Brody Hale describes himself as “the poorest lawyer you’re ever going to meet,” but it’s his fierce intensity, sharp tongue and equally sharp intelligence that distinguish him. He is literally a man on a mission, a mission to keep Catholic churches from closing—and so far, his efforts have saved at least 20 churches across the […]
Battle to save East Village church goes to the Vatican Read More »
“Please allow me to demolish this building so I can build luxury condos.” That, in a nutshell, is a derelict landlord’s request to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), according to Lower Manhattan District 1 Council Member Chris Marte. Speaking at a rain-drenched Feb. 20 rally to save the landmarked and vacant 150-year-old
Landmarked Soho building at risk due to loophole Read More »
The pathways of Greenwich Village—full of lovely old human-scale buildings—can transport a dreamy pedestrian back in time. The Village is not your typical tower-filled Manhattan streetscape, and you can thank the landmarks law for that. The 1965 Landmarks Law allowed for the protection of individual buildings, plus swathes of neighborhoods—“historic districts”—deemed special because of their
Hoping to recover from ex-Mayor Adams’ historic disdain for landmark preservation Read More »
Ignoring community opposition, less than two weeks before ex-Mayor Adams’ term drew to a close, his administration gave the green light to the demolition of the landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center at Clarkson and Varick Streets, as it approved the development of “Hudson Mosaic,” an apparently 350+-foot-tall tower at 388 Hudson Street, on a city-owned
On a freezing December afternoon, tenants and their advocates rallied outside 331 East 14th St, decrying their landlords’ years of efforts to force them out—subjecting them to broken locks and squatters, collapsed ceilings, no heat, no elevator, and no gas. One four-year tenant, Elliot, described enduring two winters without heat and the collapse of his
“New York City housing stock is being gobbled up by multinational investment companies, investment funds, and people who have tons of cash,” Brooklyn City Council Member Sandy Nurse declared. “To buy a home, it’s impossible, unless you have a million dollars.” Speaking on the steps of City Hall on Nov. 12, Nurse rallied an eager
End-of-year deadline for City Council to enact COPA legislation, by Phyllis Eckhaus Read More »
Eating’s a basic biological act, but like sex, it’s so much more. What we eat and how we eat it are social signifiers—markers of our place in a stratified world, reflective of our status, our privilege or our oppression. I’m the child of Depression-era parents who ate canned vegetables and rewashed and reused plastic wrap.
Utopia on a plate: Community Kitchen’s exquisite experiment, by Phyllis Eckhaus Read More »
“The end of civilization!” That’s how Deborah Glick caustically characterized the Kraft company’s description of the packaging reduction bill she’s sought unsuccessfully to shepherd through the New York State Assembly for two years. The downtown Democrat, who chairs the assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, recounted how last year Kraft raised the alarm: Glick’s bill could
“106 Lobbyists”: Deborah Glick battles for environment and more, by Phyllis Eckhaus Read More »
The New York City landmarks law, enacted by the city in 1965, is increasingly controversial, misunderstood, and under attack. As one typical critic put it, landmarking is “a way for government-empowered preservationists to obstruct new development…[E]ntire neighborhoods of marginal historical value are frozen in time, hindering the ability of cities and their residents to adjust
“More affordable housing in New York City!” is a universal rallying cry and political platform. You could almost imagine there’s consensus behind the words, a shared vision of what constitutes “affordable housing” and how to bring more of it into existence. But you’d be wrong. Due to the Charter Revision Commission appointed by Mayor Adams
