Lower Manhattan’s Local News
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New Doc on the Block
Tribeca Pediatrics Founder Gets CB1’s Blessing to Renovate Historic Seaport Building
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The current appearance of 107 South Street, in the Seaport District
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Community Board 1 (CB1) is giving its approval to a proposal to alter a building within the South Street Seaport Historic District, while also noting that the developer has gone out of his way to address the concerns of community leaders.
The property is 107 South Street (between Beekman Street and Peck Slip), which dates from 1900, and has been vacant for decades. In 2019, the building was purchased (for $6 million) by Dr. Michel Cohen, who will be familiar to many Lower Manhattan residents as the physician who founded Tribeca Pediatrics, and has helped care for generations of Downtown kids.
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A rendering of how the historic building will appear, after being renovated and expanded to serve as the new headquarters of Tribeca Pediatrics.
Below: Dr. Michel Cohen, founder of Tribeca Pediatrics
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Dr. Cohen wants to rehabilitate the dilapidated structure, and expand it vertically by adding two additional floors. He plans to use the space as the new headquarters for his medical practice.
Altering the building requires permission from the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), which has jurisdiction over all structures within legally protected neighborhoods, such as the South Street Seaport Historic District. The LPC, in turn, usually waits for a recommendation from local community boards before making such a determination.
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In a resolution enacted at its July meeting, CB1 noted that, “the applicant returned to address the Committee’s feedback from June’s meeting, which is much appreciated and highly unusual these days.” The same resolution also observed that, “the proposed two-story enlargement echoes the shape of the recently developed 106 South Street creating a harmony within the block’s street wall out of an otherwise highly visible addition,” and that, “the materials used for the addition are like the materials utilized for other twentieth century developments of nineteenth century buildings in the district.” Finally, CB1’s resolution acknowledged that the proposed “slope-shaped roof with dormer windows is an appropriate interpretation of the original roofscapes, which are still prevalent in the South Street Seaport Historic District.”
Dr. Cohen said, “we are excited to restore this unique property and to contribute to this vibrant and historic neighborhood just steps away from our flagship offices in
Tribeca.”
Matthew Fenton
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Letter
To the editor,
Thank goodness for CB 1 and members such as Bruce Ehrmann who, in denying the application for a restaurant under the FDR Drive that would block street level views of the river and our tall ships understand New Yorkers walk and look!
We have lost so many open vistas around the Seaport area due to overdevelopment we need more fighters like Bruce and those at Community Board 1 who treasure what preserving River and Seaport views means to all who love Our City.
Jean Grillo
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Vigilant about the View
CB1 Opposes New Restaurant Planned for Public Land Proposed in Seaport
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A rendering of the plan for a restaurant beneath the FDR Drive, in the Seaport neighborhood.
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Community Board 1 (CB1) is stating its opposition (for the fourth time) to a plan that would create a new restaurant beneath the FDR Drive, in the South Street Seaport neighborhood.
The proposal would demolish an existing storage shed (located alongside South Street, between Fulton and John Streets) that contains two public bathrooms, and replace it with restaurant housing a 2290-square-foot dining area with 30 tables and 85 chairs, along with a 700-plus square foot bar area with 26 seats. The new structure would largely eclipse the view corridor that frames panoramic vistas of the East River (and the tall ship Wavertree) from John Street.
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Eyes to the Sky
August 10 – 23, 2020
Summer’s real fireworks: Perseid meteor shower peaks August 11th/12th
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Summer’s real fireworks, the Perseid meteor shower, is predicted to peak overnight on Tuesday, August 11, until dawn Wednesday the 12th.
Perseid meteors are seen every year from mid-July until the last week in August when we, along for the ride on planet Earth, delight in orbiting through the debris field left by comet Swift-Tuttle, a periodic comet that returns every 133 years. Most recently, the comet, named after its modern day discoverers, was visible with the aid of binoculars in 1992.
The Perseid meteor shower is celebrated as one of the year’s best, with 100 meteors per hour expected under optimum conditions. This year, we are challenged to watch for the meteors in the presence of a waning moon. Fifty meteors per hour are likely in dark sky locations. Although the Perseids are most prolific in the hours before dawn when the constellation Perseus has climbed high in the sky, it is worth skygazing before moonrise and again before dawn.
The average speed of Perseid meteors is 37 miles per second, creating fast-falling streaks of light with long, lingering tails. We could be swept away by colorful fireballs, too.
The shooting stars appear everywhere in the sky, although it is useful and enriching to be aware of the apparent radiant, or source, in the northeastern sky at the edge of the constellation Perseus.
During the pre-dawn hours, looking east, greet the rising of winter constellations and the goddess of love and beauty, brilliant planet Venus. Venus is visible through morning twilight.
Judy Isacoff
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Out of the Ashes
After Two-Year Hiatus, Work Resumes at St. Nicholas Church
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday led a ceremonial resumption of construction at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, within the World Trade Center complex.
The building, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (who additionally created the nearby Oculus, also in the World Trade Center) is slated to replace the historic structure, dating from the 1830s, that hosted Orthodox congregations from 1922 onward, when Greek families living in Lower Manhattan raised sufficient funds to purchase building, which had previously served as a private home and a tavern.
Eight decades later, that building (located on Cedar Street, between West and Washington Streets) was destroyed by falling debris from the Twin Towers, on the morning of September 11, 2001. To read more…
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To Revitalize Local Enterprise
Downtown Alliance Throws Lifeline to Downtown Restaurants and Retailers
The Downtown Alliance is inaugurating twin projects that aim to boost Lower Manhattan small businesses, which are struggling in the wake of the pandemic coronavirus and the economic downturn it has sparked.
In the first of these, the Alliance has teamed with BentoBox, an e-commerce platform that creates individualized online tools for restaurants, so that Downtown eateries can set up their own web-based ordering interfaces.
“Our program with BentoBox will eliminate the need for third-party services that eat into restaurant profits,” says Alliance president Jessica Lappin. “Our local eateries, which already operate on razor-thin margins, are facing a once-in-a-generation crisis. This will empower New Yorkers to better support the local favorites that need our help.”
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‘W’ As in ‘Wave Goodbye’
Another Downtown Luxury Hotel Closes Its Doors
Lower Manhattan’s W Hotel, a 56-story trophy building erected amid the wave of giddy real estate speculation that followed the terrorists attack of September 11, 2001, then was nearly shuttered by the economic downturn of 2008, has succumbed to the latest recession.
The upscale lodging accommodation, which closed temporarily at the outset of the pandemic coronavirus, has announced that it will never reopen, according to legal notices filed with Albany regulators.
This is the latest in a wave of hotel implosions in Lower Manhattan in recent months. To read more…
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CLASSIFIEDS &PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades
Respectable Employment
Lost and Found
———————————————————–
Winter Sublet Available
Beautiful, NW corner 2b-2b. Legal sublet through mgmt.
Dec 1 through April 30. Fewer months possible.
Great kitchen appliances and updated bathrooms.
References required.
Call or text 917-538-5595
Personal assistant needed
for filing, packaging/mailing, spreadsheets.
Apple computer proficiency.
Handyperson skills helpful.
SHSAT TUTORING
Stuyvesant HS graduate
available for SHSAT tutoring. $40/hr. Zoom or in-person.
NOTARY PUBLIC IN BPC
$2.00 per notarized signature.
Text Paula @ 917-836-8802
Nurse’s Aide
Caring, experienced Nurse’s Aide seeks PT/FT position.
Excellent references.
ELDERCARE:
Available for PT/FT Exp’d. Refs.
Experienced Elder Care
Able to prepare nutritious meals and light housekeeping.
Excellent references.
HOUSEKEEPING/ NANNY/ BABYSITTER
Available for PT/FT. Wonderful person, who is a great worker. Refs avail.
Worked in BPC. Call Tenzin
347-803-9523
Seeking Full-Time Live-In Elder Care
12 years experience, refs avail.
I am a loving caring hardworking certified home health aide
Marcia 347 737 5037
IT AND SECURITY SUPPORT
Expertise in 1-on-1 tutoring for all ages. Computer upgrading & troubleshooting. Knowledgeable in all software programs.
347-933-1362. Refs available
If you would like to place a listing, please contact
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Wednesday, August 12
1:30PM
9/11 Bagpipe Tribute
9/11 Memorial & Museum
A weekly bagpipe tribute honors those who died on 9/11 as well as those who are sick or who have died from exposure to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of 9/11. Bagpipers play near the 9/11 Memorial Glade.
6PM
Making Connections: LMHQ x Womxn Owning It
LMHQ
Looking to make a career change or to meet new collaborators?
Ready to surround yourself with a supportive community filled with like-minded professionals eager to champion and support all of the great things that you do? Join LMHQ and IFP’s Womxn Owning It for a virtual speed networking mixer! This is a great opportunity to meet the driven, dedicated womxn and allies in our communities. We’ll be utilizing Zoom breakouts to facilitate structured networking and we’ll also spend time as a larger group discussing network-building tips. You’ll walk away with new connections and fresh ideas!
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Recently Reopened Businesses Downtown
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Get Out on the Water
from North Cove
Need a safe and breezy break from your apartment? Several cruise operators have reopened in North Cove and are offering opportunities to get out on the water, including Tribeca Sailing, Ventura, and Classic Harbor Line. All cruise operators are adhering to social distancing guidelines; check individual websites for details.
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Grotto Restaurant and Pizzeria FiDi’s hidden gem for over 35 years.
Grotto sits between The New York Stock exchange and Bowling Green on New Street diagonal from the Bull Statue. The large and diverse menu will please anyone. From Italian specialties to Hand Spun Pizza, Gourmet Salads and more let Grotto feed you & your family tonight.
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CONTACTLESS FREE DELIVERY or IN-STORE PICKUP
OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9AM – 9PM
69 New Street 212-809-6990
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Flat Tire? Rusted Chain? Bent Rims?
GothamFix
A mobile bicycle shop offering service and parts
Open Tuesday through Sunday • 646-322-9557
Corner of Greenwich and Chambers Street.
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The Honorable William Wall is open
Click for more information.
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Today in History August 12
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1492 – Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World.
1851 – Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine.
1865 – Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs first antiseptic surgery.
1950 – Korean War: Bloody Gulch massacre: 75 American POWs are massacred by North Korean Army.
1981 – The IBM Personal Computer is released.
1990 – Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.
2000 – The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire 118-man crew.
Births
1452 – Abraham Zacuto, Jewish astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, rabbi and historian (d. 1515)
1930 – George Soros, Hungarian-American businessman and investor, founded the Soros Fund Management
Deaths
30 BC – Cleopatra, Egyptian queen (b. 69 BC)
1827 – William Blake, English poet and painter (b. 1757)
1849 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1761)
2009 – Les Paul, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1915)
Edited from various sources including Wikipedia,and other media outlets
from mainstream to extreme.
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395 South End Avenue,
New York, NY 10280
212-912-1106
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No part of this document may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher © 2020
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