The Municipal Art Society of New York

Each week, we highlight stories from around the web that focus on our 11 for 2011 Watch List.

The Bronx
This week the Times profiled Hutchinson Metro Center. The thriving corporate center in the Bronx recently completed a 9-story Class A office tower and will start construction on another tower in the fall. Metro Center’s  location near four major hospitals has contributed to the area’s growth as an important health and medical services center, sparking  office real-estate interest in the northern borough. Continue Reading>>

Lower Manhattan: A Farm Grows in Manhattan
Next Monday, students and community members will start planting in the city’s first urban farm in 386 years. Conceived by an environmental club at the Millennium High School, the one acre farm will be shaped like a turkey and feature a fence made from bamboo donated by the Starn Brothers. Continue Reading>>

Moynihan Station: Governor Seeks Federal Funds for High-Speed Rail Plans
Governor Andrew Cuomo is applying for federal funding for high-speed rail projects for the state, including phase 2 of the development of Moynihan Station. “New York is embracing high-speed rail as a faster way to move people and products and drive our economy in the 21st century,” he said. The funds were made available after Florida Governor Rick Scott returned the money. Continue Reading>>

Changing Streets: Dining in Times Square Plaza
Starting this summer, visitors taking advantage of Times Square’s pedestrian plaza will be able to order food and beverages from vendors and local restaurants. The city is currently accepting proposals for both vendors and ordering/delivery methods. “We’re constantly thinking about how to make these Broadway plazas a great urban space,” Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, said to the New York Post. Continue Reading>>

MAS testified before the City Council’s Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses Subcommittee on Tuesday, to urge the Council to uphold the Landmark Preservation Commission’s designation of Coney Island’s Shore Theater. Opened in 1925, this neo-Renaissance Revival theater and office building has been vacant for 30 years, but the building remains remarkably intact. Located across the street from the major subway station, this building has the potential to become a great performance space for theater and live shows Continue Reading>>

Changing Streets
Bike lanes have been a hot button issue in New York for some time now, and this week was no exception. The New York Times profiled City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, a key figure who has significantly changed the city’s streetscapes. Then, on Monday, a lawsuit against the city regarding the Prospect Park West bike lane was filed. Continue Reading>>

The Municipal Art Society released a list of 11 initiatives and places that will have the most significant effect on livability in New York City in 2011.

“Each item on our Livability Watch List has the potential to profoundly change the way New Yorkers experience their communities and their city,” said Vin Cipolla, MAS president. “How they progress in 2011 will affect livability in New York and cities everywhere.” Continue Reading>>

Garment District
In the midst of Fashion Week, the Garment District is in the spotlight. The New York Daily News talks to MAS Board Member Yeohlee Teng, who points out that budding designers rely on local artisans for production. “When you are in school, you can’t, from a collection of 10 pieces, leap into creating 1,000 pieces overseas.” Continue Reading>>

PlaNYC 2.0:
Streetsblog reported that David Bragdon, NYC Sustainability chief, talked about a possible new Hudson River crossing as part of PlaNYC 2.0.

Waterfront:
New York City is planning to start year-round ferry service in the East River beginning in June. The ferries would make stops in Midtown Manhattan, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Continue Reading>>

The Landmarks Preservation Commission plans to make the Shore Theater Coney Island’s newest landmark today.  Built in 1925, the 2,400-seat Shore Theater was both a vaudeville theater and a movie house during Coney Island’s heyday.  The building also contained several stories of office space above the theater.  Vacant for over 30 years, the Shore Theater is one of Coney Island’s unused assets.  Designation as a New York City landmark will ensure that this building remains part of a revitalized Coney Island. Continue Reading>>

Each week we will bring you news on issues related to New York City’s livability. Feel free to comment or post a link to other interesting articles about our city.

Amusing The Zillion reports that the Department of Buildings has issued a “Full Stop Work Order” at the Bank of Coney Island building, which was slated for demolition along with Henderson Music Hall earlier this year. Continue Reading>>

Each week we will bring you news on issues related to New York City’s livability. Feel free to comment or post a link to other interesting articles about our city.

After last week’s very successful Summit for New York City, we at MAS are glad to see the conversation about livability continuing throughout the media. In this article, Grist speaks with Secretary of the Department of Transportation Ray LaHood, Continue Reading>>

Each week we will bring you news on issues related to New York City’s livability. Feel free to comment or post a link to other interesting articles about our city.

Urban Omnibus reports on the planning and development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the first section of which opened on March 22, 2010. Continue Reading>>

While the City’s Economic Development Corporation is working to create a great summer season in Coney Island by opening a new amusement area and bringing in 23 new rides, one developer announced plans to demolish the oldest historic buildings in the heart of the amusement area this summer. The developer, Thor Equities, plans to replace these historic buildings with temporary shacks for fast food.

On the chopping block are the Grashorn building, built in the 1880s; Henderson’s Music Hall, built c. 1899, where Al Jolson and the Marx Brothers performed; the Shore Hotel, dating from 1903 and Coney Island’s only remaining small-scale hotel; and the Bank of Coney Island, constructed in 1923 in the Classical Revival style and intended to show the strength of the Coney Island business community. Continue Reading>>

Even though it’s not yet summer, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has Coney Island on its mind. On Tuesday, March 23, the LPC will hold a public hearing on two important historic buildings in Coney Island: the Shore Theater and the former Childs restaurant on Surf Avenue (now home to the arts organization, Coney Island USA).

In response to the hearing’s announcement, MAS President Vin Cipolla said: “These two buildings are incredibly intact remnants of early 20th-century Coney Island. The former Childs restaurant, now owned and invigorated by the arts organization, Coney Island USA, is a wonderful example of how Coney Island’s historic resources can be part of a revitalized Coney Island. The Shore Theater, although currently in disuse, has the potential to be a great performance space in Coney Island and to enhance the area’s revitalization. I commend the Landmarks Preservation Commission for taking steps to protect these two important Coney Island buildings.” Continue Reading>>