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Main Artery Closure Clogs Nearby Street BY ZACH WILLIAMS Local residents went to the police to learn what progress has been made in keeping the closure of one Chelsea street from feeding too much traffic onto their own blocks. More cars are turning west on W. 15th St. ever since an Oct. 20 building fire closed down W. 17th St., between Seventh and Eighth Aves. The resulting influx brings increased danger in the absence of city outreach to residents on how to mitigate this, according to the West 15th St. 100 and Continued on page 4

Bayview to Become State’s First ‘Women’s Building’ BY YANNIC RACK When members of Community Board 4 (CB4) drafted a letter to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in June 2013, urging it to designate the former Bayview Correctional Facility, it had almost been a year since the women’s prison was abandoned. Located at 550 W. 20th St. (at 11th Ave.), the building was evacuated shortly before Superstorm Sandy hit New York in October 2012. Its inmates, sent to other prisons throughout the state, never returned. Continued on page 2

Photo by Rich Pollak

L to R: Chelsea Musica woodwind ensemble members Cara Tucker, Karen Robbins, Denise Koncelìk and Carolyn Pollak. The group’s Nov. 22 concert will be its first appearance at St. Peter’s Chelsea.

St. Peter’s Chelsea is a Magnet for Music ment, but missed it. She thinks they were added back to the BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC Chelsea Musica, a relatively new woodwind chamber bottom of the list. ensemble, owes its founding to the Penn South waiting list. “My husband and I just pinch each other every day to Carolyn Pollak, the oboist of the group, and her husband remind ourselves how lucky we are,” she said. “We just love had just retired. It was 2011, and they were contemplating a it here, and we love Chelsea.” move back to New York City from New Jersey, but were wonAs the former principal oboist for the New Jersey dering whether they could afford it — and then they received Symphony Orchestra, Pollak was frustrated that she hadn’t the call that they had gotten an apartment in Penn South. had the time to play chamber music. When she moved to T Hshe E Pstarted I X E playing L A C Awith D E MY ' S Amsterdam “It was like winning the lottery,” Pollak told Chelsea Now Manhattan, the New by phone. “We had put our name on a waiting list for Penn Symphony Orchestra, and through that group met Karen South in 1975.” Robbins, a flutist. E P IinX E L A C A D E MY ' S Pollak surmises that when her family lived T inHSpain the early ’90s, they might have been contacted for the apartT H E P I X E L A C A DContinued E MY ' S on page 10

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VOLUME VOLUME 07, ISSUE 07, 36 ISSUE | NOVEMBER 22 | JULY 05 16 - 11, 22, 2015

Bold Bayview Plan Promises ‘Opportunity and Social Reform’

Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin, courtesy Office of the Governor

On Oct. 26, Gloria Steinem (left) and Lela Goren, founder and president of Goren Group, listened as Governor Cuomo announced that the former Bayview Correctional Facility would be redeveloped into The Women’s Building.

Continued from page 1 Bayview became another casualty of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to save money by closing costly and underutilized prisons. With a rapidly changing neighborhood and rising rents as a backdrop, CB4 was worried the building would be quickly sold by the state, with

unwelcome consequences. “Current development pressures in Chelsea will almost certainly result in demolition of the building and its replacement by new construction,” said the letter, signed by then-CB4 chair Corey Johnson (now a city councilmember representing District 3). “It was voted on by the entire community board, but we just never heard anything back [from the Landmarks

Preservation Commission],” said David Holowka, a member of CB4’s Land Use Committee who co-authored the request for evaluation. “They didn’t dignify us with a response,” he recalled, when he spoke with Chelsea Now this week. Now local residents and advocates are hoping the building’s unique architectural features will be protected a different way. Last week, the governor announced that the building would be redeveloped into the state’s first “Women’s Building,” with an eye on preservation of its history — as a prison and, before that, a YMCA for sailors and seamen. The 100,000 square-foot space, directly across from the Chelsea Piers sports complex, will be renovated by the NoVo Foundation and Goren Group. The former is entering a 50-year lease for the building, with a possible extension of another 49 years. When it is completed in the next four to five years, the building will host a range of nonprofit women’s organizations, and will also include a restaurant, an art gallery, and some additional office space for other nonprofit tenants. “Today we are continuing our efforts to shatter the glass ceiling by taking down an institution of defeat and turning it into opportunity and social reform for women,” Governor Cuomo said at an announcement of the sale, held Oct. 26 at Chelsea Piers. Also in attendance was writer, political activist, and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem. Quoted in a press release issued that same day by the governor’s office, she recalled hav-

ing “known personally since the mid1970s…about the need and hope for a women’s building in New York City. Now, there is even more need because of high rent and operating costs here, and more hope because we’ve seen how much such buildings benefit other cities. New York has the greatest need because it receives so many women leaders from other states, other countries, other continents, yet they have no central place to visit — this building will unite them.” According to that same press release, the plan was chosen through a competitive RFP (request for proposal) process by the Empire State Development Corporation, which took into consideration the wishes of the community for the site. As a result, it sought a use that “preserves the building’s historic façade, provides opportunities for community facility use, and stays within the general zoning character of the Special West Chelsea District.” That phrase is welcome news for those who pushed for landmarks designation, and also wanted the facility to stay a functioning part of the larger community. “We’re happy not to see it become another anonymous luxury condominium that amounts to a fourth home for a billionaire who’s never even going to be present,” said Holowka. “They’re kind of constructing a wall of those between the community and the Hudson River.” “I’m glad it is for nonprofit use, and I’m glad it’s neither a hotel nor luxury condominium, because we had a lot

Continued on page 14

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Public Meeting Will Address 17th St. Closure

The length of W. 17th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves. will remain closed until mid-November, while cleanup continues at the site of a recent building fire.

Continued from page 1 200 Block Association. Its president, Stanley Bulbach, told police at the Oct. 28 meeting of the NYPD 10th Precinct Community Council that elected officials and city agencies have not responded to the association’s concerns. “Our street is completely congested and the emergency vehicles are

getting trapped,” he said. “At some point something is going to result from that.” City agencies and the office of Councilmember Corey Johnson are coordinating a response to these concerns, Det. Mike Petrillo said at the meeting. The closure will last until Nov. 18 as cleanup continues at the site of the fire, he added. “We lost a main artery. I know its

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Traffic has increased on W. 15th St., resulting in dangerous conditions for emergency vehicles, residents say.

tough,” said Petrillo who received an award at the meeting for his 25 years of service to the department. A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 5, at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 W. 17 St. btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.). Representatives of the city Department of Transportation and Department of Buildings (DOB) will attend. The owner of the W. 17th St. building did not commit to coming, according to Erik Bottcher, chief of staff for Johnson. An investigation continues into the cause of the five-alarm fire at the site of the condominium renovation. Clean-up crews received city permits on Oct. 28 allowing them to work around the clock through Nov. 10, according to DOB records. Workers will deploy a crane, but will not conduct any demolition, according to the DOB. It remains unclear just how much traffic from the resulting closure has gone to W. 15th St., but there has been a significant increase there exacerbating longstanding issues, Bulbach said in an interview.

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A bike lane and double-parked delivery trucks already squeeze other traffic to one lane on the street. He added that he is concerned about how the increased weight on the street could affect a nearby underground gas line. Communication with residents has offered potential solutions, such as the suggestion that parking be restricted in the meantime to one side of the street, allowing increased traffic flow, Bulbach said. “It’s a nightmare because twice as much traffic as normal is diverted onto our street with no steps taken to mitigate it,” he said. “We reached out for help and we haven’t heard anything back until tonight, so that’s a problem.” An Oct. 30 building collapse on W. 38th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.) underscored the potential for emergencies to arise at local construction sites. The DOB issued a Stop Work Order that day at the site where a

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Rhymes With Crazy THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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Sleeping With Kale is a Bridge Too Far BY LENORE SKENAZY “Where’s the milk?” I asked my best-friend-fromhigh-school, Gigi, as I peered into her fridge. “It’s right there!” “Where?” “There!” But, as Gertrude Stein would have said — if she needed something to pour in her coffee and was still alive — “There’s no ‘there’ there, only almond milk.” Gigi shrugged. “That’s what we drink.” And therein lies a tale. There was no cow milk in Gigi’s fridge, no white bread in her bread box, and no peanut butter in her cabinets — only almond butter. Without even realizing it, Gigi had become what we used to call a health nut, but is now apparently a health mainstreamer — leaving good ol’ milk-drinking, Wonder Bread-loving, candy-gobblers like me behind. Folks who still eat hot dogs, if you can believe that, despite WNYC reporting for 36 hours straight last week: “The World Health Organization says processed meat is bad for you. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! Donate now, before you drop dead.” Simply by standing in place, I’d become abnormal, like a gal still wild about

Earth Shoes. Or Pet Rocks. Or Jeb. Everyone else today is eating or juicing something they never thought they’d even consider food. A guy I know (who was briefly a pro football player!) just mentioned he is into hemp hearts. Hemp has a heart? It’s legal to eat? He says he mixes the hearts into cheesy eggs, which sounds somewhere between revolting and felonious. But hemp is just one of those things that people say, “I’m into now.” Like kombucha — the stuff in bottles that looks like pond water. And chia! If chia can go from pet to food, what hope is there for puppies? Another high-school friend of mine (they’re all turning!) now “cheats” by eating chia pudding! Cheats on what? Gently sautéed pine needles? Liver smoothies? How is it cheating to eat something so healthy that it still grosses at least a portion of the population out? “Marcy!” I typed at her. “You were the one who introduced me to the food that is totally worth cheating with: Hostess Fruit Pies. What happened?” She typed back (where would we be, friend-wise, without Facebook?):

“Chia pudding is made with chia seeds, almond milk, cacao (or, for those that still speak English, cocoa), maple syrup, and vanilla extract. As the seeds soak, they become tapioca-like. Makes a yummy pudding. Hostess Fruit Pies?! I forgot about those.” Forgot? I know, I know — people’s tastes change, and change is good. My friend Sue is eating beets now. She used to spit them out, back when beets were on everyone’s shelf — sometimes for years — in a can. Then recently, someone convinced her to eat them for good luck, and she gave them an open-minded nibble. Now Sue’s a beet-nik, and I worry that the vegetable is a gateway to hemp hearts! The problem is not that people’s tastes are shifting. They always do. It is that they seem to be lurching. “I got all into trying to go

vegan, then I got into paleo — huge shift, I know,” I read a mom confess online. The soy milk folks are getting into butter. The pescatarians are trying pork. The NutraSweet crowd is swearing by Stevia. And I wasn’t going to mention kale, but it is the elephant in the kitchen. “It’s an aspirational vegetable,” explains Nancy McDermott, an independent researcher and advisor to Park Slope Parents. “It’s also very pretty. I saw a nice kale tattoo on Facebook the other day. But eating it, preparing it, is difficult. I hate having the cut out the stalks, and the rolling the leaves and cutting them. And as for bruising it, I think you’d have to sleep with it under the mattress to make it tender enough to eat.” By the time we are sleeping with our kale, all bets are off. It’s driving me to drink. But not kombucha with almond milk. Lenore Skenazy is host of the reality show “World’s Worst Mom” on the Discovery Life Channel. She is also a public speaker who authored the book, and founded the blog, FreeRange Kids (freerangekids. com).

WE’RE BRANCHING OUT THIS FALL

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POLICE BLOTTER LEAVING SCENE OF PROPERTY DAMAGE: Can’t stop big box truck

A truck driver showed little concern on Fri., Oct. 30 after colliding with a 2015 BMW at the intersection of 10th Ave. and W. 31st St. Police said the driver took his rig northbound at about 2:30 p.m. following the collision. But first he put the incident in perspective for the 27-year-old male driver of the BMW. “I don’t give a s**t about the accident. Call the police,” said the unidentified truck driver, according to a police report.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: Taking it out on the car A disgruntled former employee sought revenge on Sat., Oct. 31 after getting fired from a job at Manhattan Mini Storage, located at 510 W. 21st St. After getting the axe that morning, the 27-yearold man went to the front of the business armed with bricks. He unloaded them on a 2011 Mercedes-Benz owned by the 25-year-old woman who fired him, police said. The barrage left the vehicle with broken windows and dents. A 31-yearold former employee told police he saw the attack, but no arrest has been made, according to a police report.

FORCIBLE TOUCHING: Creepy surprise as Halloween concludes One Uber driver went too far in offering a helping hand to two women who needed a ride in the early morning of Sun., Nov. 1. He picked the women

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-7418216. Youth Officer: 212-7418211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-924-3377. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The next meeting is Nov. 25 (subject to change because of Thanksgiving).

up on the 100 block of W. 15th St. (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.) and all seemed normal as they headed north. But during the ride, the 22-year-old woman sitting in the front passenger seat received some unwanted attention. She told police the driver placed his right hand in between her legs several times as her friend slept in the backseat. Police said the two women were unable to get the car’s license plate number after exiting the silver Toyota on the 200 block of W. 23rd St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.).

GRAND LARCENY: High cost of early morning house party Five unknown individuals might have done more than just steal $6,000 worth of watches and electronics after receiving an invitation to party at an apartment on the 600 block of W. 42nd St. (btw. 11th & 12th Aves.). A 23-year-old woman told police she met the suspects at a nightclub in the early morning of Sun., Nov. 1 and brought them back to the apartment. The woman said she does not remember anything after leaving the club, except that they drank more and smoked some marijuana. Her generosity did not win her any favors from the guests. She awoke the next morning to discover that her guests took her Apple computer, iPad, iPhone, digital camera and several watches. She also may have been sexually assaulted, she told police. No arrests have been made in connection to the incident.

ASSAULT: Hacked by a cell phone A Chelsea man got splashed with hot coffee on Sat., Oct. 31 after intervening in a fight at a Dunkin Donuts, located at 269 Eighth Ave. The victim was enjoying his brew at about 11:30 a.m., when two fellow customers began trading heated words. One of them grabbed the would-be peacemaker’s coffee and threw it at him after he stepped up, police said. The victim took a swing in response, but his opponent gained the upper hand by putting him in a headlock. The attacker then used a cell phone to bloody the 51-year-old man’s face and forehead. He refused medical attention after police arrived. No arrests have been made.

—ZACH WILLIAMS .com

November 05 - 11, 2015

VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCES WREATH LAYING AT THE CHELSEA DOUGHBOY STATUE After last year’s successful revival of a decadesold tradition (for the first time since the 1960s), the NYPD’s 10th Precinct Community Council once again invites you to join them in paying tribute to veterans, active duty members of the military, National Guard members and reservists. State Senator Brad Hoylman (whose office is providing the wreath) will attend, along with Auxiliary Officers of the 10th Precinct. The ceremony takes place in front of a 14-foot-tall granite stele, on which a bronze World War I soldier is displayed. What came to be known as The Chelsea Doughboy was installed on April 7, 1921. The ceremony takes place on Wed., Nov. 11, rain or shine. It begins at approximately 10 a.m. and lasts around 15 minutes. Meet on the west side of Ninth Ave. (btw. W. 27th & W. 28th Sts.). For more info. on the history of the statue, visit nycgovparks.org/parks/ chelsea-park/monuments/232.

VETERANS DAY PARADE The largest Veterans Day Parade in the country — this year, commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II and the 25th Anniversary of Desert Shield — begins at 10 a.m. at the Eternal Light Monument (Fifth Ave. at 24th St., next to Madison Square Park). Starting at approximately 11:30 a.m., the Parade proceeds up Fifth Ave., from 26th St. to 52nd St. For more info, visit americasparade.org.

Courtesy Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Free and open to the public, the Intrepid’s Veterans Day ceremony takes place on Pier 86, at 3:30 p.m.

INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM’S VETERANS DAY CEREMONY

Wed., Nov. 11, 3:30–4:30 p.m. at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (Pier 86, at W. 46th St. & 12th Ave. The Pier ceremony is free. Museum admission is $24 for adults, $19 for ages 7-17, $12 for ages 3-6, free for children under 3 — and free to retired, active U.S. Military and U.S. veterans, during the run of “On the Line: Intrepid and the Vietnam War,” an exhibit scheduled through fall 2016. For more info, call 212245-0072 or visit intrepidmuseum.org.

Hundreds of veterans are expected to attend this tribute, which will include the presentation of the National Colors and a wreath laying in the Hudson River. Remarks will be made by Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs, Commissioner Loree Sutton, M.D., Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Retired); and Rear Admiral Cynthia M. Thebaud, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2.

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Artists Sing the Praises of (and at) St. Peter’s Chelsea

Photo by Rich Pollak

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Carolyn Pollak, former principal oboist for the NJ Symphony Orchestra, co-founded Chelsea Musica shortly after she and her husband reached the top of Penn South’s waitlist.

Last performed in 2010, Chelsea Opera revives “Glory Denied” for Nov. 12 and 14 performances offing discounted tickets to veterans (free admission to active duty members of the military).

Continued from page 1 Robbins called her up and brought two friends: bassoonist Cara Tucker and Denise Koncelik, who plays the keyboard and the flute, to play baroque trio sonatas at Pollak’s apartment. “So we started just having fun,” she explained. The quintet played for friends, who encouraged them to perform for others, and thus Chelsea Musica was formed about two years ago. On Sun., Nov. 22 at 4 p.m., Chelsea Musica will perform for the first time at St. Peter’s Chelsea (346 W. 20th St. btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.) as part of the church’s Music in Chelsea series, whose proceeds go to the church’s food pantry. Pollak, who has played at St. Peter’s before with other groups, said, “It’s a lovely church. It’s a lovely space. I enjoy very much playing there. We’re also really happy to be doing something for the soup kitchen.” Music in Chelsea began in 1991, and was founded by Thad McGar (1927-2013) to benefit a restoration effort at that time at St. Peter’s, explained Sandra Elm, the series’ co-director, in a phone interview. “When Thad retired in the summer of 2002, Keith Gardner and I took it on. As we’re fond of saying, it took two people to fill Thad’s shoes,” she said with a laugh. McGar, she said, organized and hustled for the series in an era where there were no email blasts, and bulk mailings were done. Then, in spring 2011, “it became obvious that the food pantry was in real need,” she explained. It was decided to “redirect the funds to benefit the food pantry.” Elm, who plays the viola, said there are performances on selected Sundays at 4 p.m., and during the summer they are on Tuesday or Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The suggested donation of $10 is about what it costs to put a bag of food together, she said.

November 05 - 11, 2015

Rev. Stephen Harding, who has been the church’s pastor for two years, said the many performances and events at St. Peter’s are ways to reconnect with the neighborhood. “Our thinking is that there are many people in Chelsea who have never been in St. Peter’s and we would like to change that,” he said in a phone interview. The neighborhood has rapidly changed, and Harding said he wanted to bring people to the building itself. There is a $15 million capital campaign to restore the church, he explained, and the art programs and performances are part of that restoration campaign. St. Peter’s will also be the venue for the 12th season opener for Chelsea Opera, which has a long relationship with the church. Chelsea opera co-founders Lynne Hayden-Findlay and Leonarda Priore met at a summer music program and kept in touch. Later, in 2004, they decided to mount a performance of “Suor Angelica,” by Giacomo Puccini. The opera takes place at a convent in Italy in the latter half of the 17th century. Being opera singers themselves, they had a network of friends already in mind for the cast, explained Priore in a phone interview. “We were able to put on this production very quickly and beautifully,” Priore said. “And we thought that was it. We did it, it was wonderful, and then people began asking us what are we doing next.” Chelsea Opera — named after the street HaydenFindlay grew up on in Long Island — was founded in 2004. Their inaugural performance, “Sour Angelica,” was at St. Peter’s. “ ‘Sour Angelica,’ particularly, was breathtaking there…because of the gorgeous stained glass and just the ambience of the church space itself,” Priore recalled. Hayden-Findlay concurred, saying, “It always feels like coming home. The church itself provides a natural setting.” Many other productions, such as “Don Giovanni,”

have also been performed at St. Peter’s. “One of the things that we like is — that the church kind of helps us paint the picture — is the audience is close, very close to us,” Priore said. “The audience can feel as though they’re part of the action. Sometimes they actually are part of the action, because some of characters in the opera will be coming down the aisles. It’s very visceral.” Chelsea Opera’s season begins with “Glory Denied.” The opera is based on the book by Tom Philpott, and tells the story of Floyd “Jim” Thompson, the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, explained HaydenFindlay. Thompson was sent to Vietnam in 1964, when the United States was sending advisors. He was on a reconnaissance mission when his plane was shot down, and he was held captive for nine years, she said. The opera, composed by Tom Cipullo, is divided into two parts. The first half covers the struggle of Thompson’s imprisonment and his wife’s concurrent battle to provide for the family in his absence. The second half chronicles their deteriorating relationship after he comes back home, said Hayden-Findlay. This is the second time that the company is performing “Glory Denied.” The first was in 2010. “We feel it’s one of our best works,” Priore said. There are two performances of “Glory Denied” on Thurs., Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sat., Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. at St. Peter’s Chelsea (346 W. 20th St. btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Admission is $30 general, $20 for students, seniors, and veterans. Free for active duty military (with ID). For reservations, call 866-811-4111 or visit chelseaopera.org. Chelsea Musica will perform on Sun., Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. Suggested Donation: $10 ($5 for seniors/ students). Concert proceeds benefit the food pantry at St. Peter’s. For info, call 212-929-2390 or visit stpeterschelsea.org. .com

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November 05 - 11, 2015

Trafﬁc, Homeless Among Concerns at 10th Pct. Meeting

Photo by Zach Williams

Well-regarded friend of Chelsea, Det. Mike Petrillo, received recognition for 25 years of service at the Oct. meeting of the NYPD 10th Precinct Community Council.

Continued from page 4 luxury hotel is planned to replace the five-story building, according to records. “We’re getting the feeling, especially since the fatal collapse Friday, that things are spiraling totally

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November 05 - 11, 2015

out of control and that no one really gives a hoot about any intelligent mitigation or prevention,” Bulbach said in a Nov. 2 email to Johnson’s office. Police said at the community council meeting that they would have their hands full in the following week, with the Halloween Parade,

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New York City Marathon and a Nov. 2 presidential visit. They recommended that residents concerned about the street closure contact Johnson’s office (212-564-7757). Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry, the commanding officer at the precinct, said that the death of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder has taken its toll on police during a busy time. She attended his Oct. 28 funeral just days after protesters took to West Side streets once again, marching against police brutality. “It’s a very difficult time for law enforcement in the city,” she said. “At least in this community in Chelsea, we do feel our community does have our backs.” Black Lives Matter protests in the last year strained relations between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD, when critics said he should be tougher on activists who cause civil disruptions. Although the relationship between the police and the mayor has improved since then, Irizarry invoked de Blasio’s direction on dealing with the homeless, in answering a question at the meeting about addressing problems associated with people liv-

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ing outside of Fulton Houses (btw. W. 16th & 18th Sts., and Ninth & 10th Aves.). Homeless people are sleeping in the park outside the buildings or under nearby scaffolding, according to Miguel Acevedo, president of the Fulton Houses Residents Association. Two weeks ago, a resident was slashed in the face by a homeless individual, he added. While police apprehended a suspect, residents remain scared of the other homeless people sleeping there, said Acevedo. “The homeless population just continues to get larger and larger there,” he said. Police cannot arrest people simply for sitting on local streets or begging for loose change per the mayor’s instructions, said Irizarry who reiterated what she said at the previous month’s meeting of the community council. But she added that she would look into what could be done about the situation outside of Fulton Houses. “Mayor de Blasio’s stand on [the] homeless is that homelessness itself is not criminal,” she said. “But some of the actions taken by the homeless are criminal.”

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HAPPY HALLOW-WAS

Photo by Karen Bell

Friends of 20th Street Park (and their friends) met on Halloween afternoon at the site of a future micropark (W. 20th St. btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.). Kids and pets who came in costume were rewarded with treats, and then the group paraded through the neighborhood. Visit 20thstreetpark.org to follow the park’s progress.

Photo by Liz Ligon, courtesy Friends of the High Line Photo by John Tepper Marlin

Ghosts rule, from the roof to the ground (and possibly into a grave), at 314 W. 22nd St. This collective effort to boo-tify the building earned a Best Neighborhood Cooperation prize, in a Halloween Decoration Contest sponsored by the West 300 21/22/23 Street Block Association. Other winners, rewarded with gift certificates from event co-sponsor The Rail Line Diner, included: Best Carved Pumpkins (439 W. 22nd St.), Best Party Scene and Music (457 W. 22nd St.), Best Decapitation (417 W. 21st St.), and Most Intriguing (314 W. 22nd St.).

Vampires, superheroes, fairies and Jedi Knights rubbed shoulders on Oct. 24, at the annual Haunted High Line Halloween event, held along the elevated park’s W. 14th to W. 17th St. stretch. Kids enjoyed storytelling, puppet shows, face painting, musical performances, and visits from costumed characters who brought the B:8.75” area’s industrial past back to life. For info T:8.75” High Line activities, visit on upcoming thehighline.org.

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New York City November 05 - 11, 2015

Bayview Revamp Welcomes Community Input Continued from page 2 of requests for preservation and community usage,” said Christine Berthet, chair of CB4. “The rest will be dependent on the details.” So far, there aren’t many. The building will house “a female adolescent wellness clinic and public atrium,” the press release says, but Pamela Shifman, executive director of the NoVo Foundation, said she couldn’t provide any more details yet. “We’re going to be exploring these questions and many others in the time ahead. We were just granted the rights to the building last week,” she said in an interview. “We are excited to be working closely with the community board now. We believe that The Women’s Building will be a really important community aspect, and is going to pull in the outside, and the Chelsea community to public facilities, lectures, conferences, performances, art shows, etc. I think our mission will definitely enrich the neighborhood.” Shifman was equally vague on the details of which parts of the building might be preserved, emphasizing that they were still in the pre-development phase. “We do know that we want to preserve key parts of the building to serve as a permanent reminder of what happened to women behind the walls of Bayview, and to educate everyone about what continues to happen to women in our criminal justice system,” Shifman said. Holowka thinks the plan is a great idea, but added that the architecture worth preserving stems from the building’s use before it was turned into a prison in the late 1960s. “The governor refers to it as an institution of defeat, with no reference whatsoever to the importance of the building to the neighborhood’s history — the working waterfront it represents and the history it embodies, which is pretty much written all over its façade,” he said. The nine-story structure was originally built as a Seamen’s House YMCA in 1931 and served the sailors and merchant marine crews on the Chelsea waterfront. In addition to Art Deco massing and nautical-themed flourishes on its exterior, the building’s brick façade also hides an indoor pool. “This building was designed by the

November 05 - 11, 2015

Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin, courtesy Office of the Governor

Governor Cuomo was joined by workers at the Oct. 26 announcement, in anticipation of turning Bayview into a hub for women-focused organizations.

Courtesy David Holowka

Nautical-themed flourishes abound inside and out — a distinctive element preservationists hope will be retained during the building’s next incarnation.

firm that designed the building that is most associated with New York City around the world: the Empire State Building. So it has an important architectural pedigree,” said Holowka, referring to architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, whose signature skyscraper was finished in the same year as the YMCA. “I’m happy that the governor has decided to put the building to what sounds like good use, but concerned at the wording of the preservation references,” echoed Pamela Wolff, a public member of CB4 and member of the West 200 Block Association.

She cited interior spaces like the swimming pool, adorned with aquatic mosaics, and a small chapel that sports a nautical wall mural and stained glass windows. The seafaring theme is evident in the brick exterior as well, which sports embellished terra cotta plaques and light fixtures. Wolff has had ties to the building for a long time. Back when the state turned it into Bayview, she served on the Community Advisory Committee set up by the prison authorities to give local residents the chance to air any complaints and work out solutions for keeping the neighborhood safe.

“It lasted only briefly once people realized there wasn’t really a problem,” said Wolff. “The neighborhood [originally] had misgivings about the impact of the prison population on the community, but in reality there turned out to be none.” In the end, she said residents actually protested the closure of the prison because it had served an important community function, by keeping the incarcerated women close to their families and support structures, rather than shipping them upstate. Now, with the burgeoning residential construction in the neighborhood, Wolff thinks there might be some of the same talk among the new population about The Women’s Building that had preceded the opening of the prison. “What was purely waterfront use, and supporting businesses, is now high value condos on every side, with more to come,” she said. “Personally, I think having such a facility in Chelsea will be a great asset.” Holowka also thinks the use is appropriate given the site’s history as a seamen’s house. “It was meant to help ordinary people. And it looks like it will continue to be, and I think that’s just terrific,” he said. “What we’re mainly lamenting in Chelsea is the loss of community building blocks, and this will ensure that the building remains functioning as a social support cornerstone of the community.” Shifman agrees, adding that the NoVo Foundation is committed to being good neighbors. As a sign of goodwill, residents can even submit their own ideas for community uses on a dedicated website for The Women’s Building (womensbuildingnyc.org), and Shifman added that there will be a series of public consultations held at the end of November, “so that folks in Chelsea or beyond who want to contribute their ideas and want to hear more can participate in these conversations.” She also emphasized how the building would continue the mission of its first incarnation, rather than the most recent one. “When the building opened in 1931 as a YMCA it did stand for values of safe harbor, community and hope,” Shifman said. “And in so many ways, The Women’s Building will have a chance to return to those same values.” .com

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Miranda, who is gentle and friendly, sitting on a bench in Washington Square Park.

War and Peace and Pigeons: Miranda

NYCRITTERS BY FACEBOY On Oct. 3, 1918, during World War I, more than 500 men of the 77th Infantry Division were trapped behind enemy lines in France’s Forest of Argonne. By the next day, now also under friendly fire, only about 200 of these predominately New York Cityraised soldiers remained accounted for. Their final hope for survival lay in the wings of a carrier pigeon named Cher Ami. Major Charles Whittlesey attached a silver canister to Cher Ami’s leg with a note that simply read, “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it,” and sent her on her mission. The Germans saw her and opened fire. Yet despite being blinded in one eye and struck in her breast, and with one leg hanging by just a tendon, Cher Ami completed her mission and the men were saved. Due to the recent birdnappings in Washington Square Park (reported in our sister publication, The Villager), it seems time for a NYCritters article on these feathered friends of ours. Miranda is, according to bird enthusiasts Tina Trachtenberg and Larry Reddick, the friendliest pigeon in Washington Square Park. “People come to the park just to see her, because she’s so gentle and so personable,” said Trachtenberg. “You can hold her and she’s, like, looking at .com

you and hanging out with you. She’s an amazing bird.” “She likes to land on kids’ heads,” said Reddick. “Yes, I guess she loves kids,” Trachtenberg concurred. For the kids’ perspective, NYCritters interviewed eight-year-old Violet Hall, who is also your writer’s niece. To make sure we were speaking about the same critter, we first asked if Miranda is a monkey. “She’s a pigeon,” Hall assured. “I met her in Washington Square Park and she’s very nice and gentle. When she lands on you, her claws don’t dig into you and she just comes up to everybody. It kind of feels like something light landing on you.” Speaking of pigeons generally, Hall added, “They like when you hold food in your hand, and then they land on you, and they like to be alone. When they’re on someone or if they’re getting fed, they don’t want other pigeons to come, and they’ll kind of hit them with their wing.” When asked what myths she would most like to dispel, Trachtenberg responded, “that they carry diseases. This was a myth made up by the pest control people and is simply not true,” she declared. Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal with a palm Oak Leaf Cluster for her heroic service. She died of her wounds on June 13, 1919, and was preserved, and is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution. As for Miranda, she can be visited most afternoons near the Holley monument in Washington Square Park.

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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Frederick Wiseman Achieves Great ‘Heights’ Film Forum run is a record for director, venue BY SEAN EGAN Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and important figures in documentary film, Frederick Wiseman’s distinguished career spans nearly five decades. Since his 1967 debut, “Titicut Follies” (which exposed worrisome conditions at a state-run hospital for the criminally insane), Wiseman has provided immersive glimpses into how institutions and communities function, by presenting his footage without comment. At age 85, and with his legacy (40 films) secure, one wouldn’t fault the director for slowing down. Instead, he’s going as strong as ever, as his newest feature, the sprawling, masterful “In Jackson Heights” has just been released to widespread acclaim. Playing at Film Forum (“really the best outlet for independent filmmakers,” Wiseman notes), it marks his 11th feature to run there — giving him the distinction of being the most-debuted filmmaker in the venue’s history. “I wanted to do a movie about a new generation of immigrants to America,” Wiseman says, revealing the seed of an idea that would eventually lead him to Jackson Heights — an incredibly diverse neighborhood in Queens. He first visited in 2007 on the recommendation of a friend, and immediately identified its filmic potential. “One of the things that struck me about Jackson Heights the first time I went there was how colorful it was,” he explains, describing the “color feast” of Roosevelt Blvd. “You want to take advantage of that because it looks great on film.” While he wound up putting plans on hold after film and theatrical opportunities arose in Paris (“I figured Jackson Heights would still be around,” he jokes), he returned to the idea of shooting a film there in the spring of 2014. With a little help from leaders in the Jewish and Bengali communities,

November 05 - 11, 2015

Courtesy Zipporah Films

An aerial view of Jackson Heights, showing the bustling people and “color feast” of the streets.

as well as a professor friend, he hit the streets, capturing a large swath of individuals and businesses in the area. “It’s a combination of having community informants, in the best sense of the word ‘informant,’ and following my instinct, and luck,” Wiseman says of gathering the footage. Plus, Jackson Heights denizens were receptive to the cameras. “It’s very rare that anyone refuses. It’s equally rare that anybody looks in the camera.” Wiseman shaped the resulting footage into a vivid, expansive portrait of a neighborhood. Ambling along at a pace that belies its 190-minute run time, the full spectrum of humanity and personalities are on display in “In Jackson Heights” — as is Wiseman’s knack for re-contextualizing the mundane (fruit stands, pedicures, electronics stores) through his bold framing. From a howlingly funny lesson at a taxi driving school, to somber reflections on discrimination, to the joyous, vibrant celebration of the historic Queens Pride Parade,

Wiseman’s film, like its namesake neighborhood, is never dull. Wiseman’s always maintained that the shape of his movies, as they stand as finished works, come together during editing, and “In Jackson Heights” is no exception. “You have to be pretty hardnosed, or at least think you’re being hardnosed, when you’re editing,” he says of the process, noting that of the 120 hours of rushes (raw footage) filmed for the movie, only three hours and change made it into the finished product. His process (which he describes as akin to writing a novel) involves editing whole sequences together (after discarding about half the rushes), and then attempting to build a narrative from them, in order to “discover” the film. “As you begin to put the sequences together, themes emerge. I mean, themes emerge to some extent before that as well, but it’s interesting always to see how one sequence informs another,” Wiseman elaborates. “It’s a funny process of trying

to be extremely rational about the material, and at the same time paying attention to your associations in terms of the thoughts drifting through your head. And out of that chaos, the right word, out of that interaction, the movie emerges. But on one hand highly rational, and on the other highly associational, or non-rational.” One of the major themes is the passion Jackson Heights residents bring to community issues — issues that often render the neighborhood a microcosm of the entire city. Significant screen time is devoted to LGBTQ and immigrants’ rights groups. City Councilmember Daniel Dromm is seen advocating for public education reform, and the threat of increased rents and gentrification looms large over local business owners. “I was looking for things that would get me into the issues that were of concern to the community,” Wiseman notes, but is quick

Continued on page 20 .com

Just Do Art

Photo by Henry Hungerland

Play along with Bill Kirchen (pictured) and other greats, at Nov. 8’s Guitar Mash Benefit Jam.

Courtesy VAEFF

Frank Stella’s “The Whiteness of the Whale” is at the Whitney, where a marathon reading of “Moby-Dick” takes place Nov. 13 & 14.

“An Evening in Space,” the David LaChapelle-directed video from Daphne Guinness’ debut album, screens at Nov. 12–14’s Video Art and Experimental Film Festival.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

GUITAR MASH BENEFIT JAM If you have an axe to grind, bring it and play along as the action unfolds on stage. If not, don’t fret — but do sing, because lyrics will be projected, along with tabs. It’s all in keeping with the Guitar Mash Benefit Jam’s participatory ethos, which encourages its audience to get in on the act. Featured performers worth emulating include Binky Griptite, Bill Kirchen, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, and Bakithi Kumalo (composer of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al” bassline). Even though you’ll provide some of the talent, this event is strictly pay-to-play. Welcome to show business, baby! No worries though, since proceeds from your ticket go to Guitar Mash, a nonprofit that provides opportunities for young guitarists from diverse cultures and ability levels to learn and play together. Sun., Nov. 8, 12 p.m. at City Winery (155 Varick St. at Vandam St.). Tickets start at $50 (includes artisanal brunch). For reservations and info, visit GuitarMash.org. On Facebook at facebook/comGuitarMash, Twitter (@GuitarMashNYC) and YouTube: GuitarMashNYC. Venue info at citywinery.com/newyork.

MOBY-DICK: A MARATHON READING Like the elusive white whale it has an all-consuming obsession with, this collaboration between Moby-Dick Marathon NYC and the Whitney Museum of American Art is impossible to digest in one sitting. That’s why, in a nod to the epic sprawl of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel, it plays out over two days and doesn’t end until the iffy point at which the final page has been turned. Roughly 140 visual artists, writers, and Whitney staff are on the manifest of scheduled readers — including Kurt Anderson, Salman Rushdie, Heidi Julavits and Julia Pierpont. If that lineup dazzles, so too does the setting. Located just a (thematically appropriate) stone’s throw from the water, on a street named for a family from whom Melville descended, the Museum’s “Frank .com

Stella: A Retrospective” exhibition includes selections from a series containing one work for each chapter of the book. Cross-disciplinary artist Amy Virginia Buchanan has called dibs on Chapter 40. Joined by the music collective Scouts, she’ll perform “Midnight, Forecastle,” a play-within-the-book. At the Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort St. btw. 10th Ave. & Washington St.) on Fri., Nov. 13, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. and Sat., Nov. 14, 11 a.m.–finish. Free with Museum admission ($22, $18 for students/seniors, free for members and those under 18). For more info, visit whitney.org. For info on the biennial Moby-Dick Marathon NYC (to return in 2016), visit mobydickmarathonnyc.org.

VAEFF: VIDEO ART AND EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL Boundaries and borders are held in low regard at this annual three-day festival, which saves its respect for “conceptually and aesthetically arresting” cinema that innovates, provokes, and entertains — often within a single frame. That mission is accomplished in Marie Schuller’s 2012 short “Oyster,” which finds riders on London’s Central Line subway confronted by fetish model Anita de Bauch’s steely exhibitionism. It’s one of Schuller’s five surreal and exquisitely shot “fashion films” that are part of the “Beauty, Sex, and Shame” program. Work from David LaChapelle, Nick Knight, David Bertram, Eva Michon, Wong Ping and Carla Gannis will also be screened. The festival wraps up with a panel discussion featuring artists and curators, followed by a gala reception at the Downtown Community Television Center — where a photo shoot project puts a digital age spin on work from the early era of photography. Thurs., Nov. 12, 7–9 p.m. Fri., Nov. 13, 7–11 p.m. Sat., Nov. 14, 7 p.m.–1 a.m. All screenings at the Tribeca Film Center (375 Greenwich St. btw. N. Moore & Franklin Sts.). Ticket prices vary ($15-35, with all-access passes & student tickets available). To purchase, and for full schedule, visit videoart.net. November 05 - 11, 2015

Sober Reflection in an Age of Uncertainty Grey Art Gallery, Japan Society examine an overlooked decade

Tokyo: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., courtesy Yokota Shigeru Gallery

Kanji Wakae: “Seeing and Looking: Nails” (1974 | Gelatin silver prints on panel, printed 2014 | 72 x 80 in.). At Grey Art Gallery through Dec. 5.

Graphication no. 5, May 1970. Cover image by Michihiro Kimura (Magazine | 9 5/8 x 9 /58 x 1/8 in.). At Grey Art Gallery through Dec. 5.

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN Following World War II, Japan experienced rapid industrialization and an economic surge. However, by the mid1950s, the US–Japan Security Treaty (Anpo), which sustained American military presence within Japan’s borders, caused much anxiety. By the late 1960s, this tension escalated, when political radicalism and mass protests erupted across the nation. Yet in 1970, when the renewal of Anpo embroiled Japan in the Vietnam War, the post-war “economic miracle” gave way to a recession — and activism dissolved into apathy. This excellent group exhibition, “For a New World to Come: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 19681979,” examines the groundbreaking shift in the Japanese cultural landscape during this time. Comprised of approximately 250 objects by no less than 29 artists, it documents how the social discord in Japan coincided with the emergence of a new visual language. As

November 05 - 11, 2015

many Japanese artists and photographers began to embrace camera-based experiments, they developed a uniquely sober and sometimes introverted viewpoint reflective of an age of uncertainty. By including traditional photography, photographic installations, photography books and 16mm film projects, curators Yasufumi Nakamori and Yuri Mitsuda succeed in providing — for the first time — a good overview of an overlooked decade, when art and photography drew closer together than ever before. Through Dec. 5 at Grey Art Gallery (100 Washington Sq. East btw. Waverly Pl. & Washington Pl.). Hours: Tues., Thurs., Fri., 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (visit nyu.edu/greyart). Through Jan. 10, 2016 at Japan Society (333 E. 47th St. btw. First & Second Aves.). Hours: Tues.– Thurs., 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (visit japansociety.org).

Shigeo Gochō: Part of the “Familiar Street Scenes” series (1978-1980 | From an edition of 10, printed 2014 | Chromogenic print | 17 7/8 x 21 13/16 in.). At Japan Society through Jan. 10, 2016.

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November 05 - 11, 2015

‘Heights’ Has Nabe’s Sprawl and Appeal

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November 05 - 11, 2015

Courtesy Zipporah Films

A mariachi band serenades in Spanish — just one of 167 languages spoken in Jackson Heights.

Continued from page 16 to stress, however, that this was never the impetus for producing the feature. “I didn’t start with an abstract checklist of current issues. It’s just what emerged from the experience,” he asserts. “In a sense the final movie is always a report on what I’ve learned as a consequence of, in this case, living in Jackson Heights for nine or ten weeks, and being totally immersed in [editing] the material for eleven months,” he says, rejecting the notion that his movies are political. “From my point of view, I make films that are complex analyses of a subject,” he states. “I don’t make ideological or didactic films. Because if you do that you have blinders on, because you leave things out or emphasize certain things to match your ideological position, and that doesn’t interest me.” “I think, when a movie works, whether it’s mine or anyone else’s, it works because it moves on two tracks,” Wiseman posits. “It works on the literal track: who says what to whom, what’s going on. And the other is the abstract track, which is what is suggested by the literal events and their

At age 85, Frederick Wiseman remains a vital voice in cinema.

relationship to each other.” This interplay makes “In Jackson Heights” a probing, resonant examination of a community — and it’s Wiseman’s ability to orchestrate it all that makes him America’s premiere documentarian, and a vital voice in cinema. “In Jackson Heights” runs 190 min. Through Nov. 17 at Film Forum (209 W. Houston St. btw. Sixth Ave. & Varick St.). For tickets and info, visit filmforum.org or call 212-727-8110.

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