By Dana Schulz, Thu, September 19, 2019 Rendering of the larger, 30-story tower by Dattner Architects
In 2017, the Lower East Side’s abandoned 1850 Beth Hamedrash Hagadol synagogue, which once housed the city’s oldest Jewish Orthodox congregation, was severely damaged in a fire. The following year, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and developer Gotham Organization began floating plans for a two-towered, mixed-use development on the site, and they’ve now announced that the project is entering the city’s uniform land use review procedure (ULURP). The plan includes a new headquarters for the CPC, retail space, and 488 new rental units, 208 of which will be permanently affordable with 115 set aside for affordable senior housing. Dattner Architects will also incorporate the remains of the former synagogue into a new meeting space and cultural heritage center for the congregation.
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By Devin Gannon, Thu, September 19, 2019 Rendering by Family New York, Courtesy of Friends of +POOL
Swimming in the East River may once again become a reality. The city’s Economic Development Corporation is seeking ideas for a floating pool that would filter the water of the East River to allow for safe swimming, according to a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) released Wednesday. A similar idea was first announced in 2010 by the nonprofit +POOL, which has been working with the city for years, as THE CITY first reported. The pool would likely be built between the north side of Brooklyn Bridge and the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side, according to the request.
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By Michelle Cohen, Wed, September 11, 2019 View of Colors in 2013. Map data ©2013 Google.
COLORS restaurant in downtown Manhattan was originally founded by employees of the Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, and employed many restaurant workers who lost their jobs on the day of the terrorist attacks. COLORS closed in 2017, closing the door on an establishment that had helped survivors to thrive. Now, am New York reports, on the 18th anniversary of the attacks, that the restaurant is re-opening in October.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, August 26, 2019 Rendering of 118 Orchard Street by Gorlin Architects; View of former Moscot HQ via Google Street View
A lottery has opened for nine mixed-income units at the new residential building rising in the Lower East Side at the corner of Orchard and Delancey. The new construction at 118 Orchard Street replaced the iconic Moscot eyeglasses store that had been there for 77 years until it moved across the street. The 12-story building topped out earlier this summer and will comprise 24 apartments in total. Individuals and households earning 70 to 130 percent of the area median income are eligible to apply for the handful of one- and three-bedroom apartments, which range from $1,115 to $2,777/month.
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By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation, Thu, August 8, 2019 On August 8, 2008, Village Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) submitted a request to the LPC to landmark a little-known but remarkable survivor– Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 515 East 6th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. The building was the last operating “tenement synagogue” in the East Village. A young, little-known developer named Jared Kushner was planning to tear it down and replace it with condos and a new space for the tiny congregation, which had operated out of the building since 1910.
The story has a (relatively) happy ending – the synagogue and much of its surroundings were landmarked in 2012, and the demolition plan was dropped. But unlike the deservedly beloved and celebrated Eldridge Street Synagogue, now a National Historic Landmark, Mezritch is one of several unique but in many cases overlooked historic synagogues still standing in and around Greenwich Village, the East Village, and the Lower East Side, which in the early 20th century contained what was by many accounts the largest Jewish community in the world. Ahead, we take a look at the history of seven of them and what makes them so unique.
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By Michelle Cohen, Fri, August 2, 2019 Rendering: Handel Architects.
State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled on Wednesday that four towers planned for the Lower East Side Two Bridges development cannot move forward. The judge’s decision invalidates the City Planning Commission’s 2018 approval of the towers on the grounds that City Council authority regarding the land-use review process was illegally bypassed, amNY reported, and that the controversial skyscrapers must go through the city’s full application process. The ruling prevents the Department of Buildings from issuing permits until the multi-billion dollar project has the proper approvals. The decision represents a rare victory for those opposed to the skyscrapers, including the City Council and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and several Lower East Side and Chinatown community groups.
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By Michelle Cohen, Thu, July 18, 2019 A recent ruling by a panel of state appellate judges may add more delays–at the very least–to the rise of JDS Development Group’s proposed addition to the multi-tower Two Bridges development on the Lower East Side/Chinatown waterfront, The City reports. The ruling states that the property’s long-term leaseholder, Little Cherry LLC, which has 25 years left on their lease at the currently-vacant 235 Cherry Street, must have a say in how the property’s development rights are used. The developer plans to stack a 1,000-foot, 100-story waterfront apartment tower on top of and cantilevered over the Two Bridges Senior Apartments and one-story retail space–and they need the Cherry Street property’s development rights to move forward.
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By Devin Gannon, Mon, July 15, 2019 Preliminary design for Corlears Hook Bridge Landing
The city unveiled last week an updated design for its plan to protect an area stretching from the Lower East Side to East 25th Street from flooding. The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) presented on Thursday its preliminary design for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) to Community Board 3, as Curbed NY reported. In response to concerns from residents about the closure of East River Park during the construction period, the city’s updated design incorporates community suggestions, including a new amphitheater and an outdoor fitness area. See the plan
By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, July 8, 2019 Listing images courtesy of Citi Habitats
This 2,250-square-foot loft is located at 259 Bowery, between East Houston and Stanton Streets in a 1910 building that was converted to five full-floor apartments in 2000. The Lower East Side pad stands out with a unique, wooden ceiling in the living room that looks like an inverted boat hull, luxurious finishings, hardwood floors, and 11.5-foot ceilings throughout. Renting at $12,000 a month, the unit can come unfurnished or with “most furnishing included,” per the listing.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Thu, June 27, 2019 Renderings via OMA/Bloomimages.de
The New Museum has revealed the first look at plans for its second building, designed by OMA’s Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas in collaboration with Cooper Robertson. The design replaces an existing property at 231 Bowery that the museum acquired in 2008 with a seven-story, 60,000 square-foot building that will double the museum’s exhibition space, provide a permanent home for its cultural incubator NEW INC, as well as increased public amenities and improved circulation. As 6sqft reported when the project was first announced in 2017, this will be OMA’s first public building in New York City.
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