Million-Dollar Makeover
February 4, 2010
Light has come to the St. Agnes Library. After a two-year renovation, during which the branch was shuttered, St. Agnes is slated to reopen its doors Feb. 11 and welcome the neighborhood into a bright, airy new space.
Caryl Soriano, the network manager for 19 New York Public Library branches, including St. Agnes, said she is thrilled with the revamped building, at 444 Amsterdam Ave. between West 81st and 82nd streets. The pre-renovation building, which was originally funded by donations to the city from Andrew Carnegie, “was much darker, less open,” she said. Now, “the lighting is phenomenal.” [Read more]
Riverside South: Shift from Commercial to Residential Space
February 4, 2010
A proposal by Riverside South developer Extell Development Co. to increase square footage on the south end of the site came under fire during a Jan. 13 Community Board 7 meeting.
According to a statement released by the board’s Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, the proposed changes to the original 1992 agreement are substantive. In the original agreement, the area between West 59th and 61st streets was limited to 2.4 million square feet of developed space and 570 residential units; the developer is now proposing to increase the square footage to 3.1 million square feet and add almost five times the number of apartments: 2,750 units. [Read more]
This Guy Will Try Anything
February 4, 2010
A.J. Jacobs sizes up his formidable foe, brown eyes narrowed behind the slim wire frames of his glasses. His enemy is freshly baked and smells temptingly like chocolate chips, cinnamon and nutmeg. His enemy is round, with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center. His enemy, right now, is a cookie.
Finally, Jacobs asks: “Is it organic?”
Unfortunately, it is not. He shrugs, and his face splits with a quick, sudden grin— the smile of a mischievous boy about to break the rules. [Read more]
Bubble Trouble for Tennis Courts
February 3, 2010
A proposal to construct a bubble over the Central Park tennis courts, which would eliminate free use during the off-season, is drawing criticism from frequent court users.
The bubble would be in place from November to April, allowing people to play comfortably throughout the colder months, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation. But some court users are concerned that construction of the bubble will affect the upcoming summer tennis season, and they are wondering why the proposal has not yet appeared in a public forum. [Read more]
Jimmy Breslin
January 28, 2010
Jimmy Breslin moved about six months ago from West 68th Street and Broadway to a high rise on West 57th Street with sweeping views of the Hudson River. He’s not sure why—ask his wife, Ronnie Eldridge, a former City Council member and host of the CUNY TV show Eldridge and Co.
The pool in this new building isn’t ready yet, but Breslin says he still swims regularly at the Reebok Sports Club/NY on Columbus Avenue. [Read more]
Rents In Flux
January 21, 2010
During the final months of 2008, Upper West Side rents were high and there were a limited number of available apartments. Broker Rachel Erlich frequently saw owners tell prospective tenants with concerns to take it or leave it.
Erlich, with 18 years in the real estate industry, now sees a different environment for renters.
“Business is here if the owners are willing to give the right price,” said Erlich, who started Rachel Realty NYC five years ago, exclusively working with Upper West Side properties. “There are always deals to be done.” [Read more]
Jeffrey Toobin
January 21, 2010
New Yorker staff writer, CNN senior analyst and fantasy football fanatic Jeffrey Toobin is a Harvard Law School graduate who has written several books about various high profile court cases. His work includes The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson and his most recent book, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. At an upcoming talk at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, Toobin is slated to discuss the impact of Obama’s presidency on the Supreme Court.
West Side Spirit recently sat down in Toobin’s Times Square office, decked with items including children’s artwork and a press pass from the 2006 World Cup, to talk about his writing, where he grew up and who he’d cast to play himself on screen. [Read more]
Push to Halt Columbia Demo Plan
January 20, 2010
The push to create a Morningside Heights historic district suffered a setback late last year, when the Department of Buildings granted Columbia University permits to demolish three century-old brownstones. By summer 2010, these buildings—Nos. 408, 410 and 412 W. 115th St., between Morningside Drive and Amsterdam Avenue—are expected to be gone.
But a local group is still hoping it can get the city to intervene, or perhaps convince the university to change its plans. [Read more]
Help for Haiti
January 20, 2010
West Siders looking to lend a hand with rescue and rebuilding efforts in Haiti can take part in a volunteer-organized “Comedy Emergency” variety show Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Triad. Coordinators are promising quite the mixed bag of entertainment: improv, stand up comedy, circus acts, magic tricks and Haitian music, with proceeds going directly to the group Partners in Health.
Key details: Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at The Triad, 158 W. 72nd St., betw. Columbus and Amsterdam aves., 917.364.5934
Check out this Facebook page.
Or reserve a spot here.
Church Gets Landmark Status
January 20, 2010
In a hard-fought victory for community preservationists, the city designated West Park Presbyterian Church a landmark Jan. 12.
Rev. Robert Brashear, however, now faces complicated restrictions as he seeks ways to finance restoration of the aging building, at 165 W. 86th St. and Amsterdam Avenue.
Preservations had long urged the city to protect the historic church, with Upper West Side groups, elected officials and Community Board 7 arguing that the church is a beautiful example of religious architecture. [Read more]
