The Voice of the West Village WestView News VOLUME 15, NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2019 $1.00 Chelsea’s Fulton Houses Get Gentrified By George Capsis But wait. Our Mayor de Blasio and our local city legislators like Corey Johnson Any historic review of public housing in (who will likely be our next mayor) have cities like Chicago or St. Louis offers im- more or less come to the conclusion that ages of massive controlled demolitions the money to avoid demolition cannot be when the sprawling public projects, which found by ringing those of us who pay real have run out of money to make even es- estate taxes any further (mine went from sential repairs, have turned into leaking, $11,000 a year to $82,000), and are now rodent-infested, crumbling prisons for the coyly suggesting turning to the free enter- poor. When it is clearly apparent that the prise system—by inviting real estate devel- money to fix them is not there and never opers to take an empty lot on the Fulton will be, they are blown apart in a spectacu- Housing campus and build several new lar admission of government myopia. buildings which will combine two-thirds New York is the last major city still market rate apartments with one third housing over 400,000 people in a wide government-subsidized rentals. The “sur- scattering of public housing enclaves. The plus” rent money will be used to fix up and Fulton Houses in Chelsea is unique in be- maintain the remaining aging enclave. ing the last to receive federal assistance. In A new group of young activists (some, but close proximity to the expensive historic not all, are Fulton House residents) who are townhouses of the West Village and the not in favor of private developer involvement exploding emerald city towers of Hudson have stated that it is not that the city doesn’t Yards, Fulton Houses is, by contrast, mil- have the money for repairs and maintenance, lions of dollars behind in making critical THE ROBERT FULTON HOUSES have been introduced to a new city plan to develop a new but that we simply have to “change our pri- repairs and is sliding with ever-greater ra- tower on the parking lot site, move current tenants into it, and demolish a few old buildings orities” and shift money from the rich (via pidity toward inevitable disaster. to make room for more towers. Photo credit: BJ Pape, AIA. continued on page 4 WestView Needs to Cry “Stop Thief ” This same landlord checked with the We need to go online! shops around her location and discovered By George Capsis that the Sandwich Shoppe on Greenwich Avenue had also been hit so we went over Dusty got a call from an anxious landlord and talked to the very nice owner Gretel that offered that a retail shop tenant of hers Rameriz and her brother Manuel who had had received a very legal looking “Sum- paid their lawyer $3000 to look at the doc- mons and Complaint” document that of- ument and he was asking for a further fee fered that because the shop did not have before taking action. a proper handicapped ramped entry they Dusty then made her way up from the were being sued by a disabled person, but Sandwich Shoppe to 7th Avenue and dis- DISABLED SCAM HITS VILLAGE: WestView received multiple telephone calls from retailers being allowed they could settle out of court by covered almost every shop had been served scammed with a demand to make their premises accessible to the disabled. Pictured above, paying damages and of course legal fees... continued on page 18 Sandwich Shoppe owners paid their attorney to discover the scheme. Photo by Dusty Berke. Finest Hour Father Graeme Halloween Concert The first of a four-part series, Rector of St. John’s Anglican Special WestView event at You Must Remember This, Church, Graeme Napier, has St. John’s in the Village about World War II and its brought a rull roster of cultural New York Theater organist relevance to our times. events to the church. Parker Ramsay SEE PAGE 18 SEE PAGE 27 Thursday, October 31 at 7 pm 2 WestView News October 2019 www.westviewnews.org WestView WestViews Published by WestView, Inc. by and for the residents of the West Village. Correspondence, Commentary, Corrections Publisher Executive Editor than the years we’ve been waiting for all George Capsis Transportation Alternative? Just Acsing! protected bike lanes or sidewalks. Dear Editor, Managing Editor The only common sense approach that I I am retired, and was sitting around today, Art Director Kim Plosia know of is to continue to license and regu- weary and spent like a used cartridge from late all motor-powered vehicles, no matter trying—and, as usual, failing—to save the Advertising Manager and Designer Stephanie Phelan how small. Vehicle owners must know what world, and now with evening and night fast is required for safe use of their motorized approaching. Traffic Manager Liza Whiting devices, “Micro” or not, or we will continue “Cursed again! mentally says I—like the to suffer from irresponsible behavior. now antiquated villains in—Wait! Were Photo Editor —Brian Pape they Bugs Bunny cartoons of the late1940s Darielle Smolian Dear Editor, until mid-1950s that featured comely Photographers There are no schedules posted for both the damsels in distress tied up by black-musta- Maggie Berkvist 14A or the #20 buses at Hudson & Bank chioed bad persons with large ropes to rail- Chris Manis A DOCK-LESS BIKE-SHARE parked on a sidewalk creates a hazard; can you imagine Sts. up to 14th St. (possibly beyond). We've road tracks? Train was always bearing right Associate Editors a bunch of scooters? Credit: Brian J. Pape, been asked to use the A lest it be cancelled. down. Comely woman was always rescued Gwen Hoffnagle, Justin Matthews, This certainly makes using either bus very at last minute by nice guy in white hat. Anne Olshansky AIA, LEED-AP difficult and inconvenient!! I would appre- So—trying desperately, knitting my Comptroller Dear editors: ciate your looking into this and getting the brow(s) and dropping a stitch here and Jolanta Meckauskaite 6,000 pedestrians are killed each year in schedules restored. there—to be hip (notice I started this sen- Architecture Editor America by motor vehicles, not including —Sr. Bank St. resident tence with “So” like the hipsters or whatever Brian Pape other vehicle deaths or injuries. Although the current phrase for them is), I am reading most of the deaths are on rural/suburban Noel Coward the Times “Letters to the Editor” from Sep- Fashion Editor Karen Rempel roads, when it happens in our city, we want Dear George, tember 17th, and, as night follows day, the to protect our pedestrians. We are dealing I have received Jean Claude van Itallie’s writers are excoriating Mr. President. Name Film, Media and Music Editor with issues over limited urban street and permission to reprint his letter about my starts with a “T,” if you didn’t know. Anyway, Jim Fouratt sidewalk space, and the safety of everyone article about Noel Coward. I hope you will top part of the “Letters” is about Iran. Saudi Food Editor in that environment. News of cities deal- print it in the letters section of the October Arabia. Persian Gulf places. David Porat ing with new transportation alternatives edition. Thank you, Robert Heide Now, like Lt. Columbo back in the day, Regular Contributors are rife with reports of injuries to many us- I, too, claim not to be the brightest bulb J. Taylor Basker, Barry Benepe, ers. My sympathies go out to those injured. Jean-Claude Van Itallie writes: in this episode, but I just ask—or acs, as Caroline Benveniste, Charles Caruso, “Micro-mobility” companies are dump- Dear Bob, we used to pronounce it back when I was Jim Fouratt, John Gilman, ing their scooters and e-bikes on city Enjoyed your Noel Coward revue. a blue-collar youth hoping no one would Mark. M. Green, Robert Heide, Thomas Lamia, Keith Michael, streets, and it seems the pain will only Coward was a hero of mine, a role model. ever notice my fairly poor origin, and that Michael D. Minichiello, Penny Mintz, get worse before it gets better. Carelessly I memorized many of his lyrics as I and my people never notice my real and alleged de- Brian J. Pape, Joy Pape, Alec Pruchnicki, discarded vehicles create serious problems roommate Roger Klein played them over fects. So I am acsing this: Christina Raccuia, Karen Rempel, Catherine Revland, Martica Sawin, especially for those with disabilities and and over again on the phonograph in our “Wait, one more question, madam or sir! Donna Schaper, Arthur Z. Schwartz, other mobility limitations, or even fully- Kirkland House living room at Harvard Just a minute more before your much-de- Stanley Wlodyka able walkers. Our sidewalks were not made 1955-58. Still remember quite a few lyrics. served leave taking. Which, incidentally, you We endeavor to publish all letters received, for scooter vehicles, any more than our bike Never met Sir Noel, alas. Wish I had so richly deserve. I mean, here I am a second including those with which we disagree. paths were made for motorbikes or other been, like you, at Edward’s party for him grade drop-out am taking up so much of your The opinions put forth by contributors fast scooters and boards. and Gielgud. valuable time. I bet you even went to a coupla to WestView do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or editor.