Turtle Bay News A Publication of the Turtle Bay Association Summer 2013 Vol. 56, No. 3 The Wall and The Covenant: A Community History BY BRUCE SILBERBLATT urtle Bay has a Wall, and it’s big! man Hill” would be kept 100 percent It separates Mitchell and Beekman residential. TPlaces from East 49th Street and • An unsold strip along the East River was Detmold Park, starting at First Avenue at not to have any “obnoxious, unhealthy” a modest height. Going in an easterly di- buildings nor should any building be rection, it is more than 35 feet high by the higher than Beekman Hill, at 35 feet. time it reaches Beekman Place. Resuming Even then, the parties understood the value beyond 1 Beekman Place, it follows a line of a river view. 100 feet east of, and parallel to, Beekman Place. It is 1,100 feet long where it ends at As Beekman and Mitchell Places were laid 51st Street. And it is old – more than 140 out, it became clear that the land bordering years old! Wall looking northwest, across 49th Street, near the east and south sides of the hill might First Avenue collapse without a retaining wall. The The original William Beekman emigrated and 51st Street on today’s map. In 1865, a Wall, as we see it today, was built of mas- from the Netherlands to the Dutch Colony Beekman descendant moved out of Mount sive granite blocks. of New Amsterdam, together with Gover- nor Peter Stuyvesant in 1647, and became Pleasant, the family’s aging farm mansion, In 1865, uniform four-story brownstones almost immediately active in real estate in later demolished, and sold the property began to appear on Beekman Hill – an Manhattan and Upstate. Among the Beek- to one Samuel Dunscombe for $127,500. island of middle class comfort in a sea of man family’s holdings was a farm extend- They drew up the Beekman Covenant, tenements, mills, docks and storehouses ing east from Second Avenue to a line 100 specifying that: that had moved northward along with the feet beyond Beekman Place, between 49th • What later became to be called “Beek- continued on page 6 TBA Takes a Seat on Community Advisory Board for Note The Event Men’s Shelter BY MARK MARKOWSKI National Night Out Against Crime On May 1, 2013, Mark Markowski, or receiving entitlements. This is a “gen- Tuesday, August 6, 5 pm - 9 pm chairman of the Turtle Bay Association’s eral population” facility whose residents Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (at East 47th Homeless Committee, represented the have been assessed as higher functioning. Street, between First and Second Aves.) TBA at the initial meeting of the Com- Typically, they return to independent liv- hg munity Advisory Board for the new men’s ing and become employed at a faster rate Dancing under the stars shelter, at 225 East 53rd Street. Advisory than others among the homeless popula- Free crime prevention information board members toured the facility and met tion. DHS and SVI have a comprehensive Free Magic Carpet Moonwalk & Slide with shelter clients and the management assessment and intake process to ensure Entertainment by The Meetles Classic company, Samaritan Village Inc. The im- appropriate placement for all those who Rock and ‘60s-’70s Tribute Band pression was of a well-run facility under enter the system. hg capable management. Each client follows an Individual Living Water provided by Whole Foods The shelter, part of the New York State Plan while residing at the shelter, and each Barbecue provided by Ali Baba Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is assigned a case manager who monitors Turkish Cuisine Temporary Shelter System, has a total ca- his plan. Clients are required to maintain Sponsored by pacity of 127 and was serving 89 clients as eligibility under public assistance regula- The 17th Precinct Community Council of May 1. Clients are men, ages 18 to 70, tions, and the DHS can apply sanctions Serving Beekman, Midtown East, Murray Hill, Sutton Place, Tudor City and Turtle Bay of whom 50 percent are already employed continued on page 4 Turtle Bay Association • 224 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 • (p) 212-751-5465 • (f) 212-751-4941 • [email protected] • turtlebay-nyc.org TBA Who’s Who Newsworthy Notes In Turtle Bay Association CB6 Board Meetings Are Now Live Transit 224 East 47th Street Online New York, NY 10017 Can’t make your community board meet- Phone: (212) 751-5465 M50 Bus Schedule Slightly Fax: (212) 751-4941 ing? You can watch CB6 meetings online Email: [email protected] Reduced for Summer at http://wp.cbsix.org/live/ to connect with Website: www.turtlebay-nyc.org your most local form of government, learn The M50 bus schedule has been reduced by about and have a say on issues affecting approximately 10 revenue trips, in the af- Check our Bulletin Board: your neighborhood. ternoon and evening hours for the summer, East side of Second Avenue based on ridership data. The M50 schedule between 48th and 49th Streets, Manhole Explosion Startles 50th Street outside wall of supermarket. is posted in PDF format at www.mta.info/ Residents schedules. When the PDF opens on your An underground primary electric cable screen, click on the + sign at the top of Board of Directors caught fire causing an explosion on East the screen to enlarge the view so schedule Officers 50th Street between First and Second Av- times are legible. Or hit Control/+ on your President: William E. Curtis enues, at around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, keyboard for the same result. Secretary: Pascale Longuet June 15. The explosion occurred beneath Treasurer: Dick Irwin a manhole in front of 319 East 50th, de- Check Transit Schedules Before Vice Presidents: Millie Margiotta stroyed an empty car parked there and Leaving Home Dolores Marsh, Bruce Silberblatt broke some windows at number 324. No Subway, bus and rail schedules, and Directors injuries were reported. changes are posted at www.mta.info and Ethel Bendove, Jonathan Bing, Con Ed immediately began replacing ad- are also available seven days a week, from Bunny Blei, Meryl Brodsky, jacent underground cables vulnerable to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., from NYC Tran- Orin Buck, William E. Curtis, Denise Hamilton, sit Travel Information at 511 or 718-330- damage. Residents of Oxford East had Marie-Louise Handal, several temporary power outages before a 1234. Non-English-speaking riders and Dee Howard, Anita Harvey, generator was installed to provide continu- those with disabilities can call 511 or 718- Bill Huxley, Dick Irwin, ous electricity. There was a full return to 330-1234. Deaf or hard-of-hearing cus- Pascale Longuet, Millie Margiotta, power on the grid on June 26. tomers can call 711. All calls are toll-free. Mark P. Markowski, Dolores Marsh, Pat McDougald, Gini Otway, Act Against Robocalls Grace L. Perry, Michael Resnick, Prerecorded voice messages pitching prod- Spring Into Action: Join the 17th Precinct Community Council Carol Rinzler, Jeannie Sakol, ucts are illegal unless you’ve given written Bruce Silberblatt, Jo-Ann Winnik permission for the call. Get to know our police force and voice your Emeritus concerns about traffic, qual- • If you’ve answered, Barbara Connolly ity of life, crime, and other hang up. Don’t press 1 Helen Shapiro or any other number. issues directly to the officers who handle them every day. • Consider blocking the Community Calendar number. Meetings are scheduled for 6 pm on the last Tuesday of • Think about getting Caller ID, so you 17th Precinct Community Council the month at Sutton Place Synagogue, 225 Open Meeting know who’s calling before you answer. E. 51st Street. There are no meetings dur- Last Tuesday every month, 6 pm • List your number on the Do Not Call ing July, August, or December. Sutton Place Synagogue Registry, make a complaint to the FTC 225 East 51st Street at 1-888-382-1222, or go online to (212) 826-3228 donotcall.gov. Editorial Committee (No meetings July, August, December) Walking Club Helps Get You Moving Editor: Lee Frankel If you’d like to get more exercise and make Community Board 6 Layout: Hilary Black new friends at the same time, consider join- Full Board Meeting Photographs: Lois Gaeta, Vivian ing the Locomotion by Land Walking Club Second Wednesday every Gordon, Robert Schonfeld, Bruce month, 7 pm led by Jackie Reiss. “Outings” include one Silberblatt NYU Medical Center to two hours of walking, stretching and 550 First Avenue body toning. One group walks slowly to Contributors: Lois Gaeta, Dee (212) 319-3750 allow for walking aids (canes, etc.), and Howard, Bill Huxley, Millie Margiotta, Now live online at one accomodates brisk walkers. The cost Mark Markowski, Candi Obrentz, http://wp.cbsix.org/live/ is $15 per walk. To register, call Jackie at Karen Schlendorf, Bruce Silberblatt 212-308-9336. 2 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org Remembering Katharine Hepburn: Neighbor, and planting installations. The Greenacre Foundation Inc. has also been a major Gardener, Star source of support since the garden’s incep- BY LOIS GAETA tion. When the great Katharine Hepburn (May The new condominium building, 50 UN 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) chose Turtle Bay Plaza, scheduled for completion in 2014, as her home, will add a green landscape to the park’s in 1932, she northern boundary line and a prominent en- brought along trance to The Katharine Hepburn Garden. her love of gar- dens and gar- dening. In turn, 17th Precinct Telephone Numbers the community has honored her Joseff Goodwin performs 212-826- Extensions memory with Development for DHP, and an avid garden- Main Number ......................................