Friday, July 12, 2013

Nearly 4 years later, sidewalk bridge removed from 338 Bowery



Wow. Something seems awfully strange walking on the west side of the Bowery between Bond and Great Jones... Sunlight! On the sidewalk! (Is that a song? — "Sunlight on the Sidewalk.")

The sidewalk bridge first arrived outside the Whitehouse at 338 Bowery in September 2009 for, according to permits, "emergency repairs." Nearly four years later, those emergency repairs must have finally been completed!

The sidewalk bridge even predates the Subway that opened in the former Downtown Music space next door ... the thing even prevented the Subwayers from finishing the paint job outside...



Perhaps it was the Subway manager who complained in December 2009 that he/she could not put up a business sign because of the sidewalk shed...

Not that the sidewalk bridge prevented Subway from advertising out front...




As for the Whitehouse Hotel, the hostel/flophouse combo that was barely hanging on and retaining some of the Bowery edge of yore, it appears safe... developer Sam Chang wanted to build a nine-story hotel on the carcass ... but those plans never materialized ... and the Whitehouse hung on, and after $100,000 of glammed up improvements and renovations, reopened as the Bowery's Whitehouse Hotel and Hostel of New York in January 2011.

And now they have their sidewalk and sunshine (and rain) back.

6 comments:

Gojira said...

Hopefully the shed on the corner of 14th and 1st will be next. Up for years, no work ever being done, why is this allowed?

EV Grieve said...

@ Gojira

Oh yeah, that has been up for some time. Forget how long.

The sidewalk shed outside 32 St. Mark's Place has been up for 5 1/2 years now without any sign of work.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the arrow finally re-read its job description!

Can't wait to walk by there unshedered!

EV Arrow said...

@ anon 8:56

Thank you. This is what can be given the chance here by "management." Maybe if I show my tits I'll get some attention.

Anonymous said...

Looks like bulk-delivery red arrows were on sale on Amazon again!

Anonymous said...

I don't think there's quite enough Subway advertising in this post.