Belmont
Landmark Decision Stabled
128 East 13th Street.
A developer's dream.
Built in 1904, the building served as an auction house for well-heeled New Yorkers including the Belmont and Vanderbilt families to buy horses in the early 20th century. After the 20's, when cars replaced animals as the city's preferred mode of transportation, the building was turned into a machinery shop, and during World War II trained women in the industrial arts while the men were off in Europe fighting. Then, in 1978, artist Frank Stella housed his studio there, until the building was sold in 2005.
Representatives from various elected officials' offices came to voice concern over losing the building, including State Senator Tom Duane, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Councilwoman Rosie Mendez pleaded for the building's landmarking in person. Other organizations with representatives that testified in favor of the landmarking included the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Municipal Arts Society, the Union Square Community Coalition, and the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America, along with several area residents.
The 11,777-square-foot building was sold in 2005 for $10 million, according to city records, with the owner listed as Isaac Mishan. At the L.P.C. hearing, when asked by The Real Estate, the alleged owner refused to identify himself, nor would he answer any questions. His attorney, in testimony to the L.P.C., said that the developer would prefer to work with the commission to find some sort of compromise, but if forced into a corner would consider seeking a hardship variance in order to demolish the extant building and build a seven-story condo building.
Johnathon Hayes, a 15-year area resident, told the L.P.C. at the meeting, "The space cries out for adaptive reuse .... We cannot live by luxury condominiums alone."
The L.P.C. tabled the matter as they have a 40-day stand-still agreement with the owner. It will be taken up again in the near future. read more »
$30 M. Race-Track Bail-Out
Sorry, this is a bit late, but we were busy gambling away our Christmas bonus on Friday afternoon.
Apparently Albany on Friday announced some $30 million in aid to the New York Racing Association, the private firm that runs the racetracks at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga on a state franchise,to keep it from filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. From the AP:
The deal provides an immediate $1 million advance from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as part of a $5 million agreement to buy NYRA-owned land near its Aqueduct track in NewYork City.The NYRA also will be given a $5 million loan through the Empire State Development Corp. and another $20 million from the Lottery Division that will be paid back after the operation of video slot machines starts at Aqueduct next fall.
See, the big plan to make New York's racetracks profitable was to institute video slot-machines at the tracks. Go to gamble on the horses, stay to press a button that's kind of like the arm of a one-armed Jack!
But that wasn't going to work if NYRA went under first.Video slot-machines are controversial in other states, like Connecticut and New Jersey, where economic development has already been tied to gambling operations. Donald Trump was no friend to the idea of video slot-machines at the Meadowlands, for instance. Not really a problem here, it seems. read more »
- Tom McGeveran
