1. real estate
2. apartments

the broadsheet
SOUTHBRIDGE
VOTE CONTESTED
Volume 18 Number 21
Privatization Opponents See Hurdles in
Proxy Votes, ‘Opt-In’ Requirement, and
Tax Issues; Supporters Dispute Claims
R
By Matthew Fenton
esidents of Southbridge Towers
who opposed the recent vote to privatize the complex are pursuing multiple strategies for challenging the
result. The 1,651-unit cooperative
apartment complex nestled alongside
the Brooklyn Bridge has been an enclave of subsidized middle-classing
housing in Lower Manhattan since
the early 1970s. But in a September
referendum, residents of 1,082
Southbridge apartments voted in
favor of the plan to withdraw from
the State’s Mitchell-Lama program
and begin selling their apartments at
market rates. This was a margin of
ten votes more than the two-thirds
legally required to move forward.
The group of Southbridge residents who are opposed to the plan
have filed a protest with New York
State’s Home and Community Renewal agency (HCR), which oversees
Mitchell-Lama developments. That
agency is now reviewing the procedures and documentation surrounding the vote, including the 400-plus
proxy votes that were cast in the race.
Paul Hovitz, a Southbridge resident for many decades and a privatization opponent, says, “of the 403
North Cove ARE SMALL
BUSINESSES AN
Bidder
Has Close ENDANGERED
Ties, Long
SPECIES
History with IN LOWER
Cuomo
MANHATTAN?
November 6 - 22, 2014
DEPARTMENT STORE HEIR
FEUDED WITH, THEN
PARTNERED WITH
GOVERNOR WHO WILL
OVERSEE SELECTION OF
MARINA OPERATOR
proxy votes that were cast, 23 were
disallowed by Honest Ballot Association” (HBA), a consultancy that
plans, supervises, and certifies elections for organizations such as labor
unions and school boards. “But we
haven’t been told the reasons for
these disqualifications. And of the
380 proxies that were accepted, we
have not yet been given an account
of how they broke down between
‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes. Another 44
apartments were initially disqualified
from voting, and we need to know
why that happened. But if just 11 of
those 380 proxies are disallowed for
any reason, that erases the 10-vote
margin that approved privatization,
and the result is reversed.”
Wally Dimson, who has lived in
Southbridge Towers for 40 years, has
served as chair of its board of directors since 2007, and supports privatization, says, “most of the 44
apartments disqualified from voting,
were in succession because a resident
had died and the apartment was in
the process of being passed on to a
family member. Others were the
homes of people who had died without a successor, but whose apart-
mong the bidders expected to
compete for the contract to manage
Battery Park City’s North Cove Marina is Island Global Yachting (IGY),
a company founded and controlled
by Andrew Farkas, a billionaire global
real estate investor who began his career as heir to the family fortune built
by the now-defunct Alexander’s Department Store.
North Cove has been managed
since 2005 by Michael Fortenbaugh,
a longtime Battery Park City resident
who oversees the Manhattan Yacht
Club, the Manhattan Sailing School,
and summer sailing camp programs
for children and teenagers, as well as
the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to foster amateur sailing in the waters
surrounding Manhattan. He also intends to bid.
continued on page 3
continued on page 2
A
By Matthew Fenton
Lower Manhattan’s
first International
Baccalaureate for
elementary &
middle school
Pine Street School combines two globally recognized best practices —
Montessori and International Baccalaureate — for a uniquely powerful
learning experience. The curriculum includes real world applications,
mastery in English and Spanish, community service, travel, substance,
diversity and absolute engagement. It is a truly innovative way to prepare
students to be problem solvers and thought leaders.
First Meeting
of Battery Park
City Chamber of
Commerce Brings
Local Proprietors
Together
S
By Matthew Fenton
everal dozen owners of Battery
Park City-based small businesses met
on October 30 to discuss founding a
local chamber of commerce. “We
have several goals,” says David
Spencer, a tax lawyer whose home
and office are both located in Battery
Park City, and who is helping to organize the project. “People who operate businesses here should get to
know each other and share information. Everything from changing traffic patterns to the latest moves by
large corporations and landlords can
have a big impact on people who do
business here. We have a diverse
community of small businesses here
in Battery Park City—everything
from people operating storefronts to
people working out of their living
rooms. But they all have more in
common than they sometimes realize.”
Mr. Spencer adds that, “we also
want to facilitate events and serve as
a liaison for community organizations seeking support. Right now,
anybody who wants to host an event
like the block party has to reach out
to dozens of businesses. We hope to
serve as a single point of contact for
organizations that want support
from the local business community.”
The organization’s provisional
name is “the Battery Park City
Chamber, for short” Mr. Spencer
says, adding “we left out ‘commerce,’
because it sounds a bit stuffy. We
won’t be charging any dues or fees
beyond the price of a cup of coffee
at meetings. We don’t envision doing
any lobbying or formulating any political goals. Instead, this will be very
grassroots, serving as a clearinghouse
and bulletin board for local business
people.”
The new organization is an outgrowth of the Battery Park City
Neighbors Network, explains com-
Robert Simko
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“Autumn wins you best by this its mute
appeal to sympathy for its decay.”
—Robert Browning
Cans, culture and canines
NEWS &
COMMENT
Hoops for Kids
“Patience and Fortitude” announced Canstruction, which is both an exhibit and a competition,
spotlighting the hunger problem here in New York City, while challenging 29 teams of the
City’s top architecture and design firms to turn more than 100,000 cans of food into pop art
objects that never fail to surprise and amuse the public. The exhibit will be on display from
November 6 through 22 (10:00 am to 6:00 pm) in the Winter Garden of Brookfield Place.
Manhattan Youth’s annual program
of weeknight basketball league play
(for boys in grade two though nine,
and girls in grades two through five)
and weekend skills clinics (for boys
in grades one through five and girls
in grades one through seven) begins
in mid-November, using the gyms of
four Lower Manhattan public
schools. Team are formed and begin
practicing in November, then compete against each other from January
to March. Skills clinics take place
weekends, from November 15th to
March 21st. For more information,
please browse ManhattanYouth.org or
call 212-766-1104.
Just the Right Fit
Superterranean Aesthetic Blues: At Chase Plaza, Jean Dubuffet’s monumental sculpture
“Group of Four Trees” overshadows a quartet of real-life saplings in the background. Below
ground, Isamu Noguchi’s installation, “Sunken Garden,” provides an ironic counterpoint, for
this is a watery oasis without a single blade of greenery. All the green stuff, the artist seems
to say, sprouts from a different kind of branch—the bank office behind the glass panels.
Bridge Kids of New York, which
provides therapeutic advice to parents and families, will give a presentation on “Tackling Tantrums,” at the
Battery Park City Day Nursery (215
South End Avenue, between Albany
Street and Rector Place) on Wednesday, November 19, from 6:00 to 7:30
pm. The workshop will include advice on what causes tantrums and
how to work through them effectively. Admission is free and all are
welcome, but space is limited, so
please RSVP to [email protected]
Fun and Functionality
TurPupEn: Nobody understands relationship of Homo sapiens to Canis lupus familiaris (the
single species to which all dogs belong) better than children. “Don’t worry,” this boy must be
beaming telepathically to these forlorn pooches, “you can have your dignity back as soon as
the parade is over.” (For more about the Halloween Pet Parade, see story on page 2.)
The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy has unveiled a major upgrade
to its website (BPCParks.org) with
new features, such as an interactive
map, detailed information about upcoming events, and a color-coded
calendar that indexes eight categories
of park happenings, and can filter
searches by age group. Users can also
sign up for volunteer opportunities
and sustainability programs.
FROM NOON
TO MOON
LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF ALBANY ST. & GREENWICH ST.
To learn more, visit DowntownNY.com.
continued on page 2
Now enrolling Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade for 2015-2016
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Call Jessica & Maryann ~ (646) 801-7499
Join us for a tour or an upcoming open house.
Open House Dates
11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/10
9:30-10:30am
5:30-6:30pm
25 Pine Street
between William & Nassau
Refreshments and childcare
will be provided. Space is
limited. Please RSVP for
a tour or open house at
[email protected].
Guided Tours
Available on Mon, Wed
and Fri at 10am.
Early decision application
deadline is December 1st.
Under STRESS? In PAIN?
can enhance your well-being
ACUPUNCTURE
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Board Certified Acupuncturist
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School
212-786-9292
Accepting BlueCross BlueShield
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the broadsheet
DOWNTOWNERS DOING GOOD:
DR. VERONICA RUELAS
Page 2
November 6 - 22, 2014
LOCAL BUSINESSES
FORM CHAMBER
continued from page 1
munity leader Rosalie Joseph. (She
and Mr. Spencer are serving as cofounders of the Chamber project.)
“The goals are simple. We want to
work together to support small, Battery Park City-based businesses as
larger chains move into the neighborhood. We want to network with each
other to develop new business and
solidify existing business. And we
hope to act as a central representative
group to give Battery Park City’s
business community a united voice.
This effort comes at a time when
small businesses in Battery Park City
(and elsewhere in Lower Manhattan)
are experiencing unprecedented pressure. The rising real estate market has
enabled landlords to ask for substantial rent increases, which large retail
chains can easily afford, but small
proprietorships cannot. The renovation of Brookfield Place forced out
numerous small stores that had operated in the community for decades,
which have been almost uniformly
replaced by upscale national brands.
A similar process is underway at Pier
17, in the South Street Seaport,
where the leases of dozens of small
firms were cancelled by landlord
Howard Hughes Corporation, who
closed and demolished the structure,
which is now midway through
planned transformation into an opulent retail destination for a more affluent customer base.
Another aspect of this local
metamorphosis is the bidding
process (now underway) to operate
North Cove Marina. The yacht harbor has been managed for ten years
by Michael Fortenbaugh, a Battery
Park City resident who is widely credited with creating a community
amenity that includes a summer sailing camp for local children, as well as
recurring support for local causes like
the annual block party, the parentteacher associations of multiple
Downtown schools, and Battery Park
City Cares, a local charity group for
which Mr. Fortenbaugh has hosted
multiple fund raisers. But his contract
to operate the marina is now expiring, and multiple large corporations
(including Brookfield Properties, the
owners of Brookfield Place) are expected to submit bids to take over
the facility. (See story in page 1.)
Whether a local, small business like
Mr. Fortenbaugh’s can compete successfully with organizations that have
deeper pockets and greater resources
remains to be seen.
The next meeting of the Battery
Park City Chamber will be held on
Tuesday (November 11) at 6:30 pm
in SouthWestNY restaurant (301
South End Avenue, at the corner of
Albany Street). Anybody interested
in participating is invited to attend,
and no RSVP is required.
Local Optometrist Bestows Gift of
Sight on the Far Side of the World
A
Halloween Puppy Parade:
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The judges had some tough decisions to make . . .
The Battery Park City Dog Association would like to thank the following
people and businesses for participating and donating to our 13th Annual BPC
Halloween Puppy Parade on Oct. 25th:
Bobby Concister of Le Pet Spa, our Co-Host for 13 years, and for providing the top prizes; ABC Blooming Nails; Battery Park City Pharmacy; Deb
Di Iorio; Downtown Veterinary Hospital; Dr. Margaret Mei of Optimum
Rehab & Wellness; Gristedes; Inatteso Pizzabar Casano; Jane Kopelman, Dog
Trainer; Laughing Man Coffee & Tea;
Merchants River House Restaurant;
New Fresh Cleaners; Pick-a-Bagel; Stanley's Cobbler Shop; and The Vince
Smith Hair Experience. Also a huge
thanks to our esteemed judges: Sheila
Rossi, Ali Silber and Rich Brotman (who
was also our Stage Manager and Videographer). Another huge thanks go to
our Park Enforcement Police -- Capt.
Paige Lener, Sgt. Jose Rivera, Park Officer Airris Awad, CSA Valerie Primous
and CSA Samille Tyler who kept us safe
on the parade route.
And, of course, a giant thank you
to all of the participants in the parade,
both human and canine, for their enthusiasm, creativity and support for our annual community event. Pictures can be
seen at: bpcdogs.org.
—Paula and Jeff Galloway
Justin McCarthy
BATTERY PARK
VISION ASSOCIATES, PC
Doctors of Optometry
“We Cater to the Hard to Fit”
Dr. David Naparstek
Dr. Michele Maxwell
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by Matthew Fenton
On her last trip to India, “our
Battery Park City eye doctor is
traveling around the world several team of five doctors saw 750 people
times each year to provide free opto- in three and a half days. We have to
metric services to impoverished res- work hard and fast because it takes
idents of developing nations. Dr. three days to get there and three days
Veronica Ruelas, who has been prac- to get out. So we need to pack in as
ticing at Artsee Eyewear (on North much work as we can in a short time.
End Way, opposite Shake Shack) And even at this pace, we didn’t get
since 2011, returned on September to see everybody who wanted our
29 from the most recent of these help. Many of these people walked
trips, to Haiti. “I flew down on Fri- for hours to get to us, and waited
day night and spent the weekend at many hours more in line. And for all
of the patients
an orphanage in
we saw, this was
a place called
the first eye
Hinche, about
exam they’ve
two hours outever had.”
side of Port-auIn the years
Prince, where I
since the first
examined and
trip, Dr. Ruelas
treated around
has returned to
40
children,
India four more
and then got
times, with adback on Monditional
soday evening,”
journs to Brazil,
she recalls. “I
Peru, and Lebadecided to go
non. “I haven’t
because
a
done this in
friend is adoptAfrica, yet,” she
ing a child from
says, “but I’m
Hinche, so she
hoping to go
travels there
there soon.”
once a month.
The most movWhen she deBattery Park City optometrist
ing experience
scribed the conDr. Veronica Ruelas treats
she has had on
ditions there, like
children in Hinche,
impoverished
any of these jourrampant pink eye,
I knew I had to try Haiti, during her October trip there, neys, she says,
to help. I brought one of several she makes each year to “was in a small
the developing world
town in the Perumedication, and
also spent some time training local vian Andes. I was treating a young
mother who was so severely nearcare givers.”
This was Dr. Ruelas’ first trip to sighted that she couldn’t see anything
Haiti, but her eleventh journey to re- more than an inch or two away from
mote locations in Third World coun- her eyes. Once we gave her the aptries where optometric services for propriate glasses, she was able to see
poor people are either unheard of, or her infant child for the first time,
after months of holding the baby in
else in gravely short supply.
“I began doing this six years her arms. She couldn’t stop crying.”
The most discouraging aspect of
ago,” she recalls. “I went to India by
myself in 2008, to see if I could help her work abroad, Dr. Ruelas says, “is
people.” This desire to serve sprang the red tape, the bureaucratic bottle
from a personal and professional necks, and the corruption that are
reevaluation, she says. “I was ten everywhere in the developing world.
years into practicing optometry at These things make it much harder to
that point, and was thinking about do this work than it should be.”
Looking to the future, Dr. Ruelas
giving it up. I was studying to become a yoga instructor, and going is hoping to build a permanent clinic
through an intense program, during in Uttarkashi, which will function
which I lived in an ashram in India year-round, instead of only when she
and the teams she leads travel to
and studied yoga philosophy.”
“One of the paths to yoga is India. “If I can get that up and runcalled karma yoga,” she explains, ning with permanent equipment and
“and is focused on people who de- trained staff,” she says, “I’d like to use
vote their lives to service. This is it as a template to create similar facilviewed as a way to train the mind and ities in other countries. Then, I’d like
to help purify the soul. And when I to launch an online portal where
realized, because of karma yoga, that medical professionals can browse
I could use optometry to help peo- volunteer opportunities in different
ple, that reenergized my professional countries and sign up for times when
they are available.”
life.”
In the meantime, she is planning
Dr. Ruelas began by setting up a
temporary clinic in the town of Ut- another trip to India (with a smaller
tarkashi, in northern India, near the team) in December, followed by a
borders with China and Nepal. This larger trek in March of next year.
town, which was also home to the “I’m hooked,” is Dr. Ruelas’ answer
ashram where she was studying, is to why she undertakes these pilgrimseveral days’ travel time from Delhi. ages, which are funded from her own
“In that area of India,” she notes, savings.
“It’s really very selfish, because
“there is one optometrist serving
70,000 people.” She started by bring- anybody who does this kind of work
ing medications and used eyeglasses, gets so much out of it. The people I
which she gave to people whose pre- treat are happy,” she reflects. “By
scriptions matched the lenses on the American standards, they have nothing, but they love life. So they are
donated pairs of glasses.
On subsequent trips to India, she onto something that very few people
brought more sophisticated equip- here get.”
For more information about Dr.
ment, along with other eye doctors.
“Now we have multiple optometrists Ruelas’ work, browse ThirdEyeViand ophthalmologists on each trip,” sion.org, or stop by Artsee Eyewear, at
she says, “which means we can do 220 Murray Street (located in North
everything from eye exams up to End Way, near Murray Street, opposite Shake Shack).
cataract surgeries.”
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Ages 6 - adult. Certified art
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CERTIFIED HOME
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with over 10 years experience
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Light housekeeping and
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CERTIFIED NANNY
with 20 years of
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Extremely organized, timeoriented person with a lifetime
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Available to babysit and assist
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Please contact me at
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917-378-2168
ELDER CARE
Lovely woman available days,
weekends, and nights.
Can provide light housekeeping and cooking services.
Battery Park City refs available.
Call Evelyne 929-600-4520
SPANISH LESSONS
from a native Spanish speaker
(Spain). Adults, children,
test preparations.
[email protected]
IN-HOME PET-SITTING
We’ve been serving BPC for
15 years. FREE one-on-one
consultation to discuss your
pet’s unique needs. Call
Laura at 917-664-9403.
POCKET WATCHES
and wristwatches sought
Any condition
212-912-1106
NORTH COVE
continued from page 1
Mr. Farkas’s company, IGY,
owns or manages 11 marinas in the
Caribbean and South America, as
well as two local facilities: the Newport Yacht Club and Marina in Jersey
City and the Montauk Yacht Club
Resort and Marina, on eastern Long
Island. IGY also managed a facility
similar to Battery Park City’s North
Cove: the Boston Yacht Haven (located in that City’s North End neighborhood), but that relationship,
according to a source directly familiar
with the situation, ended abruptly
under circumstances about which
neither IGY nor the owners of
Boston Yacht Haven have said anything publicly.
Mr. Farkas is also personally
close to newly reelected Governor
Andrew Cuomo, who took multiple
campaign trips on private jets owned
by Mr. Farkas in the final weeks of
this year’s gubernatorial race, according to campaign spending documents
filed with the State. Mr. Farkas also
personally donated tens of thousands of dollars to Mr. Cuomo’s
most recent campaign, and helped
raise millions more.
Mr. Farkas and the governor
were not always so close. In the
1990s, when Mr. Cuomo served as
the federal government’s Housing
and Urban Development (HUD)
secretary, that agency accused a company controlled by Mr. Farkas of
paying $7.6 million in kickbacks to
landlords of publicly subsidized
housing projects, in exchange for
keeping lucrative management contracts. Mr. Farkas’s company later
paid to settle this case, without admitting any wrongdoing. During this
episode, Mr. Farkas and Mr. Cuomo
became bitter public adversaries.
But their relationship warmed a
few years later, when Mr. Farkas
hired Mr. Cuomo (who had left
HUD and was fresh from a failed,
2002 run for governor against thenincumbent George Pataki) as a senior
executive at Island Capital, a firm
that Mr. Farkas started to invest in
global real estate. During 2004 and
2005, that firm paid Mr. Cuomo $1.2
million, after which he departed to
run (successfully) for State Attorney
General, a race in which Mr. Farkas
served as Mr. Cuomo’s campaign finance chair.
Bids from firms hoping to operate North Cove Marina were due at
the Battery Park City Authority on
November 5, the day after the election that gave Mr. Cuomo a second
term as New York’s governor. The
bids will be evaluated (and a decision
made) by the Authority, an agency
that reports directly to Mr. Cuomo.
Jack’s
Hair Salon
New York Mercantile Exchange
1 North End Avenue
212-619-4030
7:30am - 5:30pm
Monday - Friday
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Editor in chief ~ Matthew Fenton
BroadsheetDAILY Editor ~ Caroline Press
Intern ~ Kate Louise O’Loughlin
Contributors ~ Marti Ann Cohen-Wolf,
Cora Frederick, Brian Rogers, Sarah Smedley
Advertising manager ~ Kris Frederick
Publisher ~ Robert Simko
[email protected]
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WEDNESDAYS • 1PM • ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL
Broadway and Fulton Street
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra
perform the timeless cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Julian Wachner, conductor.
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FREE
SOUTHBRIDGE VOTE
continued from page 1
ments had not yet been returned to
the cooperative. In a handful of
cases, residents were paying maintenance on two apartments at once,
but they are not permitted to cast
votes from both apartments. And
there were four apartments occupied
by people who were not allowed to
vote because when they moved in,
they were excused from paying the
initial equity contribution required
for Southbridge owners, which was
covered by a State subsidy, instead.
But in all cases, the list of apartments
disqualified from voting was developed in consultation with HCR, as
has been the case for all votes and
elections at Southbridge since 2007.”
A memorandum circulated by
the Southbridge board of directors
to residents on October 29 says of
the HCR review, “both HBA and
Southbridge have responded to these
inquiries in a prompt and complete
manner. While we expected the review process to be completed
sooner, it is our understanding that
we can now expect that the Attorney
General will respond... on or about
November 13, 2014. If this timeline
is maintained, shareholders will receive a copy of the amendment on
or about November 24, 2014.” Assuming the Attorney General’s office
certifies the results of the September
vote as valid, a 90-day period will
begin during which the Southbridge
privatization offering mandates that
two-thirds of the residents must
agree to participate in the plan.
Mr. Hovitz says, “some residents
may have voted yes to give themselves the option of privatization,
rather than because they wanted to
exercise that option. And others
make may make a rational choice to
give themselves certainty about future costs, rather than exposure to
huge unknowns. But it remains to be
seen how many will opt in. And if
the privatization side doesn’t get twothirds, the vote is nullified.”
All of these contentions are disputed by supporters of privatization.
“Our understanding is that a number
of Southbridge residents who voted
against privatization in September
have now decided to opt in,” says Mr.
Dimson. “We have also seen anecdotal evidence, from other privatizations of Mitchell-Lama cooperatives,
where even in close votes, additional
people opt in during 90-day period.
Some will be motivated by the reality
that until you sign a participation
agreement, you have no protection in
terms of passing assets to an heir.”
Mr. Hovitz argues that, “this 90day cutoff is a bright-line rule. It cannot be changed or extended.” (A
spokesman for the Attorney General’s office did not respond to requests for clarification on this point.)
A third threshold that the Southbridge privatization plan must cross
comes one year after the period during which residents decide to opt in
or out. “The offering plan contains a
budget for the coming year,” says Mr.
Hovitz. “It also contains a condition
that if, during that year, the budget
inflates by more than 15 percent,
then the plan and the vote are nullified.” Mr. Hovitz argues that, depending on the outcome of a tax
case now pending before the New
York State Court of Appeals (which
concerns another Mitchell-Lama cooperative that voted to withdraw
from the State’s affordability program and convert to market-rate
prices), the newly privatized Southbridge Towers complex may face a
tax bill of approximately $26 million.
(For as long as Southbridge remained
within the Mitchell-Lama program, it
enjoyed substantial tax abatements
reserved for affordable housing developments, which may be rolled
back once the complex becomes
truly private.) “An expense of $26
million would represent more than a
15 percent departure from the
budget outlined in the offering plan,”
says Mr. Hovitz, “which would mean
the entire vote is rescinded.”
This analysis is rejected by Mr.
Dimson, who says, “we don’t anticipate any great changes in operating
costs. Even if the court rules in the
opposite of the way we expect, it
would have no impact on the budget.
In the worst-case scenario, where
Southbridge owed $26 million, the
tax would be paid through a loan,
and we already have the interest expense for such a loan covered in the
budget detailed in the offering plan.”
the broadsheet
A
November 6 - 22, 2014
majestic, but forlorn relic of Tribeca’s architectural design and we’re not opposed to development as long as
past may be in danger of demolition. The six-story loft it is rigorously contextual and fits the general aesthetic
building at 438 Washington Street (at the southwest cor- language of historic Tribeca” Ms. Ellsworth joined with
ner of Debrosses Street), which stands regally amid a sur- like-minded neighbors to start the Tribeca Trust to edurounding huddle of one- and two-story garages, is a case cate the public about the neighborhood’s history and arin point in the camchitectural heritage
paign being led by the
and mobilize residents
Tribeca Trust to exto preserve, protect,
pand the historic disand enhance its architricts
that
are
tectural character and
supposed to preserve
quality of life.
the architectural herMs. Ellsworth is
itage of Lower Manworried that the buildhattan.
ing’s owners, Ponte
The architectural
Equities (a real estate
firm of Kurtzer and
investment firm conRohl designed the
trolled by the former
handsome
brick,
operators of Ponte’s
stone, and terra-cotta
Restaurant), “are nowarehouse in 1899
torious in Tribeca for
for developer Syltheir ‘demolition by
vester Mitchell. Sonn
neglect’ style of manBrothers Whiskies
agement. At least two
were among the first
federal townhouses in
tenants, and used the
Tribeca owned by
upper floors as storPonte fell down this
age. The fading image
way.” (A spokesman
of Sonn’s advertising
for Ponte Equities did
can still be seen on
not respond to a rethe building’s west faquest for comment.)
cade. The terra-cotta
One of
the
Loft Building Unrepaired Since
sailor keystones over
Trust’s central goals is
Hurricane Sandy May Face
the upper floor winto persuade the City’s
‘Demolition by Neglect’
dows were made in
Landmarks PreservaStaten Island by the
tion Commission to
Atlantic Terra Cotta
redraw
the map of the
by Matthew Fenton
Company.
“The
photos by Robert Simko
four Historic Districts
building was damaged
that cover Tribeca.
by Hurricane Sandy,” says Lynn Ellsworth, who helped “These borders were set in 1992,” Ms. Ellsworth explains.
found Tribeca Trust in the fall of last year, “and has yet “They are jagged, irregular lines that cut through the midto be repaired. But it can be saved and it is worth pre- dle of blocks and saw-tooth left and right. It’s clear that
serving.”
these borders were not carefully thought out and also reflect a different calculus, circa 1992. Thinking about historic districts has evolved considerably since then. Also,
property owners who were resistant 22 years ago now see
there is a lot of money to be made in adaptive re-use of
buildings.”
“When property like this is put inside a Historic District,” Ms. Ellsworth observes, “it comes under a body of
regulations that govern all future development of that
site. The owner is no longer free to simply knock down
an old building and put up a new building without Landmarks oversight.” She adds “the Kurtzer and Rohl Warehouse is by any architectural and historical standards a
building that would normally be included in a historic district. Why it was left out in the first place is a bit perplexing. But Tribeca Trust thinks that we have a chance to get
the Landmarks Preservation Commission to take another
look a the situation of Tribeca North, guided by more
contemporary theory about historic districts.
“Our goal,” Ms. Ellsworth says, “is to create a Historic
District that more closely resembles the traditional
The fading image of Sonn’s Bros. Company Whiskies
polygon-shape of Tribeca. We need new borders that will
advertising can still be seen on the building's west facade
navigate around what has been destroyed, and keep the
Tribeca Trust, “is not a traditional preservation buildings that are left, such as 483 Washington, so that
group,” says Ms. Ellsworth, who also started Friends of property owners do appropriate, historically sensitive deDuane Park in 1994. “We have a big emphasis on urban velopment in the remaining buildable sites.”
PRESERVATION WATCH:
438 WASHINGTON STREET
Regatta New York Realty
Licensed Real Estate Brokers
Serving Battery Park City for 25 years
300 Rector Place Ste. 3R
Bill Graizel
[email protected]
212-945-2121
www.regattany.com
Gary Seiden
[email protected]
Page 3
WORLD TRADE CENTER
DENTAL GROUP, PC
Our 40th year
in Lower Manhattan
Services Offered:
•Cleaning
•Restorative Crown
•Bleaching
•Implants
•Veneers
Dr. Richard Marchitto DDS
42 Broadway
just up the street
from the Bowling Green Bull
Putting a smile on the face of New York
Insurances accepted Aetna PPO, Cigna PPO,
Delta Dental PPO,Guardian PPO,
EmpireDental PPO
Richard Marchitto, DMD
42 Broadway, Suite 1536
212.968.0631
[email protected]
wtcdentalgroup.com
Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry
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IN BUSINESS
R
RUUM
uum (pronounced room),
which opened in Tribeca in early autumn, is a children’s clothing shop
that has migrated from malls to the
storefronts of New York City. With
that migration, they have changed the
way they present merchandise to customers and reshaped the way
customers shop.
Ruum displays
one of each of
its clothing items
and showcases
outfits with coorEzra Dabah
dinated accessories. Shoppers peruse
the merchandise for boys and girls,
and adults can then sit comfortably
while the chosen items are brought
to them in the requested size, from
toddler through size 14. Children can
amuse themselves with a turn at the
photo booth or with toys while waiting.
“The stores are basically our goforward concept, which is substantially different than we have in the
malls, which are much bigger stores.”
explains Ezra Dabah, CEO. “The
merchandise looks ten times better
because it’s not piled on top of each
other. We leave a single item out. You
go into a mall store and it’s full of
merchandise stacked up high and
squeezed on the racks. In this shop
the merchandise has a chance to
breathe and the groupings that we
like to showcase look much more
vivid and make a much more powerful story. By just putting one item out,
believe it or not, we fit all the merchandise that we have in a 5,000
square-foot store into a 1,000 squarefoot store.”
The clothes, a product of vertically integrated design, are trendy,
comfortable and reasonably priced.
Vertically integrated design means
that Ruum designs, merchandises,
procures the manufacturing and
brings the clothes to the consumer,
controlling every step. They have
their own graphic designers and
clothing designers.
The Tribeca shop, which looks
very of-the-neighborhood, is a popup
through January 15, 2015, but Mr.
Dabah assures us that Ruum will stay
in Tribeca either in its current location or nearby. There is also a Ruum
on the Upper East Side. The company plans to open other NYC shops
in Soho, Brooklyn and the Upper
West Side, tailoring the décor of each
to the neighborhood.
Ruum
138 Broadway
212-227-9364 • ruum.com
—Marti Ann Cohen-Wolf
LUXURIOUS SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR SHORT TERM RENTAL NEEDS.
THE SUITES AT LIBERTY VIEW
212 842 7300
BATTERY PARK CITY
30 Day Minimum • Brokers Welcome
www.liberty-view.com
RENOVATING? OLD APARTMENT SOLD? NEW APARTMENT NOT READY? RELATIVES VISITING?
the broadsheet
Volume 18 Number 21
November 6 - 22, 2014
LETTERS
RiverWatch
More for the
Commodore
Release The Fishes
To the Editor: (cc: Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh)
We are writing in support of the
North Cove Marina Management of
the North Cove. We are a new family
to Battery Park City. One of the primary reasons we moved to the area
was the beautiful, accessible and family-friendly North Cove waterfront
and the Manhattan Yacht Club’s
community-friendly management of
the North Cove.
We spend hours watching the
movement of the beautiful boats, international races, sailing lessons and
more at the cove. When we were first
considering moving here, friends and
colleagues told us about the North
Cove and how easy and fun it is to
take sailing lessons or just go down
to see the boats. We were surprised
to discover such an open and friendly
demeanor at the docks, while at the
same time we perceived a clear com-
Cruise Ships in the Harbor
CALENDAR
Please confirm details by
visiting ebroadsheet.com.
SAT 8
Two-time World Champion Fancy Dancer,
Larry Yazzie (Sac and Fox) directs the Native Pride Dancers in a dance presentation
that celebrates the spirit and beauty of indigenous peoples of North America. 1pm
and 3pm. Free. Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American IndianOne Bowling Green. www.americanindian.si.edu
—Margaret Gifford
and John Whitehead
Editor’s Note : The Broadsheet has received dozens of emailed letters, phone calls and sidewalk street
talk all supporting the current management of
North Cove Marina: High praise for an
amenity that serves the neighborhood admiralably.
Skyscraper Skeletons
Join us for a reading of the children's
book Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire
State Building to learn how skyscrapers
stand tall. Kids will then erect their own
skeleton of a skyscraper using toothpicks
and gumdrops. Ages 4+. $5. 10:30am11:45am. Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery
Place. www.skyscraper.org
SUN 9
focus on new discoveries in infant language development, emerging programs
to reduce the achievement gap, and new
national initiatives to enhance public
awareness. The panel discussion will be of
particular interest to early childhood educators, parents, pediatricians, prenatal
and early childhood researchers, community leaders, and national/international
policymakers. $35, $30, $25. 5:45pm7pm. New York Academy of Sciences, 7
World Trade Center. www.nyas.org
Risque Words
The Pen Parentis Literary Salon welcomes
four authors who take on the subjects of
sex, drugs, violence, and the sometimes
ugly realities of fame in their work. Featuring Paula Bomer, Vica Miller, Jonathan
Papernick, and Amy Sohn. Each author
will read from their work and then participate in an informal, salon-style roundtable about their writing and parenting
lives. Free. 7pm. Pen Parentis. Hotel
Andaz, 75 Wall St. www.penparentis.org
WED 12
The Nazis Next Door: How
America Became a Safe Toddler Music with Irka
Mateo
Haven for Hitler’s Men
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Eric Lichtblau reveals how America became home
to thousands of Nazi war criminals after
World War II, many of whom were
brought here by U.S. intelligence agencies. $15, $12. 2:30pm. Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the
Holocaust, 36 Battery Place. 646-4374202. www.mjhnyc.org
MON 10
Iowa International Writing
Program’s Resident Poets
Poets House welcomes six poets currently
in residence at the International Writing
Program at the University of Iowa to
share their work and discuss their experiences as writers. $10, $7. 6pm-8pm. Poets
House, 10 River Terrace. 212-431-7920.
www.poetshouse.org
TUE 11
Baby Talk: Closing the
Achievement Gap, Word
by Word
The “word gap” has recently been identified through scientific research as a worldwide problem and a crucial defining
factor in the future success of millions of
children. Join the NY Academy of Sciences
for a panel discussion with leading researchers and experts in the field that will
Wednesday, November 19
6-7:30pm
Tackling Tantrums workshop: teaching
parents how to understand and change
their child's challenging behavior
PRESENTED BY BRIDGE KIDS OF NY
RSVP to [email protected]
215 South End Ave
Arrivals &
Departures
The River Project, a marine biology field station and laboratory for estuarine research based at Pier 40, has been collecting fish and invertebrates in Hudson River Park since 1986. To date they have identified 50
species of fish from 33 families, and an uncountable numbers of invertebrate species. Every Spring they host a Meet the Fishes event, when visitors welcome the latest catch of fish, crabs, snails and other estuary
creatures that will occupy the wetlabs for the summer and become the
subjects of marine study.
But November 6 was the annual Fall Release of the Fishes event, in
which the marine species are returned to their river habitat before winter
weather sets in.
The event was co-hosted by The Washington Market School, and took
place from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on the South Walkway of Pier 40, at Houston and West Streets. More than 100 pariticipants were given the chance to bid
farewell to a cupful of creatures, such as the feather blenny, mud dog whelk, shrimp, sea worm, blue crab, and hermit crab, after which they were tipped
into the river. Kids who attended were also served fish-shaped cookies and got acquaintd with the inhabitants of the permanent fish tank: oysters and seahorses. For more information about the River Project and its work to expand public understanding of the estuary and inspire people to appreciate the
ecosystem they live in, please browse riverprojectnyc.org
Native Pride Dancers
mitment to safety and good maintenance. The North Cove Marina
Management team has revived the
waterfront in a way that no other
company could have. We have
watched world-class sailing races, met
sailors from all over the world and
felt as though we have a front-row
seat on a piece of Manhattan history
coming back to life. During the
World Cup soccer tournament, we
met some sailors from Germany and
had a great time talking to them
about how they managed to watch
the Cup while sailing across the Atlantic. It was a captivating conversation for our elementary-school-aged
child. Our child took sailing lessons
this summer and had an unforgettable week of outdoor exercise and
fun, right here in downtown Manhattan! The photo (above) shows her excitedly running to her sailing camp.
Our friends who work in the local
companies love the North Cove too,
hosting parties there and taking sailing lessons. So much work has been done to
restore the health and beauty of the
Hudson River and Lower Manhattan.
The North Cove, under the management of North Cove Marina Management and Commodore Michael
Fortenbaugh, has become a uniquely
attractive and family-friendly resource for New Yorkers and visitors
alike. We hope that the committee
will keep this successful team in place
for many years to come.
40° 42.75’ N, 74° 01.06’ W
212-945-0088
Drop in with your toddlers (18months - 4
years) and learn about Taino culture
through stories, song, movement, and activities. Repeated at 11:15amm. Registration encouraged; email [email protected].
Free. 10:15am. Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian.
www.americanindian.si.edu
All That I Am
Award-winning author Anna Funder will
read and sign copies of All That I Am, an
evocative debut novel about a group of
young German exiles who risk their lives
to awaken the world to the terrifying
threat of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Based
on real-life events and people, All That I
Am brings to light the heroic, tragic, and
true story of a small group of left-wing
German social activists who mounted a
fierce and cunning resistance from their
perilous London exile. $8, $5. 6:30pm.
Anne Frank Center, 44 Park Place. 212
431 7993. www.annefrank.com
Gillian Walsh + Daria Faïn
A dance of coded mathematical structures
+ a solo on the cyclical nature of life. Curated by RoseAnne Spradlin. Pre- and
post-show discussions with the curator and
artists are free and open to the public.
$15-$20. 7:30pm. Through Nov. 15. Gibney Dance, 280 Broadway, entrance at 53
Chambers St. www.gibneydance.org
A Backpack, a Bear, and
Eight Crates of Vodka
Author Lev Golinkin in conversation with
A.J. Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically).
In the 1980s, nine-year-old Golinkin and
his family crossed the Soviet border with
$600 and the vague promise of help in Vienna. This darkly comic and poignant
memoir tells the story of Golinkin’s efforts as an adult to retrace his family’s
long trek and locate the strangers who
fought for his freedom. $15, $12.
2:30pm. Museum of Jewish Heritage - A
Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Pl. www.mjhnyc.org. 646-437-4202
13 States or One Nation:
George Washington and
the Economics of the Confederation
In his new book, The Return of George
Washington: 1783-1789, Pulitzer-Prize
winning historian Edward Larson focuses
on George Washington’s life — post-Revolutionary War, pre-Presidency — bringing
elegant prose and exacting research to
Washington’s indispensable role in rescuing the nation. Under the confederation,
the states (beginning with Pennsylvania)
were clever enough to figure out how they
could solve their financial problems by
printing money backed by the confederation's own debt — and by doing so, supplant the confederation as the center of
political power. More than any single
thing, this threat to central authority — a
pure financial contrivance — drove nationalists like Washington, Hamilton and
Madison to push for a new constitution
consolidating power, including the power
to print money, raise revenue and pay
debts. It was the forerunner to Hamilton's
brilliant plan to have the new central government assume the states' revolutionary
war debt, and thus demote the states.
Talk will be followed by Q&A and book
signing. $5 tickets include Museum admission. Feel free to bring your lunch. $5.
2:30pm. Museum of American Finance,
48 Wall St. 212-908-4110. www.moaf.org
Bach at One
Hear the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque
Orchestra perform the music of Johann
Sebastian Bach's cantatas at historic St.
Paul's Chapel. These services present
Bach's cantatas in a liturgical context, returning these miniature oratorio-like
works to their original purpose. Free.
1pm. Trinity Wall Street. 212-602-0800.
www.trinitywallstreet.org
Blue Moon: From the
Journals of Mama Mae
and LeeLee
Musician Alicia Keys reads and signs her
new children's book, Blue Moon: From the
Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee. Priority seating with book purchase. Wristband
event. Free. 6pm. Barnes and Noble, 97
Warren Street. www.barnesandnoble.com
Soldiers’ Stories from the
Front: Veterans Reading
their Writing
Participants in NYU’s Veterans Writing
Workshop share stories they’ve written
about their experiences overseas and the
challenges they face as they attempt to
reintegrate into life at home. Presented in
collaboration with the NYU Creative Writing Program. Free. 6:30pm. WTC Tribute
Center, 120 Liberty St. www.tributewtc.org
THU 13
Glittering World Panel
Discussion
Fete the opening of Glittering World:
Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family. A
panel discussion with Lee, Raymond, and
Mary Marie Yazzie, moderated by Lois
Sherr Dubin will be held at 5:30 p.m. in
the Diker Pavilion. The panel will be fol-
lowed by a reception and book-signing in
the Rotunda. The discussion will give insight into the personal craft and contemporary aesthetics of the Yazzie Family,
while highlighting Navajo cultural values
and jewelry-making traditions that contextualize their work. Free. 5:30pm-8pm.
Smithsonian's National Museum of the
American Indian, One Bowling Green
www.americanindian.si.edu
Many ships pass Battery Park City on their way to and
from the midtown passenger ship terminal. Others may
be seen on their way to or from docks in Brooklyn and
Bayonne. Stated times, when appropriate, are for
passing the Colgate Clock and are based on sighting
histories, published schedules and intuition.
they are also subject to tides, fog, winds, freak waves,
hurricanes and the whims of upper management.
Friday, Nov 7
Sunday, Nov 9
INBOUND OUTBOUND
Norwegian Gem
9:15a
Norwegian Gem
7:15a
Norwegian Breakaway 7:15a
Monday, Nov 10 Quantum of the Seas 5:30a(Bayonne)
Saturday, Nov 15 Norwegian Gem
7:15a
Sunday, Nov 16 Celebrity Eclipse
9:15a
Norwegian Breakaway 7:15a
Monday, Nov 17 Celebrity Eclipse
Tuesday, Nov 18 Quantum of the Seas 5:30a(Bayonne)
Wednesday, Nov 19 Queen Mary 2
5:30a(Brooklyn)
Hamburg
7:15a
Thursday, Nov 20 Hamburg
6:30a
Friday, Nov 21 Quantum of the Seas 5:30a(Bayonne)
Saturday, Nov 22 Norwegian Gem
9:15a
Sunday, Nov 23 Norwegian Breakaway 7:15a
Quantum of the Seas 5:30a(Bayonne)
6:30p 2-night cruise
6:30p Florida/Bahamas
3:30p Bahamas/Florida
In port overnight
6:30p Bahamas
In port overnight
3:30p Bahamas
6:30p Bermuda/Florida
8:00p 3-night cruise
5:00p Transatlantic
In port overnight
Bahamas
8:00p 2-night cruise
4:30p Caribbean
3:30p Bahamas/Florida
5:00p Bahamas/Florida
Seaport Youthmarket
Youthmarket is a network of urban farm
stands operated by neighborhood youth,
supplied by local farmers, and designed
to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to
communities throughout New York City.
Through Youthmarket, families in NYC
have increased access to farm fresh food;
youth in these areas have earned money
and learned small-business skills; and
farmers in the New York City region are
achieving higher revenue through access
to under-served markets. Free. 12pm5pm. South Street Seaport, 19 Front
Street. www.southstreetseaport.com
Magic Jukebox
Musical sketch comedy. Free. 8pm.
Through Nov. 15. 206 Front Street.
www.southstreetseaport.com
Concert at One
Organist Janet Yieh performs works by
Bach, Wachner, and others. At Trinity
Church. Free. 1pm.
www.trinitywallstreet.org
Trinity Wall Street 212-602-0800
Sign up for your BroadsheetDAILY
at www.ebroadsheet.com
published weekdays
Open House
November 12th
from 10:00-11:30
2 South End Avenue
in Battery Park City
212-786-1688
email: [email protected]