West 13th Street Gazette

V O I C E O F T H E W E S T 13 T H S T . 100 B L O C K A S S O C I A T I O N I N C ., 155 W. 13 T H S T ., NYC 10011

Issue No. 20

www.west13.org

Spring/Summer 2011

Presidents Message
By Gary Tomei Are Villagers Bigots?
A recent article in The Villager has left me perplexed and irritated. The article refers to a nuisance abatement brought by the City against Chi Chiz, a gay bar on Christopher Street., which was ulitmately shuddered by the City. For years, Christopher has been plagued by unruly, and even dangerous, teenagers, many of them black and Latino, described by the Villager as those "with enough attitude to tell you to fuck off when you ask them to pipe down at two in the morning, the ones with the nerve to piss on your garbage cans." If one were to complain about this situation, the retort is often the standard clich: you are a "racist." Not that you are just a decent hardworking neighborhood resident who respects any and every ethnic group or sexual orientation, but a "racist." Not that you hope to preserve the quality of life of all who live here or visit, but a "racist." This is a baseless and insulting accusation made against members of a community that is the most liberal and accepting in contemporary society. In fact, the accusations are simply a form of reverse stereotyping: if you are white and middle-class, you are racist and anti-gay. Sad to say, there are a number of people, some politicians among them, who are so afraid they will be considered politically incorrect that they refuse to deny or contest such absurd accusations. Which brings me back to issue of the Bar in question. Investigations conducted in response to numerous complaints found that on a number of
Cont. on p.2

Eyesore

The Shack at No. 151

For more than three years, the building on our block at No. 151 has been defaced by a shabby, unsightly gray wooden shack, which was constructed without the required permit, and, as seen in the picture above, is leaning in the front of the building. The shed was originally placed there as a temporary structure while the owner was excavating 2 stories under the building and all the way to the rear property line(Is this legal?). No work has been done in years now, and the shack has become a permanent eyesore. Our block is part of a landmarked district that requires properties to be well maintained and to comply with the NYC building code. Clearly, this is not the case at No. 151, yet the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Building Dept. and our local officials seem unable to force the the owner, Eugene Uditsky, to comply with the law by taking down the shed. Block Assn., President, Gary Tomei, recently attended an Environmental Control Board hearing concerning a building violation issued to the owner for the shed. I brought pictures of the shed with me as evidence, Gary reports, and this became helpful in the prosecution of this mat ter as it turned out that the attorney for the Buildings Department, though very able, did not have any in his file. The Hearing Officer reserved judgment on the matter, though the shed clearly violates the building code (it was constructed without a permit, required because of its size and because it is less than three feet from the lot line of the adjoining building at 153). We believe that the owner may have been fined $800, but we want the shack removed. Cont. on p.3 And there is more to the situation at 151 than just the

shed in front. occasions drug buys were allegedly

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Presidents message, cont.

occasions drug buys were allegedly conducted in the bar. In its defense, the bar and its supporters resorted to the same old tired refrain: the police and the people in our community are anti-gay "racists." Fortunately, those contentions were determined to be without merit and, as stated above, the Bar has been closed. In reporting on this situation I do not mean to provoke or anger, but merely to express my support for our Christopher Street neighbors black, Latino, white, Asian, gay or straight who feel under siege and who deserve peace, quiet and safety without being accused of bigotry or racism.
NYU Tower Plan Abandoned; Fight Not Over Faced with strong opposition from our community, as well as a protest from the famed architect I.M. Pei, NYU has abandoned plans to build the tallest tower in Greenwich Village. But the university now proposes to build a shorter, bulkier building not far away. NYU's latest attempt to subvert the Villages landmark status had involved a 400-foot tower, including a 240-room hotel, in the landmarked Silver Towers complex that Pei designed 46 years ago. Not only would this proposed out of proportion monstrosity have violated the landmarks law, but it would also violate the present zoning laws. But NYU is not giving up its outsized ambitions. The university now wants to put up a 17-story building on the site of the Morton Williams supermarket, property NYU already owns at LaGuardia and Bleecker, with as much interior space as the tower, and yes a hotel. It is increasingly clear that NYU is longer dedicated to being an academic institution but has embraced the real estate business, and really has evolved into what might well be called a form of real estate cancer eating away at the heart of the Village. The driving force behind this voracious beast seems to be the ego of its president and his administration that imagines itself in competition with other large academic institutions and will stop at nothing to triumph in this meaningless race, even at the cost of the destruction of the Village community which has made it such a favored destination for students from all parts of the country and the world.

The Real Estate Report

By Kitty Sorell Despite our troubled economy, recent apartment sales and rentals on our lovely block have been moving forward, albeit at somewhat reduced prices. Recent sales in doorman buildings included a two bedroom for $780,000 and another, with a private balcony and great views, for $991,000. A one bedroom duplex apartment in a townhouse sold for $1,250,000 and a one bedroom condo floor through with a private roof deck sold for $1,210,000. One bedroom apartments for sale in doorman buildings range in price from $700,000 to $795,000. Rentals on our block continue to be good values. Monthly rentals for studios range from $1,650 to $1,800. One bedroom rentals are available from $1,850 to $2,250. Recent townhouse sales on our block include a 4-story mixed use building for $4,000,000 and a single family townhouse for $5,700,000.
Kitty is a W13BA member and VP, Corcoran Real Estate. For additional information, call her at 212989-0101.

Speed bumps
Our block in recent years has become a speedway for cars, especially taxis, wishing to avoid 14th Street traffic, or seeking to get to the Meat Packing District in a hurry. This situation has been alarming because of the danger posed to the youngsters at the City and Country School, as well as any other pedestrians crossing our street. As a result of the efforts of your Block Assn. and the administration of the City and Country School we have finally gotten the City to install speed bumps on the block, which have clearly slowed down traffic are making things safer for everyone. Our efforts to get the speed bumps installed were supported and facilitated by Shirley Secunda of CB2, Speaker Christine Quinn and Boro Pres. Scott Stringer. The Block Assn. thanks them.

W. 13th St. Gazette Eyesore, cont. from p.1

And there is more to the situation than the shed in front. An email sent by a block resident to the Block Assn. points out that the back yard of this same address is also an ugly dangerous mess. The letter reads, I am concerned with the backyard in that it is an unsightly mess that we neighbors have been looking at for years and it seems like there are no plans on changing anything in the foreseeable future, the email reads. The whole yard / construction site is wide open and potentially dangerous should anyone ever walk there. Furthermore, we now have a rat problem at our building. Although we never had such a problem before, the exterminator says it is directly related to this house and that with an open excavation like this that there is no way to eradicate the rats in our yard as long as this exists. We urge all community residents to write to the Mayor's office, the NYC Buildings Dept. and the LPC, as well as to Christine Quinn's office and the borough president's office to complain about the disgusting condition of property at 151 W. 13th St. and its continued record of violations of the building code and the landmarks preservation law.

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Spring/Summer 2011
restaurant. The Gonzo space, we are informed, will be reopened as an artisanal pizzeria.

Update: St. Vincents Hospital

Recently the bankruptcy court overseeing the sale of the now defunct St Vincent's Hosp. approved the purchase of that property by the Rudin Corporation for the sum of $260 million of which, we understand $10 million is being used to finance Long Island Jewish Hospital's purchase of the porthole-windowed OToole building on the west side of 7th Avenue. the Rudin property will be developed as residential condominium buildings while the O'Toole bldg is to be operated as an emergency trauma center by the aforesaid L.I. Jewish Hospital. St Vincent's Hosp. administration was surely responsible for a good part of the institution's financial troubles, which led to its demise. The officers and staff higher ups were being paid exorbitant salaries and bonuses and money was squandered on payments to consultants and bookkeeping was shoddy.. This mismanagement seemed to have continued even during the bankruptcy proceedings. The hospital was also the victim of its own grandiose overly ambitious scheme to build a huge hospital tower when it could not even pay its debts. Its officers also lied and hid its desperate financial status when appearing before various city agencies in trying to get approval for its doomed scheme. One organization which opposed this scheme, Protect the Village Historic District, has recently written local elected officials, noting its opposition to the original Rudin/St. Vincents plan as inappropriate for the Greenwich Village Historic District. It's letter states,... Like you, we are surprised that St. Vincents has had to close its doors, , and goes on to promise that the group will be active participants in the process of planning any development of the St. Vincent's site and proactive in encouraging appropriate future development. Among other things, the letter urges preservation of the OToole building, while encouraging redevelopment to provide new and appropriate community healthcare facilities While our Blk Assn. did support the idea of a full service hospital on the St. Vincent site, as a practical matter that option is not a viable one as the property is now owned by Rudin.
Cont. on p.4

In other developments on our block, there is better news. The scaffolding at No. 153, which was up for a short time, has come down and work on the interior of the bldg. is expected to begin soon. We extend our thanks to the new owner of No.153, who has been extremely cooperative with the Block Assn. during the renovation process. Also, renovations on No. 149 (where Chin laundry was located) will begin shortly. The building will be a one-family home with the front fully restored, including a stoop characteristic of other brownstones on the block. Meanwhile, two restaurants on our block Sumile and Gonzo closed. The Gonzo space remains empty, but Sumile is now Flex Mussels, a seafood

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Spring/Summer 2011

Block Party!
This fall the West 13th St. Block Association will carry on whats become an annual tradition: a Block Party at Gradisca Restaurant. The party last October celebrated the spirit of friendship and cooperation that are hallmarks of our lovely block.

Our thanks to Gradisca owner Massimo Galeano, above with Addie Tomei.

Why you should support the Block Association The Association has been in existence since 1996 and has been instrumental in improving the beauty and quality of life on the block in many ways. These include: having speed bumps installed for the safety of schoolchildren, block residents and other pedestrians. Arranging with the aid of thenCity Councilman Tom Duane to replace ugly modern-style streetlamps with traditional Bishops Crook lamps; installing attractive new guard fences around our tree pits; arranging at various times for new trees and flowers to be planted; standing with GVHP against the expansion of NYU and over development in the Village. In addition, we publish this newspaper the West 13th Street Gazette for the block; and maintain a web site (www.west13.org) providing useful information for block residents. We cannot continue to work effectively for our block without your financial support so please fill out the form below, donate and do your part to keep our block beautiful and safe.

St. Vincents, cont.

Moreover, the reality was, and is, that no health care provider would take on the enormous financial burden required to purchase the property and maintain it as a full service hospital. Thus, an emergency trauma center on the O'Toole site, operated by a reputable health care provider, would appear to be the only viable alternative presently available to our community. As a caveat: Our Block Assn will continue to demand that the character of the new Rudin building conforms in bulk, size and design to that of the surrounding historic community. So long to Gazette Editor Bruce We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Bruce Meyer, who is moving back to his hometown of Albuquerque. For the last several years, Bruce has donated his talents and expertise to editing our Gazette. He will certainly be missed for his contributions and vibrant personality.

Above: Carty Chock & his sons at the block party

ITS YOUR BLOCK ASSOCIATION: JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW! West 13th St. Block Assn. dues for calendar year 2011 may be paid now. Make checks to W. 13 th St. 100 Block Assn, mail to W. 13th St. Block Assn., 155 W. 13th St. NY NY 10011 Resident ($15 per individual) Number____ Brownstone owner ($75) ____ Business ($125) ____ Cooperative board ($125) ____ Additional contribution (any amount) ____ TOTAL ENCLOSED $ __________ Address: _________________________________ Business name: ______________________ Home phone: ______________ Work phone: ________________ email: __________________ I am interested in these issues (circle one or more): Traffic Crime Prevention Beautification Community Affairs Other (specify) ________