W. 13 St.

Gazette
th
Voice of the W. 13th St. 100 Block Association, 118 W. 13th St., New York, N.Y. 10011

Issue No. 2

Next meeting
Our next meeting will take place Mon., May 5, at 8 P.M., at Katherine House, 118 W. 13th St..

Block party
We will set up a table at the block party sponsored by the City & Country School on Saturday, May 10. We welcome your ideas and participation.

Meeting about 11th St. (again)

Community Board 2s Traffic Committee will reevaluate the re-reversal of 11th St. on Mon., April 28, 7 P.M. at Board Headquarters, 3 Washington Square Village This is the only item on the agenda. To protect our improved traffic situation since the rereversal, residents of 13th St. should plan to attend.

April 1997 lighting, getting rid of rats, and getting traffic rereversed on 11th St. We also got Kenny Rogers to turn off its red neon roof light. We are taking steps to maintain our block as a vital, beautiful, and safe environment; however, we need your help. In that vein, I urge you to join our Association and participate in the continued rejuvenation of our block and our wonderful Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Parking regs redux

Recently, the Department of Transportation has changed the parking regulations on our block. This change has impeded traffic flow and caused an increase in double-parking, horn-blowing, and noxious fumes. At our last meeting, the Block Association voted to request that DOT return to the original parking regulations. Borough Commissioner Leon Heyward is inclined to grant our request if the Community Board agrees to it. Note, however, that the rules will NOT be suspended on Wednesdays & Saturdays, as they were formerly. The following table illustrates the parking rules under consideration. (The alternate plan in column 3 below had been offered by DOT; it is plan is not favored by the Association.) Today (current pattern) An alternate DOT proposal
Parking on one side banned entirely on south side Mon.-Fri. 8-6; parking banned on north side 2 days per week from 8-11 for street sweeping (i.e., no parking at all for 6 hours each week) Good traffic flow; simple rules allow for ease of enforcement On-street parkers left with nowhere to park for six hours per

Presidents message
BY GARY TOMEI

We are fortunate to live on one of the best blocks in NYC where we have been able to preserve a charming neighborhood atmosphere. However, crime, neon lights, vermin, noise and traffic are urban problems that are always a threat to the quality of our lives. Our Block Association has successfully fought some of these problems by obtaining better street
Yesterday & tomorrow (what DOT eliminated; what the Association wants reinstated)

Restrictions:

Mon., Wed., Fri., no parking 8-6 one side; Tues., Thur., Sat., no parking 8-6 other side; parking both sides on Sun.

Mon., Thur., no parking 8-11 one side; Tues., Fri., no parking 8-11 other side; parking both sides all other times

Advantages: Disadvantages:

Allows good traffic flow during business hours; allows streetsweeping; always parking on block Difficult to enforce on Weds. and Sat. when parkers are accustomed to

Minimal inconvenience for carowners who park on street Cars line the street almost all the time; double-parking delivery

ticket moratorium

trucks block road, causing backup of traffic, honking, pollution

week

Does Kenny Rogers know when to fold 'em?

An ad hoc committee has been working to convince the owners of the Kenny Rogers Restaurant to tone down its bright lighting. Our Block Association, along with the Greenwich Village Alliance and the 12th St. Block Association believes that the lighting is not in keeping with the tone of this landmark area. Officials at Kenny Rogers headquarters were very cooperative in this regard, as were the local franchise owners. As a result of our discussions, on March 23, they extinguished the entire Ruby-redneon strip that outlined the roof on both 6th Ave. and 13th St. They have also agreed to extinguish the bright window signs that front Sixth Ave. each night upon closing. A tip of the hat to Kenny Rogers, and hoping for more.

have met with us upon request, and have provided additional patrol car coverage as well as a foot patrol on our block.

Arbor action
Immediate future: The Association has arranged to plant a new tree in front of 134 to replace a dead tree removed by the Parks Dept. The tree is being funded by the Association and the generous contributions of Joseph Romano and Vincent Borriello, both at 134. Near future: Bill Borenstein is pricing large planters for trees. In particular need of foliage: north side, from the parking garage to the corner of 6th Ave.; south side, full length of the John Adams.

Tidbits
Trucks: Although the block is posted with no trucking signs, trucks and buses still use the block as a through street. We must again, therefore, contact the special Midtown Enforcement Unit of the police, as well as the Precinct. Lights: The possibility of replacing the standard-issue silver-colored street lamps with the old-fashioned kind now present on 6th Ave. is being looked into. Gardening: Bill Borenstein has volunteered to head the beautification committee and is planning a spring flower planting.

Crime
Networking: We have sent reps to a seminar on crime presented by the Police Community Affairs / Crime Prevention Division. We were also represented at a recent 6th Pct. Community Council meeting. All of this was done so we could learn how we can best prevent crime in our area. Interwatch: We spoke with Captain Timothy Horner, Commanding Officer of the Community Affairs Crime Prevention unit, regarding the Interwatch program. We are discussing the possibility of using this walkie-talkie-based radio system as a crime deterrent. It has been used successfully in other parts of the city. If we adopt this program, we could post large signs announcing that we have a Neighborhood Watch program in effect, serving as a crime deterrent. Vagrancy & drug-dealing: The Association is seeking to work with supervisors at St. Vincents Hospital and the Methodist Church to curtail vagrancy and drug-dealing in our area. At our last meeting, the police informed us that one person has been arrested in that location -- for selling Valium. Police cooperation: We have received significant help and cooperation from our Precinct. They
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The Naked Block

We are chock-a-block with nice buildings, intriguing people, and untold history. There are some 1200 stories on The Naked Block. These are just two: Rum, Romanism & rebellion: Village Presbyterian Church The Village Presbyterian Church, built in 1846, was no ordinary little chapelthe American Institute of Architects guide calls the building with six huge white columns and a formal portico the best Greek revival church in the city. The imposing design, attributed to Samuel Thompson, was modeled after the Theseum in Athens. In addition, the church had a rather colorful, ecumenical pastcolorful enough, indeed, to be featured in Ripleys Believe It or Not. During the

1950s and early 1960s, the sanctuary was shared by a Presbyterian and Jewish congregation. The elegant building originally was called the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church, and in later

York that it is said to have cost the Republican candidate, James G. Blaine, the presidency that year. In 1983, the church was sold and developed into a residential co-op called Portico Place. Its official name now is Village Mews. It is a historic landmark containing 15 unique apartments, some of which display original threefoot wooden beams; many have working fireplaces and exceptionally high ceilings, and most are unusual duplexes. Katherine House: Home with a mission since 1910 The building used as our Associations mailing address and meeting place has long provided young women with secure, affordable housing. The organization that founded Katherine House was a daring experiment for its time. Now known as the Ladies Christian Union, it was started in 1858 by several society women; early supporters included Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Roosevelts, and Tiffanys. The LCUs purpose was to create a respectable home for young ladies who are supporting themselves by their own exertions. It was, in other words, a home for poor working girls. This concept was revolutionary; prior thereto, society womens aid to the poor had been restricted to such activities as distributing food baskets or prayer books.

Our elegant meeting room

years was also used as a theater. The facade, with its hexastyle temple front and colonnade of white Doric columns, stands out in this neighborhood of red brick townhouses. The columns and pediment resemble stone but are actually wood. The walls are of brick and stucco. The large front doors of the Church are merely a facade; they can no longer be opened. Also built in 1846, the townhouse at 139, adjacent to the Church, served as the rectors manse. Fires in 1855 and 1902 destroyed much of the original interior. The two wings of the church, extending east and west from the apse, were added after 1900. The Churchs first rector, Dr. Samuel D. Burchard, delivered the fiery speech in 1884 that characterized Grover Clevelands Democratic Party as one of rum, Romanism and rebellion. The speech so antagonized the (Roman) Catholic Irish in New
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In 1860, the LCU opened its first house in lower Greenwich Village. Rooms rented for about $3 a week, but were available based on an ability to pay. This was the first such home in the nation. The LCU opened several similar homes in Manhattan, including the Katherine House, a brownstone at 118, in 1910. The home was named after Katherine Milbank, one of LCUs founders. In

1931, the brownstone and two adjacent ones were razed and the current Georgian-style residence erected. Even though Katherine House has never advertised and has not sanctioned publicity, it is fully occupied with a long waiting list. The recent article in the New York Times (1/19/97) was the first that Katherine House allowed; the article you are now reading is the second. Residents must be between 18 and 25 years old, and may not make more than $25,000 per year. The minimum stay is 3 months; the maximum is 3 years. Rooms (all singles) rent for $135 per week, which includes breakfast and dinner. P.S.: In 1863, the LCU founded another revolutionary charity. Its purpose was to assist young women in securing employment and came to be known as the YWCA.

welcome to submit an article. How did our block develop as a restaurant row? Who had memorable experiences at Bells of Hell or Reno Sweeney? Why did you choose to live here? How about this for a topic: 14th Street Shoppers phantasmagoria or retail junkyard? Drop me a line or an article: Alan Jacobs at 105, Apt. 11E, 727-7462. You can leave articles with the doorman, or e-mail them to alanjj@msn.com. Electronic versions are most appreciated. This newsletter was produced by Alan Jacobs, with contributions from Gary Tomei, Nancy Deckinger, Bill Borenstein, Harriet Brand, and of course, Kenny Rogers and Margaret Mead.

Officers and committee heads

PRESIDENT: Gary Tomei 1ST VICE PRESIDENT: Nancy Deckinger 2ND VICE PRESIDENT: Alan Jacobs SECRETARY: Harriet Brand TREASURER: Bill Borenstein TRAFFIC COMMITTEE Carla Ashton, Chair CRIME PREVENTION COMMITTEE Sal Conti, Chair ARMORY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Nancy Deckinger, Chair BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE Bill Borenstein, Chair

Note from the Publisher

Wanted: Artists, writers, articles The Block Association can always use the skills of artists and writers. In the future, posters and tee-shirts will need to be designed, or we will suffer from the artistic attempts of amateurs. We would like to receive contributions for this newsletter, particularly stories about our architecture, our residents, and our history. We would especially like to know what was here before the large modern buildings were erected. We are interested in the lives of the kids on the blockany young person who would like to write about growing up on 13th St. (or any other topic) is

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, its the only thing that ever does. -- Margaret Mead

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