And up come 8 more stories of glass:
Kushner
It's going up next to the house where O. Henry lived and reportedly wrote "The Gift of the Magi," with a view down onto Pete's Tavern. A quick look (see Songlines) reveals that these short blocks of Irving Place are loaded with history and creativity: Oscar Wilde stayed here, as did Charles Dickens. The Nation and the Rosicrucians have their offices here. Screenwriter George Axelrod (The Manchurian Candidate) lived here. Contributors to The Dial gathered here--folks like e.e. cummings, Hart Crane, and Marianne Moore.
What will today's generation of Irving Placers leave to history? Well, in a restaurant on the corner of 17th Street, Sex & The City's Carrie and Charlotte used to sit and "trawl for men," writes ivillage, they would "play the one in a hundred game for urban singles. You watch the men coming your direction and see how many men in 100 you would sleep with."
you say "down comes the old 2 story building" but in fact, it was a crappy old 4 story parking garage....get your facts straight.
ReplyDelete"2-story building" comes from the architect's website. thanks so much for the helpful fact-checking.
ReplyDeleteThat guy Anonymous is quite the prolific troll.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes him a troll? He is just clarifying information.
ReplyDeletei always like the use of the word "conversion", as if they're re-using an existing structure, instead of razing it to the ground.
ReplyDeleteP.S. According to various Times articles, 57 & 59 Irving was once a livery stable, dating back at least to the 1890s.
ReplyDeleteThe point is the building was nothing and the new building will be better. Great example how some bleeding hearts think everything old is better.
ReplyDeletethank you for bringing this old SATC-related post back to our attention. and for providing a great example of how some think everything new is pure gold squeezed from the ass of Jesus H. Christ himself.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is that Manhattan has a great mass transit system and is designed to be a high density area.
ReplyDeleteOld garage buildings are not appropriate and a new high end building is consistent with the market place.
The environment is less impacted, you don't want those people buying one family homes in the burbs and adding to the suburban sprawl.
This is not to say we should tear down every low rise building but this building was nothing special and is no loss.
Also don't be an ass and keep Jesus H. Christ out of it!
ReplyDeleteOr in your case, Jeremiah, everything old is pure gold squeezed from the ass of Jesus H. Christ himself. And you rejoice that St. Brigid's church has been saved. You may claim that the yunnies and condo developers have no soul? Do you? If you do, who will save it?
ReplyDeletei don't understand how my rejoicing for the rescue of an old church is soulless--please explain.
ReplyDeleteit's not your rejoicing of the saving of the church -- it's you taking the name of Jesus Christ in vain. And that you only rejoice the saving of St. Brigid's because it happens to be in the EV, and a symbol -- a building (because it is the butter-yellow beauty), of your old NY, not because it's the spiritual body of Christ, a place of salvation, a household of God. So, you're as self-serving and soulless as the yunnies, yuppies, that you deride. In other words you're a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteor, alternatively, it's possible that i am not a christian.
ReplyDeletein which case, according to the evangelicals, i'm going to hell no matter what.
and what was it jesus said about rich men getting into heaven? oh yeah, they don't stand a chance. how any self-identified christian can celebrate wealth is probably the most hypocritical stance one can take.
Whoomp! There it is!
ReplyDeleteI just had to scroll through these posts on my old neighborhood, Union Square. What memories these bring back to the college days and working at "Pete's Tavern." I'll never forget how one of the cooks hated me, and I was once Paulina Poriscova's nervous and clumsy server. I also remember walking home at around 1 or 2 am after a night of work. (Dad never did find out that I did that. To this day, he still thinks I took a cab!)
ReplyDeleteI know this is an old news but i found interesting to read more abt irving place.I hope they dont tear it down since it has a special story in music back in the 18th an 19th century.Im talking about great musicians and composers who spent great times in there.Just me being melancholic for old classic music and newyorkers of those days enyoying it.
ReplyDelete