developers, commercial lawyers. But Hudson River Park had a very humble birth. It was born of volunteer
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The Washington Square Music Festival: Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence
By Peggy Friedman, Executive Director Sixty years of free music concerts is an anniversary worth celebrating! On Tuesday June 5 at 8 pm the Washington Square Music Festival opens its 60th season of presenting free classical and world music concerts in the park. Back in the ‘50s—when our newly-founded Festival wasn’t yet an annual tradition—there
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A Village Summer Without Helen Ann Lally — and YNO
By Paul Critchlow Summer has finally arrived in the West Village, but for many residents, no season will be the same without Helen Ann Lally. The petite, effervescent proprietor of Your Neighborhood Office (YNO), the business services center at 332 Bleecker Street for nearly 25 years, closed on March 31. Many local retail stores have
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West Village Houses Rally for Preservation
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP The WestView News April, 2017 issue began a series on West Village Houses, an affordable housing cooperative under the Mitchell-Lama rental and the Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperative Programs during its first three decades of existence. Here is an update on the developments of the West Village Houses
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Ruth Berk, Village Cabaret Singer and Owner, Dies at 94
Funeral – Sunday June 10 – 11AM – Greenwich Village Funeral Home Ruth Berk, who would have turned 95 in August, passed this morning at Beth Israel Hospital. The cause of death was heart failure, complicated by a stroke. Berk was a long time Village cultural figure. After an early career as an opera singer,
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The Spirit of WestView
By Barry Benepe I wrote my first article for WestView just over ten years ago in March 2008. It explored the need to calm traffic around Union Square Park, one of our city’s most crowded historic public places. Thirty years earlier, I had prepared a plan called Three Parks for Community Board Five, of which,
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Lady in the Black Bag
Anybody who lives near Charles Street is familiar with a large, black bag forever hooked onto the door of the Charles Street Synagogue. But not everybody knows that it has, for years, contained a living person who is profoundly captured by mental illness that demands “living” in a black bag. I called the police, and
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No Plants for Kiddies
One of the charming innovations introduced by Charles Street Association President, Margie Dienstag, was to invite the block’s children to plant, but this year the supply disappeared before the kiddies could plant. Margie reminds homeowners that the plants are reserved for street display and should not be planted in rear gardens. —George Capsis Dear CSA
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Inspiring History
Dear Editor, The May issue, with the articles on Louis Sullivan’s work (page 29) for the Bayard-Condict Building, ca. 1897, included a reference to 58 Bleecker Street as the oldest remaining structure in NOHO, built in 1822 as the James Roosevelt Home. Thanks to a plaque-unveiling ceremony at this address on May 14th by the
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Not a Pretty Picture
Dear Mr Capsis, For decades, I have resided in the West Village and was blessed to have called St. Vincent’s my employer for three decades. During this span of time, I have seen the Church of the Village grow and change hands. It is now a total eyesore to the community. Seeing your picture just
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A Thank You to George
Dear Mr. Capsis, I wrote to you last in December/January regarding the gentrification of the West Village via new developments like the one on Leroy Street. I wrote, sadly, about the fact that the Village is fast becoming unaffordable for most old-time residents of the Village. I now write to you to “thank you” for
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Sounds of the Great Religions
By George Capsis The dramatic, almost theatrical interior space of St. Veronica invites imaginative uses and we came up with The Sounds of the Great Religions, a survey of great musical moments from the world’s great religions. Having been exposed to the Greek Orthodox church (my father was Greek, my mother a Lutheran German), I
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
THE RELUCTANT SPRING: We thought it would never get here, but at last, come mid-April… The magnolias burst into bloom Creativity blossomed Creatures great and small mirrored the mood And in Abingdon Square a gentleman enjoyed the novelty of sitting in the sun to strum a favorite tune for an appreciative friend.
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Retail Dream
By Holly Boardman As I took down all the colorful crocheted tree covers on Christopher Street early one recent Saturday morning, I felt the warmth of the sun and reminisced about all the smiles that the covers had generated. People loved taking photos of them. I had installed approximately 30 tree covers in an effort to bring
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In and Out
This month closings continued unabated. A specialist on high-rent blight, of the kind we are seeing on Christopher and Bleecker Streets, had a possible explanation for why landlords might keep stores empty rather than accepting a lower rent: if a landlord has a number of properties, and is looking for a loan from the bank
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An Open Letter of Thanks to Greenwich House
My name is Airam and I am a current client at Greenwich House. I’d like to share my deepest gratitude and appreciation that is due to the caring staff at Greenwich House. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 20.5 million people age 12 and older have battled a substance abuse
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New Library Discussion Groups
By Nancy Aravecz This spring, the Jefferson Market Library is adding two new discussion groups to its popular roster of regular book discussions. Rather than talking about books, however, the two new groups being launched will be centered around contemporary topics: current events, and technology. Beginning Tuesday, May 8th, at 6:00 p.m., the Current Events
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DOT to Lower Manhattan: Drop Dead!
By Arthur Z. Schwartz On October 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford gave a speech to the Federal Reserve, in which he denied Federal assistance to NYC, which was then teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The next day the NY Daily News ran its now famous headline: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” Last month, a
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“A Magical Moment”
Ralph Lee takes the stairs whenever possible. At 84 years old, he climbs six flights from his own apartment on the 4th floor of WestBeth Artists Residency to visit a friend and collaborator on the 10th floor. There’s not a bead of sweat on his forehead, not even a hint of a gasp. He might
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Romo the Road Warrior, A.K.A Mr. Magic, Also my Dad
The following is a speech given at a memorial service for Ron Morris, longtime West Village resident: One of the things my dad valued most in this life was friendship, and I know he’d be delighted that such a wonderful community of friends convened here tonight to honor and remember him. He was a great
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Unique Chelsea Art Show
Dear Mr. Capsis, Something which you might like to know about is an oddball happening of art and real estate that is currently taking place in Chelsea. It has been organized by Leslie Lalehzar, a long time West Village resident, who is both an artist and a real estate agent associated with Sotheby’s International. Having
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A Quick and Current History of Your Christopher Park
By Scotty Elyanow Christopher Park, the triangular park located at the intersection of West 4th, Grove, and Christopher Streets with Seventh Avenue to the West and Waverly Place to the East was created back on April 5th, 1837 due to demand for an open space from the local residents after overcrowding and a major fire
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Ready to Write Checks to Save Pier 40
By George Capsis Oh wow, a Crain’s New York article from April 24th quotes Hudson River Park Trust engineer, Steven Perker on just how they are going to encase the 3,600 corroded steel piles now shakily holding up the 15 acres of Pier 40 (the largest pier in the Hudson) to allow it to provide
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Requiem for a Neighborhood Burger Joint
By Jane Heil Usyk Here’s what a neighborhood is to me: it’s a few square blocks with homes or apartments, a grocery store or two or three, a shoe repair, a laundry, a cleaners, a hairdresser, a park, a library, maybe a stationery store and–most important of all–a bar or restaurant with good cheap food and drink,
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New Music Studio on Charles
The first things you see when you walk into Hannah Reimann’s studio are a tall bookshelf filled with Classical piano and vocal music scores and a lovely walnut Steinway Grand Piano. Beneath the piano there are Tibetan singing bowls, cushions for sitting and hand percussion instruments stored inside a large wooden bowl. Asian prints hang
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In and Out
The sale of Chelsea Market by Jamestown Properties to Google has been finalized, and the good news is that Google has assured the community that “Jamestown will continue to manage the retail and food hall.” This month we sensed that Village landlords were beginning to accept the new rent realities: a “for rent” sign in
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Neighborhood Preservation Updates
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP West Village Houses Residents Fight Back The West Village House (WVH) co-op board reportedly spent $300,000 exploring the feasibility of an unsolicited Madison developer’s offer. How can the WVH board spend that when they now say it “never was on the table,” when there is so much pressure to
