VOLUME 07, NUMBER 01 NOV. 20, 2014
THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL'S KITCHEN
New Face, Old Frustrations at CB4 BY EILEEN STUKANE Jesse Bodine, an alumnus of the office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, was installed as the new Community Board 4 (CB4) district manager at CB4’s full board meeting, held on Nov. 5th at Roosevelt Hospital. The search committee studied the resumes of over 40 applicants. Their criteria included experience in the areas of management, staff supervision, knowledge both of city government and key CB4 issues such as housing, skills in the field of communication and constituent services. “Jesse was the one who had the widest match of skills we were looking for, and the deepest set of skills,” Christine Berthet said at the meeting. “He also had an extensive set of contacts in city offices, and knew a big portion of the neighborhood. With his Peace Corps management in the wilds of Africa, we had a feeling this wild CB4 area with all of its people would be right up his alley,” she added humorously. Bodine, who grew up on W. 60th St., spent the last six years working with Gale Brewer, initially as her director of Continued on page 6
Bowery Gallery Founders, Past and Present
On view through November 29, a decades-spanning collection of work from the artist-run Bowery Gallery co-op demonstrates that the radical notions set in place by its founders have been resonating since 1969. See page 18.
Pier55, Inc./Heatherwick Studio
A design concept for Pier55, showing a view of the southern space looking north from Gansevoort Peninsula.
Diller and DVF’s Gift, Pier55 Park to Rise Above Convention BY LINCOLN ANDERSON In the single largest gift to a public park in New York history — and the second largest in U.S. history — Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg have pledged $113 million to build a signature “island” off Win what is being billed as a future “world-class public park and performance space.” The new 2.7-acre Hudson River Park pier — to be called Pier55 — will feature three “peaks,” one of which will rise 71 feet, three performance spaces, including a 750-seat amphitheater overlooking the river, plus two other spots for more-impromptu entertainment. The design also calls for grass lawns and large trees, with hardscape and paths mixed in between the greenery. Under a lease, a nonprofit, Pier55, Inc., or P55, to be chaired by Diller, will fund the new pier’s programming, operations and day-to-day maintenance for 20 years, with an option to extend this another 10 years, bringing Diller and von Furstenberg’s total commitment to hundreds of millions of dollars. They’ve also promised to pay for any project cost
overages that may occur. The funds will come from their Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. The new pier’s performances will be coordinated by an equally high-powered team, including Scott Rudin, producer of “The Social Network,” who will co-chair the nonprofit; George Wolfe, producer of the Public Theater; director Stephen Daldry; and Kate Horton, a top executive at the National Theatre of London and before that at the Royal Court. While the majority — 51 percent — of the pier’s performances will be free or low-cost, the rest will be a higher ticket — how expensive wasn’t immediately clear. All the money generated from the performances will go back into the pier for its maintenance and programming, including commissioning the artists. The pier’s hours will be the same as the rest of the park — 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. The nonprofit, according to a press release,
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