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  #101  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2014, 9:07 PM
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"Bye Bye Books?" "Who Owns Our Books?"

They do realize that all the books will be relocated to another location right. It's as if the books are going to be destroyed in the process of the demolition. Ridiculous.
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  #102  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2014, 9:09 PM
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In a situation like this, where there are 3 very nice 100-year old non-landmarked buildings at risk (especially since they are only a few stories high, and help to keep the human scale of the street) I'd like to see a system in which the developer could apply for additional FAR if they agreed to retain the front portion of the original structures, or at least the facade. Of course, this would be complicated by the particular nature of each project, such as how many lots the developer owned, if they were contiguous, if they were along the same street, etc. After all, the new construction would require a street entrance and a fair portion of the street as well.

Sad to see these 3 buildings go. I think they deserved better.
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  #103  
Old Posted Apr 7, 2014, 9:36 AM
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"Bye Bye Books?" "Who Owns Our Books?"

They do realize that all the books will be relocated to another location right. It's as if the books are going to be destroyed in the process of the demolition. Ridiculous.

They don't understand that. Nor do they understand the fact that even if the building was landmarked, even if just the interior, the bookstore would still be moving. In an age when
a lot of bookstores have closed, you would think they would rejoice in the new location, but no. This is why oftentimes, some developers don't really like to work with the public.
It's the same thing with the 5Pointz development in Long Island City. Rizzolli doesn't own that building, but apparently these people believe there should be some sort of squatter's
rights given. Meanwhile, nobody complained when Guliani started closing all of the porn shops. Wasn't that a fabric of the City as well? Where were these protesters then?

Further, what these people also don't mention, is that because all of the available air rights are being bought up from the older, lower buildings along 57th Street,
there will be no new developments on those properties. In effect, they will be with us forever.







Now, about this new tower, I wonder exactly how much available air rights we are dealing with.


Older photo...





April 6, 2014



























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  #104  
Old Posted Apr 7, 2014, 10:12 PM
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Yeah? NYGuy? Yeah? Well, uh...well....WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN? WHAT ABOUT THE DEAD TREES IN CENTRAL PARK????
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  #105  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2014, 6:06 AM
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Yeah? NYGuy? Yeah? Well, uh...well....WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN? WHAT ABOUT THE DEAD TREES IN CENTRAL PARK????
Oh, just you wait, lol. We don't even know what this tower will look like yet, or how tall it will be, and I think they're smart not to be getting into that now.
Because even if the tower is as-of-right, it will just be throwing raw meat to that crowd.

A view of the skyline (and the park) from above. This tower will rise just to the left of the Solow (black) building.






Will it join the ranks of supertall buildings along 57th? Not clear at this point, but they need to go higher than the Solow.






They also need to get this building going before anything happens with the Park Lare, or Vornado will be involved in another 220 CPS/Nordstrom tower view game...


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  #106  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2014, 4:37 PM
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What I said about the bookstore earlier...


http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2014...arking-request

Last-Minute Landmarking Bid Could Save Rizzoli Bookstore Building





By Mathew Katz
April 7, 2014


Quote:
The historic Rizzoli Bookstore is closing its doors Friday after nearly 30 years on West 57th Street — but its longtime home has one last chance to be saved.

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is considering protecting the interior of the bookstore, which has been at 31 W. 57th St. since 1985. The building's owners, the Vornado Realty Trust and the Lefrak family, have announced plan to demolish the six-story structure, prompting an outcry from residents, preservationists and politicians.

The LPC previously declined to protect the building's exterior, but is now considering an application to save the historic interior, officials said.

“After a careful review of 31 West 57th Street, the Commission determined that the building does not meet the criteria for individual landmark designation," said a spokeswoman for the commission in a statement.

"However, a request for evaluation has been submitted for the property as an interior landmark, and it is currently under review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Research Department. It is important to note that if a building or interior is landmarked, the Commission does not regulate use. Therefore, a business — like a bookstore — can relocate at any time based on their specific lease agreements."

Rizzoli Bookstore is already planning to move to a yet-to-be-announced location, staff said.

As the fight over the bookstore's future continues, a petition urging the LPC to protect 109-year-old building, designed in the French Classical style by architect Randolph Amiroty, has gathered more 16,000 signatures.

Advocates fear that the bookseller's displacement would not only rid the city of a beloved building, but could also lead to the demolition of more historic structures, especially as developers eye the prospect of more skyscrapers along 57th Street.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer held a press conference outside the bookstore on Friday afternoon to demand changes to the way the city considers new landmarks.

“The landmarks process requires reform — we must avoid more Rizzoli-like ambushes on our history," Brewer said.

"We are here today to ask that the LPC immediately study those remaining buildings on West 57th Street to identify and landmark those that represent the best of their eras, and I will introduce legislation which will require the LPC to follow transparent and consistent time frames in responding to future designation requests."

The agency has yet to hold a public hearing on requests to landmark the bookstore, even though Community Board 5 urged it to hold one back in 2007.

Vornado declined to comment and LeFrak did not respond to requests for comment. The owners have yet to file for permits allowing them to demolish the building, though advocates fear that with the bookstore moving out, that could come any day.

In the meantime, the Rizzoli bookstore is holding a moving sale, offering 40 percent off all books until it shuts down on April 11.
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  #107  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2014, 6:23 PM
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What a loon.
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  #108  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2014, 6:27 PM
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What a loon.
Epic profile pic!
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  #109  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2014, 6:08 AM
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A Wikimedia photo of 29 W. 57th Street taken in 2011 (left) contrasts a photo of the same building taken on Tuesday (right).
Forgetting the bookstore debate, can't say I'm thrilled with them stripping a building like this, especially without knowing what the replacement will be.


Anomalous_A/ flickr

Hope these find a new home in public view.
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  #110  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2014, 7:25 AM
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It's size sealed its own fate. If it were a 50 story art-deco building then everyone would rush to save it.
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  #111  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2014, 1:37 PM
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What a loon.
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Originally Posted by tubeworm View Post
Epic profile pic!
That's not nice guys. Funny, but not nice. (But it is a great icon). It's everything the NIMBYs have to say about any project in one look.



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Forgetting the bookstore debate, can't say I'm thrilled with them stripping a building like this, especially without knowing what the replacement will be.

Hope these find a new home in public view.

Maybe they could or will incorporate them into the new tower. That would be something. Why let 111 get all the glory?
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  #112  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2014, 6:27 PM
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That's not nice guys. Funny, but not nice. (But it is a great icon). It's everything the NIMBYs have to say about any project in one look.






Maybe they could or will incorporate them into the new tower. That would be something. Why let 111 get all the glory?
It wasn't meant to make fun of her, per se. As you said, her dopy, clueless expression is a perfect symbol for NYMBYism...it was too good to pass up.
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  #113  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2014, 11:44 PM
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it kills me that that they're taking down that deco tower, like, such a classic midtown skyscraper. if i were archon of nyc, i'd have forced them at least to facadectomize it, love that thing so much. the bookstore, lol, like in comparison it's such an idiotic thing to get passionate about.
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  #114  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2014, 12:34 AM
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It wasn't meant to make fun of her, per se. As you said, her dopy, clueless expression is a perfect symbol for NYMBYism...it was too good to pass up.
We'll be dealing with her a lot, she's Manhattan borough president, and will have her say on every project in Manhattan that has to go through the approvals process. So get ready for a lot more wackiness coming our way. I think if she had her way, Manhattan would be frozen in place and every proposal would be studied for 20 years before anything was resolved, approved or not. Maybe she thinks if these things are stalled enough, they'll go away.
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  #115  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2014, 12:58 AM
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Man I wish they could save the façade on this one. If not it better be Damn good quality a la Steinway Tower.
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  #116  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2014, 8:58 PM
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And now, we move on to what will replace these buildings...


http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2014...-officials-say

Rizzoli Bookstore Interior Won't Be Landmarked, Officials Say


By Mathew Katz
April 10, 2014


Quote:
A day before the beloved Rizzoli Bookstore is set to close, the Landmarks Preservation Commission shot down a last-ditch effort to save the historic building from demolition.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer filed an application last month to give landmark status to the 109-year-old building's interior after the commission declined to protect the building as a whole. The building's owners, the Lefrak family and the Vornado Realty Trust, have said they will tear down the building after Rizzoli moves out of it on Friday.

In a statement issued Thursday, the LPC said that the interior of the building at 31 W. 57th St. did not qualify for protection because its design dates back only to 1985, when chandeliers, bookshelves, cabinetry and flooring were installed as part of an overhaul to turn the former Sohmer Piano showroom into a bookstore.

"Some original interior fabric remaining from the Sohmer Piano showroom, such as the decorative ceiling and iron railings, was incorporated into the new design," LPC spokeswoman Damaris Olivo said in a statement.

"Our review concluded that because there are few remaining elements from the piano showroom era, particularly in comparison with other intact interior landmark spaces like the Steinway Piano showroom on West 57th Street, the site no longer retains the integrity of its original design, and the ca. 1985 redesign of the space does not rise to the level of an interior designation."

Locals, politicians and preservationists heavily lobbied the commission to protect the building, fearing that it could be replaced by a massive skyscraper. An online petition urging the LPC to landmark the bookstore has more than 16,500 signatures.

The bookstore, which plans to move to an unannounced location, is currently selling books at a 40 percent discount until it closes its longtime home for good on Friday evening.

Brewer, Vornado and the Lefrak family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


http://www.vogue.com/culture/article...g-manhattan/#1

What Does It Mean to Say Goodbye to the Rizzoli Bookstore on 57th Street?


by Lesley M. M. Blume
April 10, 2014


Quote:
Over the years, when I have felt like immersing myself in Capote-era New York City, I’d jaunt through Bergdorf Goodman, trot up the street for lunch at the Russian Tea Room, and then head to Rizzoli for dessert. The delectables on offer there are always sublime: glossy, sleek books about fashion, photography, and design; I met more interesting people through these books than I ever did at a cocktail party. And when I grew up and started writing books of my own, I held book launch parties there under that witty countess’s chandelier—and considered myself officially admitted to heaven.

Now, here are some unfortunate updates about Rizzoli Bookstore. Unfortunate update #1: Rizzoli Bookstore will close its doors on April 11. Ghastly update #2: The townhouse is reportedly slated for demolition this summer. Terrible update #3: Plans for a “tower” of some variety are said to be in the works for the newly vacated lot.

Seems these people are more afraid of a tower rising on site than anything else.

Yet, there's still time for one more wasteful rally...


http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat...il-11th_b84592

Save Rizzoli to Host Rally on April 11th

By Maryann Yin
April 10, 2014


Quote:
The organizers behind the Save Rizzoli movement will host a rally on April 11th.

It will take place at 10 a.m. in front of the Rizzoli Bookstore. With this act, the group hopes to persuade the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the interior of the store.

According to the Save Rizzoli website, “over 31,000 buildings have been landmarked in New York City. However, landmark designation for interiors is rare. Since the Landmarks Law was signed in 1965, there have only been 115 interior landmark designations.” Thus far, more than 16,000 people have signed the Change.org petition to esignate 31 West 57th Street as an individual and interior landmark.

This one obviously didn't make the cut.
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Last edited by NYguy; Apr 10, 2014 at 9:12 PM.
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  #117  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2014, 11:30 PM
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Goodbye.

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  #118  
Old Posted Apr 11, 2014, 2:15 AM
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It wasn't meant to make fun of her, per se. As you said, her dopy, clueless expression is a perfect symbol for NYMBYism...it was too good to pass up.
I have a love-hate relationship with NIMBYs, and everyone should too.

If there were no NIMBYs, the beautiful lowrise neighborhoods that a one cares about (West Village, TriBeCa, SoHo, etc.) would be demolished and re-paved with hideous, oppressive money-making high rises. This isn't 1902 when developers were churning out stunning building after another. Most developers in this age don't care about design or quality, they care about money only. New York City would be an ugly city without NIMBYs.

Thank God for them.

Last edited by 599GTO; Apr 11, 2014 at 2:36 AM.
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  #119  
Old Posted Apr 11, 2014, 6:56 AM
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I have a love-hate relationship with NIMBYs, and everyone should too.

If there were no NIMBYs, the beautiful lowrise neighborhoods that a one cares about (West Village, TriBeCa, SoHo, etc.) would be demolished and re-paved with hideous, oppressive money-making high rises. This isn't 1902 when developers were churning out stunning building after another. Most developers in this age don't care about design or quality, they care about money only. New York City would be an ugly city without NIMBYs.

Thank God for them.
The idea that developers ever churned out one stunning building after another is simply ridiculous -- but I understand the sentiment. People tend to over-value things that are old.

In 1902, New York City was a developing city; the urban fabric was rapidly expanding to encompass much of Long Island and the Bronx, and the island of Manhattan was just beginning to go vertical.

We obviously have the legacy of that development boom today, but it is obvious that not everything -- and really, not that much -- was intended to be 'beautiful'. Everything was built out of the need to house a rapidly expanding population.

On that note, barely anything was built with the idea of permanence; things went up as-needed, as they typically have. Which is the mentality we now need to adjust.

New York City is no longer a place where things should be built willy-nilly or 'as needed' -- we need to create a coherent, comprehensive, and complete vision for the city's future, and account for a population that should be quite a bit larger than today's. But more importantly, we need to re-build this city for permanence, in the fashion of Haussman's Paris (but obviously far larger).

The tenements of the early 1900s are exactly that; decrepit old structures with awful interiors that are often falling apart on the insides. Are their facades kind of nice? Sure. Do neighborhoods full of them have character and merit preservation? Perhaps -- certainly in isolated splotches. But should a first-world city -- really, the capital of the entire world -- be defined by buildings that were literally thrown up with no regard for permanence? These buildings (obviously not Rizzoli, but most 'tenements') were intended to house masses of immigrants -- not to be used for centuries upon centuries by people in need of humane living conditions.

We need to completely re-think how we conduct development in this city, and it must be with an eye towards permanence. Structures should not be conceived to be disposable; everything we build should be intended to be kept for time eternal. And demolishing these old buildings is generally fine because they were not designed or expected to last for time eternal; owners generally conceived them to make a simple profit, and that is all.
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  #120  
Old Posted Apr 11, 2014, 12:53 PM
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We need to completely re-think how we conduct development in this city, and it must be with an eye towards permanence. Structures should not be conceived to be disposable; everything we build should be intended to be kept for time eternal. And demolishing these old buildings is generally fine because they were not designed or expected to last for time eternal; owners generally conceived them to make a simple profit, and that is all.
Well, if anything is being designed towards permanence, I would say it's the skyscrapers of 57th Street. But as I mentioned earlier (or in another post), New York isn't on some grand urban renewal wave. When you walk under the scaffolding of an older building where work is being done, 9 time out of 10 (probably higher even) it is some form of restoration - not demolition. I often wonder what absurd reality some of these people who scream about the danger of New York losing itself when a building is demolished are living in. That's jus not gonna happen.. For one thing, there can be more money involved in repositioning older buildings for new and different purposes (see the Walker Tower). And the vast majority of these older buildings can't simply be replaced by new, soaring skyscrapers that can offer apartments for $50 million and above. Part of that has to do with zoning, partly with location.

But does the city need more regulation over what type of development can take place? Only if you want to see development in the city slowly shut down. It's a city where the skyline will "never stop growing", as the city council put it a couple of years ago. It should forever remain a city where you can be inspired by new things, not only relish the city of the past. That's what keeps New York fresh, that's what keeps it growing, and that's why people from around the world want to be in the Big Apple. It's why you have this wave of development along 57th Street. Do these people have to spend their money in New York? Of course not. The day when the city can't attract these types of developments won't be a good one.

For people who are afraid of growth, and change, and something new suddenly appearing where something old was, this country is full of cities where that hardly happens. The Empire State and Chrysler Buildings were at one point in time brand new. Something older had to be taken down first though. Maybe if they had a process back then to stop demolition, or at least slow the process down, we wouldn't have an Empire State Building today. Maybe if they had some type of design regulation regarding what someone thought was appropriate, we would have gotten a tower of less ambition. The ESB was certainly well out of scale with anything in the area, or anything anywhere for that matter.

But make no mistake, regardless of whether there is some type of uniform regulation over design, development, or whatever, you are not going to please everyone. Because not everyone agrees on what is appropriate. Not everyone can agree on design. New York is much more than 57th Street, which not that long ago in my mind was another cheesey tourists' stretch. It's not that anymore, and the city should continue to evolve naturally.
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