THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL'S KITCHEN
Design Innovation Key to Vision Zero Goals BY ZACH WILLIAMS As Vision Zero enters its second year, the idea that traffic accidents don’t “just happen” remains a driving force behind the effort to end traffic fatalities in New York City. Transportation safety advocates say that deterring speeding and the failure to yield to pedestrians — two leading causes of fatal car collisions — will inspire new features to West Side streets as well as increased legal enforcement against motorists who engage in such behavior. Speed humps, pedestrian islands, “split-phase” traffic lights and other additions will proliferate throughout this year. Fifth Continued on page 5
Block Association Builds Bridges in Hell’s Kitchen BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC Chana Widawski was sitting on her stoop on W. 45th St. in Hell’s Kitchen when it hit her: a live production of “West Side Story” — populated with local talent — should be mounted at Mathews-Palmer Park (on 45th/46th Sts., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). “I thought it would be an incredible idea to do a live production using all our local talent on our own street,” she said. While a lofty ambition, she figured a more achievable goal would be to show the film at the park’s handball court wall, which Continued on page 7
Free Music on First Fridays
There’s music in the air, in the halls — at Chelsea Market’s monthly concert series. See page 20.
Courtesy of Related, Oxford & Mitsui
Months of rumors were confirmed on Jan. 21, when Mitsui Fudosan American announced they had partnered with Related and Oxford on full capitalization of 55 Hudson Yards, and commenced groundbreaking. The building is positioned at 33rd St. and 11th Ave., where the High Line meets Hudson Park & Boulevard and the new No. 7 subway extension.
Progress Report: Hudson Yards BY WINNIE McCROY The West Side of New York City is in the midst of being transformed. Construction is well underway on Hudson Yards — the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the source of a new neighborhood situated between Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. Once completed, the site will be home to more than 17 million square feet of newly created space, including a public school and a much-anticipated cultural facility. Here’s an update on New York City’s largest project since Rockefeller Center. “In four short years, Manhattan’s West Side will be forever changed with the completion of new development [at the Eastern Rail Yards] that will include residences, a dynamic shopping and dining experience, and unique cultural space and state-of-the-art offices for Coach Inc., L’Oreal USA, SAP and Time Warner, Inc.,” said Stephen M. Ross, Chairman of Related Companies, the developer. “With the first tower well underway and the [upcoming] No. 7 subway, Hudson Park & Boulevard and the last segment of the High Line, we are thrilled to kick off con-
© CHELSEA NOW 2015 | NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
struction on the platform and the remaining towers in the Eastern Rail Yards and see our collective vision become a reality.” The entire Hudson Yards project will cover 28 acres and 17 million square feet roughly spanning from 10th Ave. to the West Side Highway, and from 30th to 34th Sts. Although construction has already begun on the southeastern side, completing the project requires two “platforms” built over 30 active Long Island Rail Road tracks, three subsurface Amtrak and New Jersey Transit rail tunnels, and the Gateway tunnel. Tutor Perini is General Contractor for the Hudson Yards, with Thornton Tomasettti as the platform’s structure engineer. In March 2014, they began drilling some of the 300 necessary caissons into the bedrock, between existing railroad tracks, for the Eastern Rail Yard platform. All trains will remain operational for the duration. The platform for the Eastern Rail Yard will be finished by October 2015.
Continued on page 3
VOLUME 07, ISSUE 05 | JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 11, 2015
Community Activities (to submit an event, email scott@chelseanow.com)
TADA! YOUTH THEATER PRESENTS “EVERYTHING ABOUT A FAMILY (ALMOST)”
DONATE CLOTH SHOPPING BAGS TO FLEMING HOUSE
TADA! Youth Theater kicks off its 30th Season with the latest in their Everything About series of family musicals. Witten and performed by members of the TADA! Resident Youth Ensemble, “Everything About a Family (Almost)” is a trip through all of the quirky, fun, maddening, and endearing aspects of belonging to (like it or not) your family. A cast of 26 ranging in age from 8-17 will sing, dance, joke and emote their way through this hour-long music-packed revue. Stick around after the 4 p.m. show on Feb. 8, and join cast members for a 45-minute workshop based on themes in the show (additional cost, $10 per participant). Got the show business bug, but can’t make that date? TADA! has a year-round schedule of theater classes for Pre-K to 12th grade students (need-based scholarships readily available). “Everything About a Family (Almost”) is performed through Feb 16 (every Sat. & Sun. at 2 & 4 p.m. | Wed. Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. & 12 p.m. | Fri. Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. | Mon, Feb. 16 at 12 & 2 p.m.). At TADA! Theater (15 W. 28th St. | 2nd floor | btw. Broadway & Fifth Ave.). Running time: 1 hour. Tickets: $25 ($15 for kids). Non-profit and community groups of 10+: $10 ($8 for kids). To reserve, visit tadatheater.com or call 212-252-1619, x15.
Chelsea Now is always looking to break news — but when it comes to good causes, we don’t mind passing along secondhand information. Such an opportunity arose last week, when our friends from the West 400 Block Association sent out an email that contained a request from Tim Cummings, Director of Fleming House. Since 1991, Frederic Fleming House has provided permanent housing to formerly homeless older persons with special needs who want the supportive services of a congregate setting. “If you ever find yourself with an abundance of cloth/reusable shopping bags, we can always put them to good use,” wrote Cummings, who asked the 400 Block folks to pass this info on to the community. No plastic or paper bags, please, since the request comes as part of an ongoing effort on the part of Fleming House to walk the “think green” talk. “We want to be better stewards,” Cummings told Chelsea Now, referring to both the local community and the overall environment. Your donation of cloth shopping bags will be used when residents of the House go shopping. For more info, call 212-242-5277 — or just stop by with a donation (433 W. 22 St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.).
Photo by Kaila Mackenzie
All hands on deck: After seeing the Feb. 8 performance, join cast members of TADA! Youth Theater for a workshop based on the show.
CB4’S NEXT FULL BOARD MEETING CB4 serves Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. Its boundaries are 14th St. on the south, 59/60th St. on the north, the Hudson River on the west, 6th Ave. on the east (south of 26th St.) and 8th Ave. on the east (north of 26th St.). The monthly full board meeting, open to the public, takes place on the first Wed. of the month. The next meeting is Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m., at Roosevelt Hospital (2nd Fl. Conf. Rm. B, 1000 10th Ave. at 51st St.). Call 212-736-4536, visit nyc.gov/mcb4 or email them at info@manhattancb4.org.
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A Look At The New West Side Continued from page 1 Both platforms should be completed by 2016. “Like anything else, construction projects go through boom and bust times, depending on the economy,” said Related Vice-President Michael Samuelian. “Right now, we are in a boom time, so we’re trying to get as much building done as possible.”
COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE PROPERTIES Hudson Yards will feature several large commercial and office properties. Currently under construction is 10 Hudson Yards, a 1.7 million-square-foot office tower at the northwest corner of 30th St. and 10th Ave. Samuelian said that the property is currently at about 27 stories. When completed, it will be 52 stories and 895 feet tall. The building was designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF), and will exceed LEED Gold standards. It will be home to anchor tenant Coach Inc., plus L’Oréal USA and SAP. There will be a Fairway Market on the ground floor.
The building will be connected directly to the High Line and the public plaza, and tower bridges will create a dramatic, 60-foot public passageway through the building. Adjacent to this is The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, a one million square-foot retail center featuring 100 shops, restaurants, and the “Kitchens,” a new concept in casual dining. The building is designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, and will connect to the six-acre public plaza and the No. 7 subway station. In September, Related and Oxford Properties Group announced that Neiman Marcus had signed on as their anchor tenant with a 250,000-squarefoot, three-level store — its first in New York City. “Hudson Yards presents the ideal location for a Neiman Marcus store,” said Neiman’s President and CEO Karen Katz in a statement. “[We are] well-known to New Yorkers through our landmark Bergdorf Goodman store...and we are excited to establish a flagship NM store in one of the world’s premier shopping destinations.” Next to this, at the southwest corner
Photo by Winnie McCroy
L to R: Michael Samuelian, VP at Related Companies, Erica Maganti, Hudson Yards Creative Director and Dean Shapiro, SVP at Oxford Properties.
of 33rd St. and 10th Ave., will be 30 Hudson Yards, a 2.6-million-square-foot commercial tower designed by KPF. At 92 stories and 1,284 feet, it will be the fourth-tallest building in New York City — with the highest outdoor observation deck the Big Apple has ever seen.
In January, Time Warner Inc. sold their 1.1 million-square-feet offices in the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle to Related for $1.3 billion, and announced plans to relocate to 30
Continued on page 12
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Jay Stockman Reflects on 40 Years of Activism and Service BY RAANAN GEBERER If you go back 10, 20 or 30 years ago, Jay Stockman was a familiar face at any number of community groups in Chelsea. In a month, he went to more meetings and volunteer activities than most people do in a year. It was even more remarkable because Stockman suffers from traumatic brain injury (TBI). As this article was being finalized late last year, Stockman had just returned home from a rehab facility, where he had been recovering from a foot injury and infection. John “Jay” Stockman Jr. was born in 1946 and grew up in Harrington Park, NJ. His father was a machinery salesman, and his mother was a “staunch Republican” who was elected twice as the town’s tax collector. “I never believed in my mother’s ideology,” Stockman says. His sister, Melissa, died in the '90s. At Bergen Catholic High School, Stockman was a member of the oratory team, was considering a career in law and planned to go to Rutgers. Even today, echoes of New Jersey’s '60s car culture creep into his conversation
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January 29 - February 11, 2015
Photo by Raanan Geberer
Jay Stockman in late 2014, at the VillageCare Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
(he explains that the Beach Boys’ song “409” referred to Chevrolet’s 409 cc engine, and he also fondly remembers the “cool green Datsun” he owned in college). In the fall of his senior year, however, came the accident that changed his life, when Stockman was talked
into riding in a friend’s hot rod. “The car’s body was too lightweight for its powerful engine,” Jay recalls. The car crashed, and Stockman was in a coma for two months. After awakening, he found that President Kennedy had been assassinated, and was devastated. He had many months of rehab, but due to the efforts of his tutor, he was still able to graduate that June. Stockman enrolled in Jersey City State College, transferred to St. Peter’s College and finally received his B.A. in 1971. He spent about six months in graduate school, intending to work in special education. VESID (Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals With Disabilities) got him a job in a day care center, but the job didn’t work out, and he began receiving Social Security Disability. In the early '70s he moved in with a roommate on W. 16th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves. in Chelsea. Because of his economic situation, he applied for an apartment in NYCHA’s Elliott-Chelsea Houses. He moved there in November 1978. Soon after moving to W. 16th St., Stockman became a volunteer at the Chelsea Neighborhood Clinic, a free storefront clinic on Eighth Ave. between 19th and 20th Sts. “At the time,” recalls Stockman, “there were very few medical services [other than private doctors’ offices] in Chelsea.” Everyone, even the doctors and nurses, was a volunteer, and most of the patients were working-class people. Stockman became part of a group of close friends who continued to meet for many years. As the idealistic1960s
receded further into the past, the clinic found it harder and harder to attract volunteers, and it closed around 1980. “It was time to move on,” says Stockman. Perhaps his longest-running volunteer activity was at the Church of the Holy Apostles’ soup kitchen, where he volunteered at lunch “three of four times a week.” Stockman became aware of the soup kitchen after he switched his religious affiliation to Episcopalian and started attending Sunday services at Holy Apostles, which he fondly calls “H.A.” He won several awards for volunteering and took part in the soup kitchen’s Writers’ Workshop. He also wrote articles for the workshop’s publication, “Soup Scoop,” on a variety of topics ranging from the benefits of volunteering to the High Line to the Buddhist chanting that became an important part of his life. However, after his condition began to take a turn for the worse about six years ago and he became wheelchair-bound, he had to phase out his lunchtime volunteering at the kitchen. Stockman doesn’t recall how he joined the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, but remembers that longtime leader Doris Corrigan lived nearby when he was still on 16th St. Speaking of the club’s competition with other local Democratic clubs in the early days of his involvement, he says, “We had the elected officials [district leaders] while the other clubs didn’t. That’s what made the club.” He served as the club’s secretary, taking minutes, until his condition began to deteriorate. While living in Elliott-Chelsea, Jay became heavily involved in the fight to open the Chelsea Recreation Center, whose current building is across the street from him on W. 25th St. The center was started in 1974, but construction stopped in 1976 due to the city’s fiscal crisis. “We were promised something by the city (when the original ‘rec center’ was torn down in 1964 to make room for a postal facility), but they failed to deliver,” says Stockman. For years, Stockman was part of a group that circulated petitions, wrote letters, pressured officials and held meetings. Construction finally resumed in 2001. After the center opened, Stockman went swimming in the pool as a form of therapy for his legs.
Continued on page 11 .com
Activists Want More Split-Phase Traffic Lights
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Split-phase traffic lights separate the allotted times for pedestrian crossing and automobile turning, increasing safety for both. Installation at W. 23rd St. and Seventh Ave. led to a decrease of 63 percent in injury collisions.
Continued from page 1 and Sixth Aves. could also follow Ninth Ave. in becoming Complete Streets with protected spaces for cyclists and pedestrians. A certain faith prevails among activists in the power of design to prevent dangerous interactions among motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Where the culpability of streets end though, the negligence of drivers who injure or kill other street users begins, according to Transportation Alternatives (TA). “You change design, and culture and behavior change along with it,” said Tom DeVito, Manhattan organizer for TA (transalt.org). The culture shift necessary to truly realize Vision Zero will take time, perhaps 10 to 15 years, according to Community Board Four (CB4) Chair Christine Berthet. But one year since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Vision Zero’s implementation, pedestrian fatalities due to automobile collisions (134) fell to their lowest level citywide since record-keeping began in 1910, and activists are determined to continue the successes of last year’s safety advocacy. In all, 22 new laws were passed by the city council last year as part of the Vision Zero effort. Lowering the citywide default speed limit to 25mph necessitated action on the state level. Another new law enables misdemeanor charges against drivers who strike .com
pedestrians with the right of way in crosswalks. State legislators did their part by approving legislation last year, allowing the city to lower the speed limit, according to State Senator Brad Hoylman. Unlike taxes and other divisive issues, support for Vision Zero was not so hard to find within the corridors of power in Albany, he added. “I think pedestrian safety is certainly a non-partisan issue and we are working on it very closely with both Republicans and Democrats in the legislature,” he said in a telephone interview. Legislative efforts are welcome, as is increased enforcement by NYPD — but neighborhood traffic safety advocates say they are focusing this year on street alterations targeting dangerous driving within CB4 boundaries while activists elsewhere increase calls for district attorney prosecutions. An effort is underway by Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety (CHEKPEDS) to pursue funding through the city participatory budgeting process for a pilot project which would combine a crosswalk with a speed hump, simultaneously increasing pedestrian visibility and slowing driving speeds. Residents will vote on final proposals for the budget process in April. About a quarter of traffic collisions with CB4 boundaries from 2012-14 resulted from turning vehicles hitting
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Complete Street Design Spurs Safety Continued from page 5 pedestrians during crossing times, according to CHEKPEDS. Increased enforcement and stricter penalties for violators act as deterrents, but progress in mitigating the problem can also be furthered through the installation of more traffic lights known as a Protected Only Phase Signal (PROPS), according to Berthet who is a co-founder of CHEKPEDS. PROPS, also known as split-phase traffic lights, separate the allotted times for pedestrian crossing and automobile turning, increasing safety for both. They also represent a marked change from the previous paradigm of street design, when the priority was the ease with which automobiles could move around rather than pedestrian safety, according to Berthet. Evening the balance between the two remains key to realizing Vision Zero, she added. “What we [were] saying essentially… to a pedestrian or a car is ‘Go at it, you go and figure it out for yourself,’ but by definition the car is winning,” she said in an interview. Managing the expectations of street users is an important strategy in preventing crashes, according to CHEKPEDS, which deemed 2015 in honor of PROPS in a Jan. 3 post on its website (chekpeds. org). Such traffic signals resolve conflicts between pedestrians and drivers who all think that a green light indicates a safe time to move. By having a separate light dedicated to turning, the system also helps alleviate traffic congestion resulting from through traffic getting stuck behind a turning car, said Berthet. The installation of split-phase traffic lights at W. 23rd St. and Seventh Ave. led to a decrease of 63 percent in injury collisions there, according to CHEKPEDS. The Department of Transportation (DOT) installed two more at the intersections of W. 43rd St. and W. 41st St. with Ninth Ave. last year. CB4 members would like to see PROPS installed at W. 57th St. & Eighth Ave. and W. 57th St. & Ninth Ave. as well. “This, in my mind, is something that should become ubiquitous in New York City,” Berthet said of PROPS. She added that DOT engineers are warming to the idea of increasing the use of split-phase signals after years of resistance stemming from concerns that they would impede traffic flow. The department has been more responsive overall to CB4 suggestions since
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January 29 - February 11, 2015
Photo by Zach William
Crosstown streets tend to be narrower than the major avenues, limiting potential crosstown routes with separate bicycle lanes. CB4 would like to see split-phase traffic lights added to this 57th St. & Ninth Ave. location.
the Vision Zero initiative began, noted Ernest Modarelli, CB4 Transportation Planning Committee co-chair. He said in an interview that PROPS will be a priority for the committee in 2015, as it has in years past. Work will also continue in determining long-term solutions to traffic congestion in Hell’s Kitchen, where thousands of interstate commuter buses travel each day. The situation there has improved since NJ
Transit (NJT) announced last fall that its commuter buses would remain in the Lincoln Tunnel prior to reaching the Port Authority Bus Terminal to pick up and drop off passengers. NJT buses in months previous to the announcement would queue on 10th Ave. resulting in congestion so thick that one CHEKPEDS activist called it “Busaggedon.” “Until there is a solution — which is very long-term and probably a big
idea to relieve congestion — taking measures to improve that situation and the impact it has on pedestrians and just the quality of life is probably my top priority, said Modarelli. A master plan from the Port Authority outlining long-term plans for the future of the bus terminal as well as a proposed bus depot at Gavin Plaza is expected to be released this Spring. A future extension of the MTA’s 7-Train to New Jersey would also alleviate neighborhood congestion, said Modarelli, a goal that will take years to realize, if ever. While state and city agencies consider such large top-down projects, smaller projects are being pursued by TA and CB4, which they hope will greatly reduce harm to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The risk of injury to pedestrians increases by about five percent for each additional foot of crossing distance, said DeVito. Pedestrian injuries fell by 59 percent on Ninth Ave. following a redesign which installed pedestrian islands as well as a protected bike lane. TA hopes such success can spread this year to Fifth and Sixth Aves. from W. 14th to W. 59th Sts. — which DOT is currently studying for potential Complete Streets redesigns. TA gathered more than 145 local businesses and 15,000 petition signa-
Continued on page 15
Photo by Zach William
Many traffic collisions result from both pedestrians and drivers thinking they have the right of way — a situation solved by split-phase traffic lights. .com
Block Association Coins ‘Hell’s Kitchen Commons’ Continued from page 1 she thought would make an ideal movie screen. A friend made a flyer advertising the event and it was put up in the neighborhood. “[We] decided to see if anyone would show up or if it would just be us watching a great movie in a cool setting,” she recalled in a phone interview. “We ended up with a really sizable crowd.” That event blossomed into ten years of showing films and documentaries at the park and marked Widawski’s involvement with the West 45th Street Block Association after a neighbor invited her to a meeting. The roots of the block association were planted in the '70s and it has waxed and waned depending on people’s interest and the issues facing the neighborhood. In the past few years, explained member Allison Tupper, the three block associations, one on W. 46th St. and two on W. 45th St., have worked together on important issues, such as Mathews-Palmer Park. Preservation of the park mural, “Against Domestic Colonialism,” is also a concern. They are now the West 45/46 St. Block Association. “Forty-Sixth Street had its original history, we had our original history and we’ve been working together,” said Widawski, “As we’ve been working together, we’re been doing [an] expanded type of programming that serves the greater community as well.” The block association works with other organizations to host a myriad of events at the park that are geared to the entire neighborhood, such as the film and documentary screenings, “Healthy Hell’s KitcheNights” that offers boot camp, candlelight yoga and reflexology, and play readings with the Irish Arts Center. Widawski explained that they have been calling this broader programming the Hell’s Kitchen Commons, which is an “outgrowth or a project of the West 45/46 St. Block Association.” Hell’s Kitchen Commons is a newer name for folks, she said, and they have been recently putting that name on their flyers as well. “One of the core concepts about it is building these bridges and collaborations between community members, local talent, non-profits, art institutions and businesses,” she said. .com
Widawski says that they have been collaborating with the Ryan Chelsea Clinton Community Health Center, the Irish Arts Center, the Todd Henry Movement — a local choreographer who puts together site-specific performances — and the local nightclub, Pacha, which provides the projection for the film screenings. Tupper said that they have also worked with Rosie’s Theater Kids, an after-school theater programs for kids citywide. A member from the organization taught the Hell’s Kitchen kids a song and dance, which then they performed in the park. “The neighborhood kids love it,” said Tupper in a phone interview. In the works is a spring dance event, “Swing into Spring,” where a local swing band will perform at the park, said Widawski. In addition to events, Tupper said that the association forms “a link between residents on the block and the city” by reaching out to the appropriate person or agency when there is a problem. For example, she explained, some time ago when a new senior facility was built at the corner of W. 45th St. and 10th Ave., it had a problem with buses that were using that corner for parking. The association was helpful in getting that changed so that the last bus was no longer blocking the entrance, said Tupper, who has been a block association member for over 15 years. Also, when a new neighbor comes to the block, such as the Ivan Shapiro House, at 459 W. 46th St., the block association paved the way for a smooth introduction to the rest of the neighborhood, she said. “Sometimes when an institution comes in, neighbors are saying ‘no, no, no, we don’t want it,’” she said. Another important block project is the maintenance of tree beds, said Tupper. The block association hosted “It’s My Park Day” event in October at the park to clean out tree beds. Under the Bloomberg administration, the Mathews-Palmer Park received $1.8 million in funding to renovate it. The block association had a “Design Your Park” day where people could make suggestions. “Chana made a concerted, and very successful, effort to get a lot input about what people wanted from the park,” said Tupper. “A lot of people did participate in that.” Widawski said that people wanted
Photo by Ron Haviv/VII
Remember when there was no snow on the ground? Candlelight yoga, soothing reflexology and a challenging boot camp were on the plate, when the West 45/46 St. Block Association hosted “Healthy Hell’s KitcheNights” in Mathews-Palmer Park last July.
the park to be less cement and more natural, as well as the addition of safety features, lighting and more places to sit that would be appropriate for all ages. One of the issues, she said, is that dark areas of the park can attract activities that are not suitable for
children, and that has created an environment that parents haven’t wanted to bring their kids to. “A lot of work that we’ve been doing has been to try to infuse [the
Continued on page 11
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BY BOB TRENTLYON What a great surprise, New York State has a spare $5 billion! This money is sorely needed for infrastructure, education, health programs and more, but as the New York Times urged in an editorial on January 15, 2015, this sum should not be used just for ongoing programs, but “for focused, oneshot investments that can bring tangible relief to as many New Yorkers as possible.”
My nomination for a vital one-shot investment is a study of Storm Surge Barriers by the Army Corps of Engineers. This would cost a little more than $5 million dollars and take five years to prepare. It is certain that other major hurricanes will hit this region. Sandy cost the region over $80 billion and there is still much damage in need of repair. Why not build the storm surge barriers between the Rockaways and Sandy Hook and at Throggs Neck? SSBs have worked very successfully around the world and in our area at Stamford, CN, New Bedford, MA, and Providence, RI. Barriers are a very good idea, but no one
seems willing to spend the $15 billion to build them at this time. If the city’s current plans for controlling storm surges don’t work (and many knowledgeable people claim that they are not sufficient), NYC may then want to try storm surge barriers. But without a completed study by the Corps of Engineers already in hand, the city would have to delay construction for five years, thus leaving the city vulnerable. To go back to the NYT quote, I can’t think of any better use of $5 million “that can bring tangible relief to as many New Yorkers as possible.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Pier55 a dream come true To The Editor: I am the artistic director of Loco-Motion Dance Theatre, an after-school dance and theater program in the Village for emerging artists ages 5 to 18. For the past 20 years of our existence, we have envisioned and hoped for a performance venue like the one Pier55 proposes to include. Every year
we rent performance space to present the works of 100 young choreographers, and we must go outside of our community to do so since there are no affordable venues in our area with the seating capacity that we require. It would be a dream come true for my school and for many other local program directors to have access to a beautiful space to entertain, inspire, educate and connect
the community through the art of music, theater and dance. I hope to witness the transformational effects a project like this can have on a local arts organizations, their audiences and on local neighborhood school children. We could all benefit from an oasis on a previously abandoned pier to create and cherish new works of art. Lisa Pilato
E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to Scott@ ChelseaNow.com or fax to 212229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, NYC Community Media, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.
Pay Tribute to Fallen Officers by Paying Respect TALKING POINT BY FRANK MEADE Concerning the assassinations of Detective Rafael Ramos and Detective Wenjian Liu: How does one pay tribute effectively to those who are martyred because of the clothing they wear, and the profession to which they are so fully dedicated? Perhaps our greatest tribute to these men would be the simplest and most human gestures — a quiet prayer for, and a “hello” or nod of the head and smile to, the Police Officers who are among the most highly valued members of our community. Let us see, let us know, let us understand each other — perhaps a prayer every time you hear a siren… Here are ways that I hope you will consider helping their families: • Steinbrenner’s Silver Shield Foundation will donate $20,000 toward the education of each of Ramos’ two sons, 13-year-old
January 29 - February 11, 2015
Jaden and 19-year-old Justin, who attends Bowdoin College. You can donate to the education funds, either online or by sending a check payable to Silver Shield Foundation to 870 United Nations Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY, 10017. • The New York City Police Foundation, founded after 9/11 to help the relatives of NYPD officers who were killed, continues to support the NYPD. “In the aftermath of the tragic events that occurred this weekend, the Police Foundation is working with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on a number of ways to assist the Department including providing counseling and food for Officers in commands,” the foundation states on its website. You can donate online or by sending a check payable to NYC Police Foundation and a donation form to New York City Police Foundation, 555 Fifth Avenue, 15th floor, New York, NY, 10017. • The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association has a Widows’ and Children’s Fund that
supports the families of fallen officers. To donate, send a check payable to the “NYC PBA Widows’ and Children’s Fund” to Michael Morgillo or Joseph Alejandro at the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, 125 Broad Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY, 10004-2400. A PBA representative suggests putting Det. Ramos and Det. Liu’s names in the memo line of the check to ensure your donation reaches their families. • The Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC has started a Fallen Heroes Relief Effort that will support the families of Detectives Ramos and Liu and foster deeper police and community collaboration in 2015. Donate at nyc.gov/fallen-heroes. Frank Meade is Recording Secretary of the NYPD’s 10th Precinct Community Council, which meets at Chelsea’s 10th Precinct (230 W. 20th St. | btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) at 7 p.m. on the last Wed. of the month. For info, call the Community Affairs office: 212-741-8226. .com
POLICE BLOTTER GRAND LARCENY: Pilfered Pooch A Brussels Griffon dog valued at $2,500 was stolen from its playpen at CitiPups (147 Eighth Ave. | btw. 17th & 18th Sts.). At 5:45 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 21, a woman walked into the store and, oddly, “appeared to be crying,” according to employees. She asked to see the dog and, at one point, placed it in a pink bag and proceeded to walk out of the store (leaving her coffee, but taking the pooch). A canvass of the area by responding officers yielded negative results. Police, who were provided with video surveillance, noted that the dog has been embedded with a microchip. Although not able to track movement, such devices do provide information that enables missing pets to be reunited with their owners.
ROBBERY: Bench Warmer Had Warrant A 22-year-old woman and her boyfriend, having exited a nearby nightclub at 5 a.m. on Sun., Jan. 25, sat down on a bench near the northeast corner of
THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-7418210. Detective Squad: 212-7418245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct. The next meeting is Feb. 25.
THE 13th PRECINCT Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.). Deputy Inspector: David Ehrenberg. Call 212-4777411. Community Affairs: 212477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30 p.m., at the 13th Precinct. The next one is Feb. 17.
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Ninth Ave. & W. 16th St. They were soon approached by a man who sat down on the woman’s pocketbook. Responding to her protest, he told her, “Shut the f--k up. Give me your money and your cell phone or I will f--k you up.” That foulmouthed threat drew the attention of an officer in an unmarked vehicle, who found the 57-year-old in possession of the victim’s cell phone. It was also discovered that the perp had an active warrant for his arrest.
LEAVING THE SCENE: Dual Dog Deaths Two canines were struck, in separate incidents on Wed., Jan. 21. At around 5:20 a.m., a resident of W. 16th St. was walking her dog. While crossing on the 300 block of W. 15th St., a passing vehicle hit the dog and did not stop. The woman was unable to provide police with a make, model, color or plate number. At 6:55 a.m., on the northwest corner of Ninth Ave. & W. 42nd St., a nearby resident was crossing the street — when a truck, making a turn, hit the man and his dog. The man, who told police he had the “walk” signal, suffered minor pain. Both dogs were killed.
MURDER/SUICIDE Customers, many of them guided by employees, ran from the Home Depot at 40 W. 23rd St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.), when shots rang out just after 2:30 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 25. Responding EMS workers and NYPD officers from the 13th Precinct found two men in Aisle 12 (the lighting department). An employee of the store, 31-year-old Calvin Esdaile Jr., of Brooklyn, was pronounced dead at the scene — having turned the gun on himself after shooting Moctar Sy, a 38-year-old from the Bronx (witnesses reported overhearing a tense exchange of words, prior to the gunshots). Sy, a store manager, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died from wounds to the abdomen and chest. A .38-caliber revolver was recovered from the scene.
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Chelsea’s Stockman a Longtime Champion of Peace, Civil Rights
Photo courtesy of Rhea Lewin Geberer
Jay Stockman in the 1970s.
where he was a member of a monthly meeting group, and Disabled in Action, a civil rights organization that meets monthly at Selis Manor on 23rd St. At this point, Stockman will certainly need more health services. However, he has the distinction of being able to look back on a life of service to Chelsea. He definitely has made his mark on the neighborhood.
In Hell’s Kitchen, Block Associations Combine Forces Continued from page 7 park] with positive energy and help make it be a space that everyone wants to come to,” said Widawski. “We keep people together,” said Tupper. “We keep neighbors in touch with each other.” Tupper said that part of the uniqueness of the neighborhood lies in its proximity to the theater district and the moniker itself: “It’s an interesting name, all different theories about how
LGBT-2-B Committee
Pulling Madison Avenue Out of the Closet and into AdRespect
Continued from page 4 After the US entered the Iraq War in 2003, Stockman, who hadn’t been active in the anti-Vietnam War movement, joined Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War (chelseaneighborsunited.com). As recently as last summer, Stockman was a familiar figure at the group’s weekly protests on 24th St. and Eighth Ave. As he did at the soup kitchen, he often contributed articles to the group’s newsletter. “President Obama Overdoes His War Power,” “More War Means Less Housing” and “The War in Afghanistan Is a Drug War” were among his pieces. Other groups Stockman was involved with over the years included CAUSE, a social service agency that was sponsored by the Community Service Society, the Chelsea Inter-Agency Council (CIAC), the Hudson Guild,
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
it got to be called Hell’s Kitchen.” The Special Clinton District, from W. 41st to 59th Sts. west of Eight Ave., is also a part of its singularity, explained Tupper, as in order for a landlord to make a major renovation, he or she must have a no harassment certification to insure they are not kicking out tenants and it restricts the height of buildings. “And that’s very important to us. We like it to stay low-rise,” she said. “We want everybody to know that we have that protection.”
February 19, 2015, 6-8 PM Has LGBT equality reached advertising yet? When was the last time you saw an inclusive commercial? How do corporations and Madison Avenue stack up to today’s gay-friendly world? What creative approaches work (or don’t), and why? Veteran business journalist Michael Wilke analyzes the way dozens of commercials represent LGBT people, from stereotypes and homophobia to same-sex weddings, and examines how effective they are.
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At Hudson Yards, a Towering Continued from page 3 Hudson Yards. They will continue to lease their current offices from Related until construction is completed. “By consolidating our space to Hudson Yards we will be able to reallocate substantial savings to our primary business of creating and sharing great storytelling in television, film, and journalism with audiences around the world,” said Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes in a statement. Directly to the north is 50 Hudson Yards, a 2.3 million-square-foot, 62-story commercial tower at the corner of 33rd St. and 10th Ave. reaching 1,068 feet. Plans for this building have changed, and Related has not yet announced the architect. Not many other details are known about 50 Hudson Yards, although Related did offer JPMorgan Chase the opportunity to build it, after the company failed to meet their October 15, 2014 deadline for the tower directly west of it. After the city said they wouldn’t give Chase the $1 billion in tax break subsidies it wanted, the company reportedly decided to stay on the East Side. Months of rumors were confirmed on January 21, when Mitsui Fudosan American, the U.S. operations of Japan’s largest real estate company, announced they had partnered with Related and Oxford on full capitalization of 55 Hudson Yards, and commenced groundbreaking on the trophy office tower. The building is advantageously positioned at 33rd St. and 11th Ave., where the High Line meets Hudson Park & Boulevard and the new No. 7 subway extension. It will be one of the few office buildings in the entire city that opens directly onto a park. “We are pleased to partner with Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group on 55 Hudson Yards which we consider a new trophy property in the Mitsui Fudosan U.S. and global portfolios,” said Yukio Yoshida, President and CEO of MFA. “Related and Oxford are experienced
December 2012: Construction begins on 10 Hudson Yards
2013
developers with a proven track record for delivering world class projects, making them ideal partners. Hudson Yards is fast becoming one of the most desirable locations for top echelon tenants, offering an unparalleled modern, mixed-use environment. We are looking forward to being a central part of the success of the Hudson Yards development.” Architect Kevin Roche teamed up with KPF to design 55 Hudson Yards, which will be a 51-story, 1.3 million-square-foot office building reaching 780 feet tall, with construction to be completed and ready for tenant fit-out by early 2018. “The office space at Hudson Yards has already attracted some of the best brands in fashion, beauty, media, and technology. When 10 Hudson Yards is completed next year it will be home to Coach Inc., L’Oreal USA and SAP,” said Samuelian. “In 2018, Time Warner Inc. will move its corporate headquarters to 30 Hudson Yards. And when the retail center opens, you will experience the best of New York and the best from around the world, including New York’s first Neiman Marcus. These commitments help prove that Hudson Yards will be the new heart of New York, a center of culture, commerce, and community.”
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS A neighborhood is only as good as the people who live there, and Hudson Yards hasn’t overlooked residential property in its plans, making sure that people can reside where they work. As a Chelsea resident, Samuelian said, “I personally am looking forward to walking along the High Line from my Chelsea apartment to Related’s new office at Hudson Yards. There won’t be a better commute in the world.” Currently under construction is 15 Hudson Yards, the residential tower at the northeast corner of 30th St. and 11th Ave., set to reach 70 stories and stand 910 feet tall. Construction teams began drilling in the caissons for this project in December 2014. The tower is designed by Diller Scofidio
November 2014: Caissons drilled for 15 Hudson Yards
2014
+ Renfro and Rockwell Group, in collaboration with Ismael Leyva Architects. It is notable for its tapered design, and will feature 385 residences for rent/sale, with 80/20 affordable housing included. Residents will have access to an Equinox fitness center, a concierge, an on-site garage with valet, and pet-friendly services. Fifteen Hudson Yards will be adjacent to the High Line and connected to the Culture Shed, an indoor/outdoor performance space. Across the Public Square at W. 33rd St. and 11th Ave. is another mixed-use/residential tower, 35 Hudson Yards, designed by architect David Childs/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It will soar to 1,000 feet with 79 stories, and feature 100 for-sale residences. Residents will enjoy hotel-style amenities, thanks to the 175-room luxury hotel, plus a world-class, 75,000-square-foot fitness club, offices and ground-floor retail space. Construction will begin soon, with a finish goal of 2018. Related Companies has several other residential properties already available at the northeast corner of W. 29th St. and
January 2015: Construction begins on 55 Hudson Yards on 10 Hudson Yards
April-July 2015: No. 7 Subway extension opens
Construction has just begun on 55 Hud office buildings in the entire city that o
2015: Commercial office portion of 10 Hudson Yards completed
2015 March 2014: Caissons drilled for Eastern Rail Yards
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Photo by Scott Stiffler
The recently opened final section of the High Line connects pedestrians to 10 Hudson Yards (seen here, under construction).
January 29 - February 11, 2015
December 2014: Construction begins on 35 Hudson Yards
Early 2 Hudson for ten
2016 Today: 10 Hudson Yards reaches 27 stories
Mid-2015: Construction begins on Culture Shed
2016: Eastern an Western Rail Yar Platforms comple .com
g Neighborhood Takes Shape
Photo by Scott Stiffler
From the High Line, a view of what will be 15 Hudson Yards (foreground, corner of 11th Ave & 30th St.).
Courtesy of Related, Oxford & Mitsui
dson Yards, which will be one of the few opens directly onto a park.
2016: 10 n Yards ready nant occupancy
nd rd eted
10th Ave., including the luxury residential Abingdon Houses, a 32-story residential tower designed by Robert A. M. Stern. In addition, famed architect Zaha Hadid has teamed up with Related to make her New York City debut, a 37-unit, 11-story residential building at 520 W. 28th St., just a stone’s throw from the High Line and inspired by its design. Those interested in living in or near Hudson Yards can get more information via Related’s website (related.com), and put their name on a contact list. It is still too early to look at the residential properties of the “West Tower,” planned atop the Western Rail Yards, the 10 million acre portion of the project that won’t be completed until 2024. But Related notes that it will offer 2,000,000 square feet of office space, 4,000,000 square feet of residential, 100,000 of retail space, and a 120,000-square-foot K-8 public school. “Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea are two of Manhattan’s best and fastest growing neighborhoods, and for years, they
Spring 2018: Culture Shed opens
2018: The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards opens
have been divided by what is essentially a 26-acre dead zone,” said Samuelian. “Hudson Yards presents us with an historic opportunity to connect these two neighborhoods by building an entirely new neighborhood from the ground up — allowing us to do a number of firsts in New York in terms of sustainability, connectivity, and resiliency.”
PUBLIC SPACES AND THE CULTURE SHED The construction of The High Line was the beginning of the major changes on the West Side. The public park built on the abandoned elevated freight line now runs from Gansevoort Street to the Jacob Javits Center. With more than four million annual visitors, it has stimulated $5 billion in development. The High Line will usher guests seamlessly through 10 Hudson Yards to the Culture Shed, and the six acres of gardens and public plazas on the Eastern Rail Yards.
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2018: Neiman Marcus opens first NYC store
Continued on page 16
2018: Hudson Yards completed, ready for basic occupancy
2019: K-8 Public School open
2019
2024
2018 Early 2018: Tenant move-ins begin at 55 Hudson Park
Connected to 15 Hudson Yards, the Culture Shed is an innovative public arts project by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and managed by an independent non-profit cultural organization to host art, performance, film, design, food and fashion. It features a retractable canopy covered with a lightweight, transparent plastic called ETFE, less than one percent the weight of glass. Construction is already underway on the foundation of Culture Shed, with full construction to begin in mid-2015 and be completed by 2018. On November 24, 2014, Alex Poots was announced as the new CEO and artistic director of the Culture Shed; she assumes a full-time role in September 2015. “Culture Shed will be a purpose-built international center for artistic and cultural innovation,” said Poots. “Our goal is to support artists and creative minds to develop and evolve their practice, welcoming the widest audience. It’s an honor to accept this once-in-a-generation opportunity. “Under Alex’s leadership, Culture Shed will bring the world’s boldest, most innovative artists and creative partners together under one roof. This incredible addition to New York City’s artistic and cultural offerings will ensure that our city continues leading and evolving,” added board member Diane von Furstenberg. To the north of Culture Shed is Hudson Yards Public Square, an urban space for events, exhibitions, and gatherings. Designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz in collaboration with Heatherwick Studios, the southern edge of the plaza will feature a canopy of trees in its Pavilion Grove, an entry plaza at 10th Ave. and 30th St. with a fountain, and the northern edge will feature a ‘seasonally expressive’ entry garden at the new No. 7 subway extension. The opening of this long-anticipated subway extension is now set for some time between April and July, due to ongoing problems with two incline elevators being installed in the station, as well as some
2018: 30 and 35 Hudson yards completed
Early 2019: Time Warner relocates to 30 Hudson Yards
2024: Hudson Yards Project complete
January 29 - February 11, 2015
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January 29 - February 11, 2015
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Locals Focus on Improving Vision Zero
Photo by Zach William
CB4 members had success in negotiating new policies with NJ Transit and the Port Authority that loosened bus congestion on 10th Ave., but challenges remain with private bus operators in Hell’s Kitchen.
Continued from page 6 tures last year in a successful effort to get DOT to conduct a now-ongoing traffic study of the two avenues. Installing protected spaces for pedestrians and cyclists comes a bit easier on wide arterial avenues such as these, but doing so on cross-town streets can prove trickier because they are more narrow and space cannot be as easily appropriated from car lanes or parking, DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione said on Dec. 8 at a forum on bike safety hosted by Councilmember Corey Johnson, Chelsea Now reported Dec. 18. Senior citizens at the forum voiced concerns about the dangers posed by cyclists in Chelsea, a common complaint from neighborhood residents according to Berthet.
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But DeVito expressed confidence that as bike lanes become more integrated throughout the borough, sidewalk and wrong-way cycling as well as other problem behaviors will decrease accordingly. The reasons for this, he said, are the same as for why pedestrian islands reduce crossing collisions. Through popular support of street redesigns, progress will continue this year towards reaching Vision Zero, according to DeVito. “I think from my experience working with local activists and local community groups, their energy is extremely high and people are extremely optimistic about what can be done in the city. People really understand that the status quo can be greatly improved,” he said. “All of these traffic fatalities, all of these major traffic injuries, they are preventable and we just have to be able to apply the tools we already have available to us.”
January 29 - February 11, 2015
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Art and Commerce at Hudson Yards Continued from page 13 kinks in the fire alarm and security system that need to be worked out, said MTA officials in December 2014. Leading up to this is Hudson Park & Boulevard, a three-block long split of public park and roadway, with specialized areas for children’s playgrounds, benches and landscaped pathways. All of this is bookended by the Hudson River Park amenities off the West Side Highway. Capping off the area’s cultural offerings is the new Whitney Museum, to open at the High Line’s southernmost entrance on May 1. Combined with the wealth of small art galleries for which Chelsea is renowned, it will make the area a destination for art lovers. Related notes that Hudson Yards will be more than just a collection of tall towers and open spaces — it is a model for the modern community, with all buildings at a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating. Built above the rail yards, it is flood-proof, and in the case of emergency, it possesses onsite power-generating services.
Photo by Winnie McCroy
It’s only a scale model now — but in 2018, Hudson Yards shoppers will enter the first Neiman Marcus store in NYC.
Buildings will have waste-management systems via vacuum tubes that shoot organics, recyclables and trash straight to a central terminal, converting organic matter into fertilizer and eliminating piles of trash on the curb. The Public Square will serve as a ventilation lid over the rail yards, and as a reservoir site for storm-water management and reuse. Buildings are connected through a micro-grid that allows for energy management in heating and cooling, and communications will be supported by a ‘future-proofed’ fiber loop, designed to allow contin-
Photo by Winnie McCroy
Later this year, construction begins on the indoor/outdoor arts facility, Culture Shed (set to open in 2018).
uous access via wired and wireless broadband. Hudson Yards operation managers will monitor and react to traffic and pedestrian patterns, air quality, power demands, and temperature and use the
data to create the most environmentally attuned neighborhood in New York City. It’s not hard to imagine that Hudson Yards could one day be the template for how cities of the future are built. “As a native New Yorker and longtime Chelsea resident I am so proud to be a part of designing this new, vibrant neighborhood,” said Samuelian. “When it’s fully completed, Hudson Yards will bring to the West Side five new office buildings, 100 shops and restaurants, 5,000 residences, an innovative new cultural center, 14 acres of public open space, a 750-seat public school and scores of other great amenities for residents, workers, and visitors. When you add that to the opening of the new Whitney Museum, the extension of the No. 7 subway line, and the expansive new network of parks and open spaces, including the High Line, Hudson Park & Boulevard and the ever-growing Hudson River Park, you create a truly unique destination that cannot be found anywhere else in New York City.” For more information, HudsonYardsNewYork.com.
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January 29 - February 11, 2015
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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT The Borscht Belt, Revisited Catskills photos tell a story of time, nature, people ECHOES OF THE BORSCHT BELT: CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARISA SCHEINFELD On View through April 12 At Yeshiva University Museum, at the Center for Jewish History 15 W. 16th St. (btw. 5th & 6th Aves.) Sun. Tues. & Thurs., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon. 5 p.m.–8 p.m. Wed. 11 a.m.–8p.m. Fri. 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Admission: $8 ($6 for students/seniors) Free Mon. & Wed. 5–8 p.m. Info: 212-294-8330 and yumuseum.org Visit marisascheinfeld.com © Marisa Scheinfeld, 2011
At the coffee shop of Grossinger’s Catskill Resort and Hotel, in Liberty, NY, all that’s recognizable are 10 dust-covered green stools.
BY NORMAN BORDEN In an era when weekend jaunts to Florida or weeklong Caribbean cruises are commonplace, Marisa Scheinfeld’s engaging images of the ruins of Borscht Belt hotels are a poignant reminder of a way of life that no longer exists. For generations of Jews, vacationing in the Catskill Mountains 90 miles from New York City was like a rite of passage. You would pile into the family car, head northwest on Route 17 and soon you were in “the mountains,” also known as the Borscht Belt — a 250 square mile region that, over the years, would have a profound influence on Jewish culture and identity. The big resorts like Grossinger’s, The Concord, The Nevele and Kutsher’s pioneered the all-inclusive vacation: three meals a day, Kosher or Kosher-style cuisine, and no one blinked if you ordered .com
two or three main courses plus four desserts. The big hotels’ menus also included golf, tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, childcare, ballroom dancing, nightclubs, and…then it was time for breakfast again. Besides the food, another main attraction of the big hotels during their golden years — the 1940s, '50s, '60s and early '70s — was the entertainment. Playing the Borscht Belt was virtually mandatory for young Jewish comedians. Some, like Mel Brooks, Danny Kaye and Red Buttons, started out as “tummlers,” a Yiddish word for someone whose job was to create excitement or laughter as guests left the dining rooms or swimming pools. Buddy Hackett, Billy Crystal, Woody Allen, Henny Youngman and countless other comedians toured the big hotels. There
were also shows with performers like a young Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan and, well, you get the picture — the Borscht Belt rocked. In the mid '60s, at the peak of its popularity, there were over 600 hotels and 400 bungalow colonies in the region. Grossinger’s was serving 150,000 guests a year. Marisa Scheinfeld missed the Borscht Belt’s golden years – she was only six years old when her family moved to a town near the Concord in 1986. Still, she says, “Kutsher’s and The Concord were a big part of my childhood. I spent weekends playing there. But I didn’t realize the hotels were virtually empty in the 1980s compared to what they were like in the '50s and '60s.” The fact is, by the late 1960s, the Catskills had lost their appeal for the younger generation. Jet planes, air con-
ditioning and changes in society all played a role. As the hotels and bungalow colonies lost their customer base, they started to close one by one. Grossinger’s called it quits in 1986. The Laurels closed in the late '80s and burned down in the '90s. The Concord shut down in 1998 and was demolished in 2000. Now, all that’s left there are piles of rubble — and memories. Scheinfeld began photographing the hotels’ remains in 2009 when she was a graduate student at San Diego State. Her mentor had advised her to “shoot what you know.” Since she was very interested in documenting ruins and sites where events had occurred, shooting in her own backyard — The Catskills — made perfect sense.
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Contemplating the Catskills Legacy FILM SCREENING, Q&A AND OPEN GALLERY On Mon., Feb. 2, trace modern standup comedy to its Catskill roots, by listening to the tales of those who were there when it all began. Sid Caesar, Joe Franklin, Jackie Mason and Jerry Stiller are among those featured in the documentary “When Comedy When to School.” There will be a Q&A featuring comedian, singer and actor Robert Klein after the Courtesy of the filmmakers
screening — which is preceded by
Pioneers of stand-up comedy join their modern counterparts, in the Catskills documentary “When Comedy Went to School.” Robert Klein does the Q&A thing following a Feb. 2 screening.
a gallery viewing with “Echoes of the Borscht Belt” photographer Marisa Scheinfeld. Tickets: $8, $6 for se-
Continued from page 17 The artist explains, “I began the project by using my vacation time to go home and find old pictures of the area. I decided to use a technique called ‘re-photography,’ which involves finding an old picture of a place, then going to that site, lining everything up and photographing what it looks like now.” After taking a series of re-photography images, she realized they could become originals. Doing more research, she found hotels she never knew existed. “I was searching for any traces of the era.” Local people, family, friends, and even the police helped (they helped her contact a hotel owner whose permission she needed). Scheinfeld comments, “I couldn’t have done this project if I hadn’t grown up around here.” Discovering sites like Grossinger’s, she says, “It was sad to see modern ruins where the rooms had become jungles and swimming pools had turned into outdoor ponds with fish swimming around. After I’d photographed a tree growing out of a floor in an indoor pool, I realized there was a story here although I didn’t know what it was at the time.” She concluded that her photographs could tell a story about the effects of time, nature and people on a place. “I saw that the ruins were really alive, but they were no longer being used as places of leisure as originally intended. Dining rooms had become paint ball war zones, kids had turned showrooms into skate parks and wild turkeys lived in other rooms.” The 23 large color images in the exhibition document many of these changes.
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niors, students, CJH and YUM members. For reservations, visit smarttix. com. Open Gallery at 6 p.m., screening at 7 p.m. For info on the film: whencomedhywenttoschool.com.
THE BORSCHT BELT — PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE On Thurs., March 26 at 6 p.m., Marisa Scheinfeld is joined by historian and Forward columnist Jenna Weissman Joselit for a lively discussion about the history, legacy and future of the © Marisa Scheinfeld, 2013
Dining rooms had become paint ball war zones, kids had turned showrooms into skate parks and wild turkeys lived in other rooms, when Marisa Scheinfeld revisited the Catskill Mountains haunts of her youth. Here, what was once the lobby of Grossinger’s Catskill Resort and Hotel.
In the Grossinger’s coffee shop image, all that’s recognizable are 10 dust-covered green stools. Their fading color is a sharp contrast to all the devastation, which looks man-made. Even more devastation is apparent in the picture of Grossinger’s lobby. The starkness, graffiti, paint ball splotches and inane scrawled profanities do grab your attention. The image of Grossinger’s indoor pool #2 feels ghostly; the chaise lounge looks pristine, as if someone had just left for a swim, but the green carpet underneath is very thick moss — it’s nature at work for decades. The hotel building, still intact, is visible through the rear windows. Several re-photograph diptychs are also part of the show. In one, an undat-
ed publicity photograph of The Laurel’s indoor pool ringed by frolicking young adults is displayed next to Scheinfeld’s 2011 photograph of the same pool, devoid of life, filled with snow and surrounded by trees. And her collection of ephemera, ranging from hotel postcards and menus to a big Concord button that says “Ask about Big Thursday,” fuels the memories. They’re all signs of life, long gone. For those who spent time in the mountains, Scheinfeld’s work evokes waves of nostalgia and awe. I, for one, found the image of The Concord’s remains — giant piles of rubble — particularly sad. How could the final demise of the Borscht Belt’s largest resort come so quickly and completely
Borscht Belt. Tickets: $8, $6 for students, seniors and YUM members through smarttix.com.
while other hotels died a slow death? No doubt a developer’s plans or hopes were waylaid, but it’s still not a pretty picture. But many here — in their own way — are quite memorable. Norman Borden is a New Yorkbased writer and photographer. The author of more than 100 reviews for NYPhotoReview.com and a member of Soho Photo Gallery and ASMP, his image “Williamsburg” was chosen by juror Jennifer Blessing, Curator of Photography at the Guggenheim, for inclusion in the 2014 competition issue of “The Photo Review.” He is also exhibiting in Soho Photo’s annual Krappy Kamera ® exhibition, Feb. 4–28. Visit normanbordenphoto.com. .com
Restaurant Exhibit Offers Food For Thought Anya Rubin’s surreal paintings are a visual feast
Image courtesy of the artist
“Above the City” (2011-13 | Digital Rendering on Duratran, Light Box, 35x35).
Image courtesy of the artist
“Tatiana Eva Marie” (2014 | Oil on Canvas, 40x40).
ANYA RUBIN: “A DUET OF ARTAND FOOD” At Duet Brasserie 37 Barrow St. at Seventh Ave. On view daily, from Feb. 3–10, during regular restaurant hours Visit duetny.com Call 212-255-5416 For artist info, visit anyarubin.com
.com
Image courtesy of the artist
“Falling” (2014 | Digital Rendering on Duratran, Light Box, 48x36).
BY SCOTT STIFFLER Hailed by the Italian publication Effetto Arte for her surreal works that integrate digital and traditional tools of the trade, painter Anya Rubin excels at depicting a culture struggling to evolve at the same pace as technology. Floating brains, human bodies with animal heads, selfie portraits and the frequent presence of a motherboard grid as backdrop are potent critiques of the current zeitgeist. Created with acrylics, enamels and oils (often backlit within light boxes), her cutting observations are frequently accompanied by a sly dash of humor — one that seems rooted in curiosity and concern rather than irony and disdain. That’s best illustrated in one of the light
box works, “Falling.” Although connected through the computer, Rubin sees the human race as “more animal than brain-functioning beings. We are falling through the motherboard grid away from our brains — as if we were on an upward path to get to the brain but we just can’t make it and keep falling.” This salon exhibition is hosted by the West Village’s Duet Brasserie restaurant. Executive Chef/Partner, Dmitry Rodov (who, like the artist, is of Russian heritage) has created a special dish inspired by Rubin’s vivid color palette and compositions. A percentage of proceeds from that dish, as well as from the sale of Rubin’s work, will be donated to The Museum of Russian Art in Jersey City, New Jersey. January 29 - February 11, 2015
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Just Do Art BY SCOTT STIFFLER
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Courtesy of Monk in Motion
Stranger Cat is part of a female-fronted lineup, at the Feb. 6 installment of Chelsea Market’s new monthly music series.
Brooklyn’s own Adam O’Farrill performs on Feb. 28, at the final “Monk in Motion” concert.
“CHELSEA NIGHTS” FREE CONCERT SERIES
Chicago native and current NYC resident Marquis Hill, snared a recording contract with Concord Music Group and secured the opening Jan. 31 slot. On Feb. 14, Billy Buss (who backed up saxophonist Godwin Louis during last year’s series) returns to the “Monk in Motion” stage, this time as a runner-up. Brookynite and respected composer Adam O’Farrill (second runner-up) closes the series, on Feb. 28. All shows at 7:30 p.m. In Theater 2 at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers St. | btw. Greenwich Ave. & West St.). Tickets are $25 for each concert (students/ seniors $15). Purchase by calling 212220-1460, at the box office or at tribecapac.org. For info on the artists, visit monkinstitute.org.
The music in the air has a pleasing indie vibe, when a triple bill of talent appears in the February edition of this new concert series, curated by Brooklyn’s Paper Garden record label. On the first Friday of every month, local artists perform in the halls of Chelsea Market, with occasional breaks to hand out some mighty sweet swag. This month, raffle winners will walk away with a Crosley turntable, a PGR vinyl pack, a Mailchimp hat, a Chelsea Market cookbook and more. The female-fronted lineup features Little Strike at 6:30 p.m., Stranger Cat at 7:15 p.m. and Salt Cathedral at 8 p.m. For a preview of their various strengths and styles, check out littlestrike.com, strangercat.com and saltcathedralmusic.com. Free. Fri., Feb. 6 with sets beginning at 6:30 p.m. At Chelsea Market (75 9th Ave. | btw. 15th & 16th Sts.). For more info, visit chelseamarket.com.
MONK IN MOTION: THE NEXT FACE OF JAZZ
Ellen Lafargue, AuD, CCC-A
50 Broadway, 6th Floor • New York, New York 10004 appointment@CHChearing.org • www.CHChearing.org
(917) 305-7780 © 2014 All Rights Reserved. 12/14 31315-14
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January 29 - February 11, 2015
BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center and the Thelonious Monk Institute’s annual partnership concert series returns, with performances by the finalists from 2014’s Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Three top trumpet players emerged from a Gala Concert event last November, chosen by a judging panel whose members included Quincy Jones and Arturo Sandoval. Each will appear with their combos, performing selections that demonstrate the versatility and skill that made them winners. The winner,
TALKING BAND presents “THE GOLDEN TOAD” Having created over 50 original works over the course of its 40-year existence, Talking Band can hardly be accused of failing in their commitment to “radical collaboration and a fusion of diverse theatrical styles and perspectives.” If only the same confident sense of self could be said for the shifting, searching characters who populate “The Golden Toad.” Asking “Where is the ‘real’ person to be found in the ebb and flow of identity?” more out of curiosity than the need for a definitive answer, “Toad” unifies site-specific works undertaken over the past few years: at a townhouse garden in downtown Brooklyn, on a bus tour of the New Jersey Meadowlands, and in a pop-up thrift store. This La MaMa
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Buhmann on Art
Courtesy Woodward Gallery
Stickman: “Threaded” (2014 | Acrylic on plexiglass | 27 x 15 inches; 68.58 x 38.1 cm).
GALLERY GROUP EXHIBITION: “20IN15” Courtesy Woodward Gallery
Cycle: “Rex vs. Rex” (2013 | Acrylic on canvas | 48 x 48 inches; 121.92 x 121.92 cm | Signed on verso).
Through February 28 At Woodward Gallery 133 Eldridge St. (btw. Broome & Delancey Sts.) Tues.–Sat., 11a.m.–6 p.m.
BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN (stephaniebuhmann.com) As if to advocate a year of rich diversity ahead, this eclectic group show brings together 20 contemporary artists. Here, subjects vary as much as the styles in which they are depicted, covering figurative, abstract and some nuances in-between. While the sculptural installation by Gabriel Specter, Richard Hambleton’s figurative and yet Franz Kline-inspired “Dancing Shadowman” and Deborah Claxton’s photographic images might have little in common, they gain by playing against each other candidly. It is this contextual contrast that allows “20in15” to slowly gather steam. While each of the artists represents a certain aesthetic and medium, they share the roles of commentators and explorers .com
of their time. Interestingly, Susan Breen, Thomas Buildmore, Hiro Ichikawa and Mark Mastroianni, among others, comment on today’s world by dipping into various references to the past. Jo Ellen Van Ouwerkerk’s remarkable composition “A Gift of Wind to Amuse and Mystify” — which depicts an array of perhaps identical female figures flowing freely in space — alludes to the Surrealist fantasies of Leonora Carrington. Cycle’s circular rendition of a Tyrannosaurus rex chasing, and being chased by, a wolf offers an unusual blend of street art, Native American symbolism and pop. By allowing for such unpredictable discoveries, “20in15” guarantees a playful and refreshingly not self-important slice of the Downtown New York art world of 2015.
Sun., 12–5p.m. and by private appointment Cal1 212-966-3411 or visit WoodwardGallery.net
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A karaoke bar is the fourth and final stop, as intersecting characters converge upon “The Golden Toad.”
Continued from page 20 production moves its audience through reimagined versions of those locations — then concludes at the titular Golden Toad karaoke bar, where the characters intersect for an evening of revelation and transformation. Through Feb. 7, at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. 4th St. | btw. Bowery & 2nd Ave.). Jan. 29, 30 & Feb. 4–6 at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 & Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. Tickets: $25 ($20 for students & seniors). Reservations: call 646-430-5374 or visit lamama.org. For artist info, visit talkingband.org.
THE NEW YORK NEOFUTURISTS present “THE HUMAN SYMPHONY” Those hardworking New York New Futurists deserve a break, considering the pressure they’re under. This is the troupe that performs 30 plays in 60
minutes, twice a week, in the East Village (“Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind”). For their new mainstage production (created and directed by Dylan Marron), you might be the one tasked with breathing life into various permutations of the human condition. These funny, tragic, uplifting, depressing and deeply bizarre scenarios were culled from Marron’s trolling of the web for, well, people who troll the web…for love. The result, “The Human Symphony,” creates a performance ensemble culled from randomly selected audience members. They follow instructions given to them via mp3 tracks, providing the remaining viewers with firsthand accounts of Internet dating in NYC. Through Feb. 14. Mon., Wed. & Sat at 8 pm. Sun. at 3 p.m. At The New Ohio (the Archive Building at 154 Christopher St. | btw. Greenwich & Washington Sts.). Tickets are $18 online, $20 at the door. For reservations and info, visit nynf.org.
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Audience members act out online dating scenarios, by following mp3 directions. “The Human Symphony” plays through Feb. 14. .com
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