Things are looking up, however. At least one night this weekend is sold out and the following weekend has availability with rates ranging from $392 to $441 for a king-size room. With city occupancy continuing to bounce upward along with tourism and room rates, Westport Capital probably figured it was an opportune time to hit the market.
A call to Christopher McClure, CEO of Westport Capital, also went unreturned by press time. Harmon is currently wrapping up the sale of the Chelsea Hotel to an as-yet-unnamed buyer for around $80 million.
When the dust settles, sources said, the Cooper Square Hotel should top that price, especially since it is sparkling new and has no hotel management contracts in place.
"It can be totally rebranded," said one source.
“It was a city, as John Cheever once wrote, that “was still filled with a river light, when you heard the Benny Goodman quartets from a radio in the corner stationery store, and when almost everybody wore a hat.” In that city, the taxicabs were all Checkers, with ample room for your legs, and the drivers knew where Grand Central was and always helped with the luggage. ... In that city, you did not smoke on the subway. You wore galoshes in the rain. Waitresses called you honey. You slept with windows open to the summer night.
That New York is gone now, hammered into dust by time, progress, accident, and greed. Yes, most of us distrust the memory of how we lived here, not so very long ago. Nostalgia is a treacherous emotion, at once a curse against the present and an admission of permanent resentment, never to be wholly trusted. For many of us, looking back is simply too painful; we must confront the unanswerable question of how we let it all happen, how the Lost City was lost. And so most of us have trained ourselves to forget. …”
I suppose that 30 years from now (as close to us as we are to 1958), when I've been safely tucked into the turf at the Green-Wood, someone will write in these pages about a Lost New York that includes Area and the Mudd Club and Nell's, David's Cookies and Aca Joe and Steve's ice cream. Someone might mourn Lever House or Trump Tower or the current version of Madison Square Garden. Anything is possible. But if so, I hope that at least one old and wizened New Yorker will reach for a pen and try to explain about our lost glories: and mention spaldeens and trolleys and — if he can make it clear, if he has the skill and the memory — even Willie Mays.
[T]he scope of the LPC's current study areas is limited, and only covers a fraction of the neighborhood's important historic resources. The LPC has said that they are willing to consider other areas of the neighborhood for possible historic district designation in the future, and it is important that we make clear that such additional consideration is essential. However, we also believe that, given the areas the LPC is looking at right now, they can and should expand the boundaries of their study areas to include other important nearby historic resources.
Therefore GVSHP, the Historic Districts Council and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative have asked the LPC to expand their study area to include several adjacent areas. We are hopeful that the LPC will study these additional areas as well as part of their current effort.
The LPC is only studying these areas for possible consideration for historic district designation, and has not taken any formal action towards designation yet. It is therefore critical that we let them know that we want them to move forward with historic district designations in the East Village, that we want them to expand their study area boundaries, and that we want them to consider additional areas soon.
The LPC will be presenting their proposal to Community Board 3's Landmarks Subcommittee this Thursday. This is an important opportunity to let the LPC and Community Board 3 know that we want to see landmark protections expanded in the East Village.
HOW TO HELP:
• Send a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Community Board 3 supporting the expansion of historic district designations in the East Village, expanding the study area, and ensuring that other critical areas of the neighborhood are considered soon. (Here is a sample letter to use.)
• Come to the Community Board 3 Landmarks Committee public hearing on the proposal this Thursday, May 12 at 6 pm at BRC Senior Services Center in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park, 30 Delancey Street between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets.
5 story mixed-use building on the southwest corner of Chrystie and Stanton Streets. There is vacant commercial space on the ground floor and basement, with 13 apartment units above, of which 7 are free market and 6 are rent stabilized. This is the former home of a two story club / cabaret. The residential portion of the building is renting at an average of $35/SF. The area has recently been upzoned to a C6-3A from a C6-1, increasing the available FAR. The air rights are intact.
A 50-year-old man was stabbed to death in the lobby of a building at 190 Stanton Street in the wee hours this morning.
NYPD cruisers and a helicopter converged on Stanton between Attorney and Ridge following a 3:23 a.m. call and found the victim dead on arrival, according to a police spokesman.
Probably not a reason for "low-flying, military-style helicopters" but... from a reader...
A bunch of hipster a**holes just walked up 1st Ave. honking atonally on saxophones and bassoons, like a flock of very loud obnoxious geese. They stopped at every storefront, bodega, bar, restaurant, and aimed their horns at the open doorways and honked and honked, making a noisy mess. 11:00 at night. WTF?
Atop of the Bowery Hotel, the peak, the summit, the indistinguishable view and lifestyle that can’t be matched. Living in a hotel is what life should be like.
This unique residence and lifestyle features 360-degree views of NYC through magnificent floor to ceiling windows that remind you of time almost lost forever.
I could tell you what its all about but the photographs do more than I could ever say.
The Astor Place Riot on May 10, 1849 was the 2nd deadliest in NY history, surpassed only by the Draft Riots of July 13-16, 1863. The confrontation outside of The Astor Place Opera House symbolized the growing division between Protestant & Catholic, rich & poor, & patrician & slum-dweller. It was sparked by long-standing rivalry between American actor Edwin Forrest & English William Charles Macready.
Con Edison has informed us that they do not replace trees. All curb line trees belong to the City of New York. Only the City can put in a claim for their property. If you plant a tree on City property (Curb), after one year it becomes the property of the City of New York. According to the City Parks Department, trees should be planted 20 feet from steam mains. The tree that was killed did not meet this stipulation since it was closer than 20 feet from the steam main.
[Y]ou or the block association can request a tree from the City free of charge. You can go to [this website].
However, the city and the Parks Department will probably suggest that you plant it somewhere else to meet the 20 feet requirement.
