...and yesterday, workers did take it away...
A reader noted yesterday the City will replace this tree once the Guggenheimers move on in October... In addition, word is the Guggenheim is donating 25 trees to the City as well.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Guggenheim makes good on promise of chopping down tree
Yesterday, we noted that to make way for the BMW Guggenheim Lab in the former rat-infested lot off First Street, workers would need to chop down this tree below...
...and yesterday, workers did take it away...
A reader noted yesterday the City will replace this tree once the Guggenheimers move on in October... In addition, word is the Guggenheim is donating 25 trees to the City as well.
...and yesterday, workers did take it away...
A reader noted yesterday the City will replace this tree once the Guggenheimers move on in October... In addition, word is the Guggenheim is donating 25 trees to the City as well.
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19 comments:
interesting that the city will replace this tree but not the one on east 11th street at first avenue -
the one killed by con edison
So vile. I don't care if they DO plan to replace it, that lovely tree was around for far too long to fall victim to some extremely ugly, temporary and stupid "arty" installation. Anyone in city government remember Bloomberg's "One Million Trees" initiative?
Nah, didn't think so.
No tree-hugger here, but I'm with Lisa. Shit like this just sucks. If the architect were so damn talented, s/he'd found a way to do this without taking down the tree. Just straight-up a lack of imagination and creativity.
grrrr--trees are living things. I am glad Blogger has fixed it's maintenance issues and EVG is back with what's happening in the community.
Thanks, Melanie!
This really is a shame and I agree with Bowery Boy that the architect should have found a way to incorporate the tree into his/her designs but I see some of the same posters here that seemed to hate the idea of having trees planted along the bike lanes. That was decried as a "Another reaqlly (sic)bad idea, and further waste of tax dollars." This neighborhood as many trees as it can get no matter where they may be.
All of you are so right. This is disgusting. Street trees here have a hard enough life without being chopped down by some fucking PoMo alleged museum. Guggenheim can blow me! I will NOT be visiting its pretentious little "installation". Except perchance to spit.
The arrogance and hubris of these Koolha(as*holes) wannabes boggles the mind.
Yes, it is very sad about the beautiful old tree, but I'd bet the neighbors are fine with the trade-off: in return for the temporary art installation, the lot will now be completely excavated and resurfaced, and on the Guggenheim's dime. That more or less takes care of the rat problem the city refused to address, and that the city was fining neighbors for trying to address on their own. It's my understanding that two neighborhood architects have also been working with the Guggenheim project team to ensure that the resurfacing will also provide a multi-purpose foundation for something permanent in the future, whether it's a sculpture garden or a community center.
The paranoia and bile exhibited by some people boggles my mind.
they really have a lot of nerve don't you think
The first thing they do to show their support for our community is chop down a precious tree. What a great first impression and now we're supposed to believe that this project is somehow going to get better and make things better for us and our future. It's uncanny how they happen to choose our neighborhood out of all the neighborhoods in NYC to do this project. The resolution of the rat problem comes at the expense of a forced ideology, forced design, forced solidarity, the death of an old tree, brainwashing and the world wide exposure of our neighborhood - this is all too familiar. How is this any different than any of the other projects that have destroyed our neighborhood and how can this ultimately be a good thing.
First Street Green has been working with the First Street Block Association and CB3 to clean up this lot since 2008. They managed to get the attention of the Parks Dept and it was through their efforts with the Parks Dept that they "attracted interest" from the Guggenheim, and First Street Green has been working with the Guggenheim people to plan for a future for the lot after the pop-up lab moves on.
Commenters here may not like it, but evidently the people living on First St have been agitating for something just like this to happen and are pretty OK with how it's all shaking out.
I can't believe what I 'm reading.
I'll be the first to side with Ken from Ken's Kitchen.
Everything comes at a price but at least this project is temporary. The loss of the tree is however permanent.
No doubt that the Community Board and residents of the block supported this project in order to get what they wanted. The project is one thing, but the chopping down of a tree is just dumb. Any asshole architect could tell you to box in the tree and shoot it right through the temporary structure and tough shit that people are a little squeezed whatever.
at least it's not...
Tenants at 25 E. 1st St. aka "The Mars Bar" who whole heartedly support redevelopment of their current building. The Community Board also supported this project, despite the fact that so many people are heartbroken to know that the building will be torn down and baffled by long time tenants support of a new structure. It is ultimately their residence, their block and what they want. I don't know what the percentage of market rate units will be but we don't need anymore market rate housing period.
The Girls Club soon to be completed on Avenue D is a project that also comes at a price. The price is the residential component which will include 50 percent market rate housing. This was the compromise that was reached in order to acquire a permanent home for The Girls Club. While I love the idea that The Girls Club will finally have a home, this residence is going to bring around a hundred upper income people to E. 8th St. between C and D. More market rate housing will breed more market rate housing.
Many years ago Lyn Pentecost, founder of The Girls Club actually wanted to takeover the community garden on the south west corner of E. 9th St. for The Girls Club. Residents flipped out and the garden still remains.
Um, did it occur to any posters here that perhaps this was more of a "weed" than a tree?
Some weeds grow into towering "trees" that crowd out other plant life. Does anybody here know what kind of "tree" this was exactly?
A lot of things can grow in a vacant lot - it doesn't mean they should stay.......
BTW, if anyone would like to have a tree planted on their block, or plant one on their own, visit this link:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets/street_tree_plant.html
I contacted the city and requested a tree for the sidewalk plot in front of my building back in the late 80's -- and it is now a towering beauty. Go do the same for your block!
Old Chinese proverb: When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When is the second best time? Today.
There are "weeds" that can grow four stories high? I've never heard of any weed like that. What are they names of these weeds?
9:46AM, maybe in Jamaica, but not very likely on East First Street.
@ VH Mckenzie--I believe those weeds were referenced in a Tree Growns In Brooklyn--a weed tree
@Melanie: You are correct, in her book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" Betty Smith refers to the "Tree of Heaven", noting how they flourished in poor neighborhoods. And yes, they are a weed that does grow into a tree.
From a website: Ailanthus altissima. This native of China was brought to North America in the 1700's as an ornamental tree. It escaped cultivation and became naturalized across much of the U.S. Tree-of-heaven adapted well to city life, where large numbers were planted along streets and many more spread to vacant lots and waste areas. It thrives in the most inhospitable sites such as in alleyways, wedged between walls, along foundations, in cracks, and among rubble. It can be found growing in virtually any soil type but rarely in natural habitats or shade.
What was cut down looked quite perpendicular, which does not suggest a Tree of Heaven; they spread out a lot more. Regardless, I am surprised some commenters here find losing a majestic tree a perfectly acceptable trade-off in order to bring yet more noisy, vacuous, self-absorbed trendies with all the gravitas of sea foam into the neighborhood so they can be seen posing at the latest hip venture. But once they are gone there will be a push to build some hideous glassy box with a bar on the ground floor.
At least the tree and the rats were quiet.
@ Lisa--thanks for posting the above about "The Tree Of Heaven". Yes that was the tree in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". I had 2 of them in my backyard and we would cut them every now and then and after decades we finally had them removed. The backyard seemed empty without them..even with the newly planted flower beds and grass. I love trees.
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