The Voice of the West Village WestView News VOLUME 14, NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 2018 $1.00 years ago, under LaGuardia and Roosevelt, ancient tenements came down through slum clearance, and the first, nice, clean, God at the Drafting Board airy public housing units were built. How- By George Capsis ever, the bureaucratic solution of one era becomes the bane of the next, so we now If God sat down at the drafting board to have one million residents and three gen- design a perfect solution for seniors now erations living in NYCHA Land, all with a living alone in a five-story walk-up, with an vested interest in maintaining poverty. ancient dog that has to go four times a day, So, right now if you offer a West Village what would He come up with? He would senior an apartment off in some foreign have a nice, fresh-faced youngster offer a neighborhood like Chelsea or SoHo, he strong arm to help our ancient walk to the will hesitate and demur, “Uh, it’s not the doctor and take Fido to happily meet his West Village. This is my home,” and fight target hydrant for even a fifth visit. to keep his mouse-central apartment. Unfortunately, God does not work in So, okay, God sits down at the drafting City Planning. So, we hear a moaning cho- board for the many seniors facing eviction rus of West Village seniors once happy for and/or a heart attack to design the ideal the fifth floor view and now working up apartment and the ideal companion. What the courage to make just one more climb. does He come up with? SENIOR SHARE APARTMENTS: For seniors trapped in walk-up, rent-stabilized apartments, It is only when a government utterly fails WestView proposes connecting apartments which offer affordable rents to the young oc- Well, He would start with restoring lost that we can get one that actually works. cupants in return for support services to the seniors. Shown above is a proposed building functions by giving our West Village an- Take the Great Depression. Eighty-five on Houston Street and 6th Avenue. Rendering by Marcus Wilford. continued on page 28 Music I Grew Up With… Preparing for Parish Closures and Mergers in New York City and Starting A-Fresh: A Primer for the February Concert at St. Veronica What is remarkable about the following By Jamie L. Manson article, written by Jamie L. Manson in Edited by WestView News By Michael Feldman most admired—Bruno Walter. He was a the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), regular at the New York Philharmonic and “Preparing for Parish Closures and Mergers When I was a young lad, just getting my Metropolitan Opera and the epitome of in New York City,” is the publication date— feet wet in the enormous repertoire of Viennese grace and sensibility (quite the January 29, 2014—because the article could classical music, I recall my first expedition opposite of Toscanini). have been written this morning. to the Sam Goody record shop. (Was it What was so special about that record- Manson’s article is about the closing of on 49th Street?) To this day, I remember ing was the inclusion of an additional Catholic churches in New York and the the recordings I picked out. There was 10-inch disc of Walter rehearsing the efforts by parishioners to stop them. A wow no possibility of an informed choice. All (so-called) Columbia Symphony for that moment in the article is a quote by Sister was equally unfamiliar, like going into a recorded performance. And with a bud- Christine Schenk, when discussing the FROM CHURCH TO RESIDENCE: The former elegant, Federal style of the Village wine store with no knowledge of grapes, ding interest in conducting already bub- shortage of priests: “We don’t have a shortage Presbyterian Church at 143 West 13th vineyards, or vintages…just grab and go. I bling up, I listened to that rehearsal dozens of vocations but a shortage of vision.” She Street was sold and converted into condo- chose Mozart keyboard works, Beethoven (probably hundreds) of times to glean any also asserts that the church should be open to miniums in 1982. Photo by Darielle Smolian. quartets, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 7; it possible hints into the mystery of how a ordaining married men and women. must have been 1954. Not a bad choice, masterful performance is created. (You can I recently met with three very intense former Even though Cardinal Timothy Dolan n’est-ce pas? listen too, on YouTube: It’s Symphony No. parishioners who talked about canon lawyers does not plan to announce which parishes Later (a few months) and more sophis- 36 in C, the “Linz Symphony.”) and re-opening the Church of St. Veronica. I in the archdiocese of New York will be ticated, I purchased a Mozart symphony Fast forward to 2018 and performance feel that neither wish will be fulfilled. closed or merged until September, mem- recording as recorded by the conductor I continued on page 4 —George Capsis continued on page 20 Westminster Women’s March Retail Crisis Join your favorite breeds Thousands voiced anger This month, Andrew as they compete for and resolve at the Second Berman outlines strate- top honors at the West- Women’s March on gies to address dwindling minster Kennel Club. retail in the West Village. January 20th. SEE PAGE 17 SEE PAGE 29 SEE PAGE 6 2 WestView News February 2018 www.westviewnews.org WestView WestViews Published by WestView, Inc. by and for the residents of the West Village. Correspondence, Commentary, Corrections Publisher Supporting Music at I’ve Seen the Light and It It’s Easier to Make Ugly Executive Editor George Capsis St. Veronica Ain’t Pretty Response to Walter Boxer Managing Editor Dear Editors: Dear Editors: When they began to build the West Village Andreea Ioana Pantor The initiation of Music at St. Veronica My apartment faces the towering buildings in the early 1800s, the architectural style Associate Editor Andrew Buemi is a glorious idea, and a critically needed across the river in Jersey City. While I can was Federal. You can see an example of that series. There was a time when our musical mostly see only their higher floors and not style in the 1834 St. Joseph’s Church on 6th Design Manager Kim Plosia superstars included the likes of Horowitz, the river itself, the views of the open sky and Avenue, just opposite the now-defunct Sta- Toscanini, Heifetz, or Menuhin—names sunsets are important to us West Siders. ples. It offers a row of white, Doric columns Advertising Manager Stephanie Phelan that have long since faded. Some, such as I was shocked, stunned, and appalled a right from the Parthenon, but the Industrial Bernstein, still resonate with an ever-di- few months ago to look out my window Revolution made it easier for an architect Photo Editor Darielle Smolian minishing circle of admirers. or builder to easily indulge in architectural The great composers continue to capti- detailing. He could, if he wanted, flip open Traffic Manager vate, but again, their audiences are rapidly a catalog and pick a Medusa head for a tene- Liza Whiting dwindling. Either through parental indif- ment window cornice. Making things ugly Photographers ference or educational neglect, our chil- had gotten very easy indeed. Maggie Berkvist dren’s interests have generally gravitated So, now, all around the squat, land- © Joel Gordon toward current popular culture and sports. marked West Village are the sprouting Comptroller Although our great orchestras, chamber condo asparagus towers. Their architects Jolanta Meckauskaite groups, and soloists continue to perform, have their own tools for ugliness: Steel Architecture Editor almost all are under unremitting financial frames let them play with shapes, with al- Brian Pape stress. ternate floors headed off in different direc- When attending any recital, one sees tions like a gargantuan rasp. Film, Media and Music Editor Jim Fouratt immediately the huge elderly majority in —George Capsis attendance. And this is why supporting Food Editor Music at St. Veronica is so important. By David Porat Grateful to WestView affordably offering the classics not only to and Northwell Distribution Manager seniors, but to the younger set, it may serve Timothy Jambeck to rekindle that old flame. Thank you, Dear George Capsis, George Capsis. Warmest wishes to you for a bright and suc- Regular Contributors Barry Benepe, Caroline Benveniste, —Elliott Gilbert cessful 2018! With the New Year, the Vil- Charles Caruso, Jim Fouratt, lage will have a Caregiver Support Program John Gilman, Mark. M. Green, Robert “Bird of the Year” at Northwell Health. This is thanks to you! Heide, Thomas Lamia, Keith Michael, I wrote to you before the holidays about Michael D. Minichiello, Brian J. Pape, Brings Back Fond Joy Pape, Alec Pruchnicki, Christina needing a community meeting place for Raccuia, Catherine Revland, Joseph Salas, Memories, and More our Caregivers to the Elderly Support Martica Sawin, Donna Schaper, Arthur Z. Schwartz, Gary Tomei, Joseph Turco, Dear Mr. Capsis, Group. You told me that Northwell had Esq., Stanley Wlodyka While reading the January 2018 issue meeting rooms, and then referred me to of WestView, with smiles and frowns, I Alex Hellinger at Northwell. I spoke to We endeavor to publish all letters received, including those with which we disagree. committed to sending the edition to my Alex and then to Wayne Kawadler, North- The opinions put forth by contributors 92-year-old father in Florida, who was well’s Director of Community Relations. to WestView do not necessarily reflect the brought up on the Lower East Side and Now, Wayne has generously scheduled a views of the publisher or editor.