Turtle Bay News A Publication of the Turtle Bay Association August 2017 Vol. 60, No. 3 Turtle Bay Association, at 60 Years Old, Will Celebrate Its Achievements ome 60 years ago this fall, a small a city plan they deemed harmful to the ate, and group of East 49th Street residents neighborhood. They gave themselves a the group Sgot together at , locat- name – the East 49th Street Association changed ed between Second and Third avenues, – and after some long, thoughtful strat- its name to to strategize on how they could scuttle egy sessions, they went on to win their the Turtle battle: The city halted its plan to broaden Bay Asso- 49th Street to make way for more auto- ciation. mobile traffic, which would have meant This fall, narrowing the sidewalks and uprooting as the or- well-established shade trees in the pro- ganization cess. marks its Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 60th an- today, looking east. Their success encouraged the group to niversary, it can look back with pride at take on other fights to preserve the neigh- some hard-fought struggles to maintain borliness of the East Midtown area, and the area’s residential appeal, a major before long, residents from blocks north challenge for a neighborhood located and south of 49th Street had joined the Two clapboard houses at 312-314 East 53rd between the United Nations’ six-block Street, built in 1866. Both are designated cause. Soon, the designation of “49th complex on one side and the office tow- landmarks. Street” no longer seemed appropri- continued on page 5

Turtle Bay’s Supermarket Loss Reflects City-wide Event Calendar Trend National Night Out Against Crime In the fall of 2015, when the Food Empo- ing them are specialty fresh and prepared Tuesday, August 1, 5-8:30 pm rium in Turtle Bay closed, residents were food stores (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s) unhappy to hear that a CVS store would that carry few, if any, household items, Dag Hammarskjold Plaza replace it. Left with only two full-service and chain pharmacies (Walgreens-Duane Second Avenue at supermarkets located far afield within the Reade, CVS) that offer household and lim- Live music. Free food. Elected officials. area, the addition of another large-chain ited food goods, but no fresh foods: meat, City Department information displays. Sponsored by the 17th Precinct pharmacy to the several already nearby fish, produce, dairy and bread. Community Council was unwelcome news. The trend is widespread and unwelcome ______In the event, CVS has yet to arrive and the to many, especially senior citizens, people Save the Date space remains empty, its capacious win- with disabilities and those who live in TBA 60th Anniversary Celebration dows covered with brown paper. A source poorer neighborhoods. Bor- Thursday Sept 7, 6-9 pm at 251 East , the building which ough President Gale A. Brewer recently Join us for cocktails. leases the store, informed the TBA that published a report, “Manhattan Super- Japan Society markets: How to Keep Them Alive,” that CVS still intends to move in, but has been 333 East 47th Street hampered in its plans to reconfigure the reviews three cases in the city (including Invitation to come space by the contract inherited from the Turtle Bay’s Food Emporium), details previous tenant. the supermarket landscape in Manhattan, examines the impact of store closings on Traditional supermarkets are becom- ing scarcer in City. Replac- continued on page 6

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 New Book Tells of City-UN Partnership Turtle Bay Association A new book, scheduled to be in bookstores concern felt 224 East 47th Street later this summer, chronicles the often most deeply New York, NY 10017 rocky relationship between by residents in Phone: 212-751-5465 and the UN. “A Worldly Affair: New York, the Turtle Bay Fax: 212-751-4941 the United Nations, and the Story Behind community. Email: [email protected] Their Unlikely Bond,” written by Pamela Website: www.turtlebay-nyc.org Yet, as the city- Hanlon and published by Fordham Uni- UN bond now versity Press, is the history of the more Check our Bulletin Board: moves into its East side of Second Avenue than seventy-year partnership that some eighth decade between 48th and 49th Streets, have likened to a long marriage: There – with the UN outside wall of supermarket. have been quarrels at times, even threats headquarters to leave one another, but through all the complex hav- years, the two have stuck together. Board of Directors ing been fresh- The book opens in 1945, when Mayor ly renovated for the future and the city Officers Fiorello La Guardia was doggedly deter- President: William E. Curtis proudly proclaiming the organization adds Secretary: Mary Marangi mined to bring the new world body to New nearly $4 billion to the New York econo- Treasurer: Dick Irwin York, and it moves through the often tense, my each year – it is clear the decades-long Vice Presidents: Millie Margiotta troubling decades that follow. In the UN’s marriage will last. Dolores Marsh, Bruce Silberblatt early days in the city, the organization “A Worldly Affair” (Fordham University Directors faced racial prejudice and anti-communist Press/Empire State Editions; 224 pages Ethel Bendove, Bunny Blei, passions, and city residents grew impa- plus 35-photo insert; $29.95) is currently Meryl Brodsky, Orin Buck, tient with spies, scofflaw diplomats, pro- available on Amazon.com, and will be in Paul Crawford, William E. Curtis, vocative foreign visitors and controversial Lee Frankel, Phyllis Gitomer, bookstores as of September 5. UN-member policy positions. Later, as the Vivian Gordon, Denise Hamilton, UN grew from 51 member states to 193 Hanlon is also author of “Manhattan’s Marie-Louise Handal, Bill Huxley, today, New Yorkers often resented build- Turtle Bay: Story of a Midtown Neighbor- Dick Irwin, Florence Kelly, ing encroachment on their neighborhood, a hood” (Arcadia Publishing, 2008). Mary F. Marangi, Millie Margiotta, Mark P. Markowski, Dolores Marsh, Pat McDougald, Michael Resnick, Carol Rinzler, Bruce Silberblatt News from Community Board 6 partment of Health and Mental Hygiene or the NYS Department of Health. Honorary Emeriti CB6 Has a New Address Barbara Connolly The CB6 office is now located at 235 East New Pedestrian Safety Measures 20th Street. Mailing address is: Commu- Installed nity Board Six Manhattan, PO Box 1672, Following a fatal pedestrian accident at Community Calendar New York, NY 10159-1672. Telephone: 58th Street and Second Avenue in early 17th Precinct Community Council 212-319-3756. Fax: 212-319-3772. Email: July, CB6 called on the Department of Open Meeting [email protected]. Transportation, resulting in the installation Last Tuesday every month, 6 pm Resource Guide to Landmarks of a leading pedestrian interval signal at 225 East 51st Street Now Available the intersection. 212-826-3228 CB6 has released its first resource guide Community activism made this possible. (No meetings July, August, December) for designated landmarks within the dis- CB6 invites residents to report the most trict. The Guide was produced in the face dangerous intersections near their homes. of proliferating development that might If you know of a dangerous intersection, Community Board 6 threaten some of these sites and others not please fill out a survey at cbsix.org. Full Board Meeting yet formally designated as landmarks. The Second Wednesday every month, aim is to inform CB6 residents about these Editorial Committee 7 pm NYU Medical Center historic treasures, so they can learn about, Lee Frankel Editor: 550 enjoy and participate in protecting them. Layout: Hilary Black 212-319-3750 Contributors: Hanita Blumfield, Health Care: Free Home HIV Test Now live online at Bill Huxley Available http://wp.cbsix.org/live Eligible participants can receive a free Photographs: Lee Frankel, Vivian home HIV test from either the NYC De- Gordon, Bill Huxley

2 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org A Successful 2017 Katharine Hepburn Garden Party This year’s party, in Dag Hammarskjold Hannah Harding, plants to the existing resplendent green- Plaza, was the 20th one celebrating Katha- Party-goers had a tour of the Katharine ery. Hepburn lived in Turtle Bay for many rine Hepburn’s birthday. It was as enjoy- Hepburn Garden led by Anne Saxon- years. She was a devoted gardener, and the able as ever. Hersh, Director of Development for garden in DHP is named for her. The day began with a live performance of Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. The event was co-sponsored by Friends of favorites from The Great American Song- Anne recently oversaw the rejuvenation of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and the Turtle book by cabaret and Broadway singer the garden, which added hundreds of new Bay Association.

www.turtlebay-nyc.org Turtle Bay News 3 The Greenmarket: Country Comes to Midtown By Hanita Blumfield Visit Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on a DHP green- cheese and pasteurized eggs, go no farther Wednesday, and you’ll find it transformed market for 20 than Millport Dairy, located in Lancaster by the greenmarket and permeated with years. Their County, Pennsylvania. They also sell Choc- the sights and scents of the country: fresh Yukon gold olate Whoopee pie, Shoofly pie, and other vegetables, fruits and flowers, herbs, spic- potatoes, heir- goodies. The plaza merchants also bring es, and freshly baked breads, muffins and loom toma- a variety of fresh sea food, including tuna cakes. toes and let- steaks, with the major vendor being Pura Farmers of- tuces looked Vida Fisheries from Suffolk County. fer produce so fresh that fresh from I imagined GrowNYC the land and them jump- Recycling at Greenmarket greet city ing off the Accepted Fabric Items neighbors dinner plate. • Clean and dry clothing • Paired shoes who arrive Many cus- throughout • Linens tomers, such • Handbags the day to browse and buy fresh country as Will, an • Belts goods. A parade of people goes by: par- entrepreneur, • Other reusable textiles ents with children, workers on their lunch are regular breaks, seniors with caregivers, and dogs NO fabric rolls or scraps of any size, Wednesday rugs, carpeting, pillows, comforters hoping for tidbits. The greenmarket puts shoppers. They or luggage. people in a good mood. laud the qual- Contributions are tax deductible. I began my ity and vari- ______visit with ety of items Food Scraps Accepted Dolma, a on sale, and • Fruits and vegetables farmer with the friendly • Non-greasy scraps (rice, pasta, Samascott vendors reminiscent of simpler times bread, cereal) Orchards in when merchants and customers knew each • Coffee grounds & filters Kinderhook, other. One man, a passionate cook, said • Teabags New York, that when he was short of cash one day, • Egg and nut shells He’s been at the market for 15 years, and a vendor said, “That’s okay. Pay me next • Pits • Cut or dried flowers his enthusiasm has not waned. He spoke week.” The greenmarket turns a city neigh- • Houseplants and potting soil. avidly about the 70 varieties of apples he borhood into a community. grows and the farm’s baked goods, includ- NO meat, chicken, fish, greasy Lani’s Farm, from Bordentown, New Jer- ing beautiful carrot cakes, apple and other food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, animal sey, specializes in “mixed Asian produce.” fruit pies and, my favorite, pumpkin bread. waste, litter or bedding, coal or Stand-worker Nerman touted the virtues charcoal, coconuts, diseased & A frequent customer and young mother, of avocado squash, dragon tongue beans insect-infested houseplants or soil, Noelle, who stopped by with her two young and squash blossoms, among other un- or biodegradable or compostable children, noted that the prices are half that usual items. And I could not resist buying plastics. of store-bought products. Lisianthus flowers whose deep purple col- How to Store Food Scraps Continuing on, I visited with S & S.O. or was exquisite. The flowers were popular Collect in large yogurt or other Produce Farms, from Goshen, New York. with shoppers. covered containers, or paper bags, The original farm owner was a “found- plastic bags, milk cartons or in ing father” of the greenmarket movement Mauro and Richard, from Francesca’s commercial compost pails. 45 years ago, and S & S.O. has been at the Bakery in Pequannock, New Jersey, pre- To reduce odors, store in the freezer sided over a display or refrigerator. A layer of shredded of baked goods: newspaper at the bottom of the chocolate babka and storage container also helps. pumpernickel raisin ______bread (not for the Clothing & Food Scrap Collection Times calorie-conscious, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm but worth the in- Every Wednesday at dulgence). If you’re DHP Green Market looking for raw milk,

4 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org My rounds ended at Hot Bread Kitchen Children’s active voice in monitoring safety is- which bakes its breads right here in East sues surrounding high-rise construc- Reading and Activities Harlem. They specialize in multi-ethnic tion in the area, a particular concern in breads, such as honey and raisin challah, First Wednesday of the month light of a tragic crane collapse on East focaccia and M’smen, a Moroccan flat- 10 am – 1 or 2 pm 51st Street in 2008 that killed seven, bread. They also sponsor a community- including six construction workers, Greenmarket Dag based job training program for women, and injured many more. And the orga- Hammarskjold Plaza many of whom come from West Africa. nization has worked to assure adequate With the levels of bus service for the neighbor- Farm stands at the Greenmarket accept Grand Central Branch hood, improve the area’s parks and Cash, SNAP/EBT, Debit/Credit, WIC and New York Public Library playgrounds, and most recently, has Senior FMNP coupons. Health Bucks are spoken up with its concerns regard- available year-round. Electronic Benefit ing the city’s East Midtown rezoning Transfer users receive a $2 Health Buck plans. coupon to purchase additional fruits and vegetables, for every five dollars in EBT “As we enter our seventh decade, we dollars they spend. hope some of our past achievements will encourage newcomers in our neighbor- All left-over food is donated to City Har- hood to join our cause,” says Curtis. vest and other food pantries. “The more voices we have speaking up about our concerns, the more effective we can be in assuring that Turtle Bay re- 60 Years Old continued from page 1 parking garage on 48th Street and Sec- mains a quality place to live and work.” ers of on the other. Three ond Avenue, and successfully worked men have chaired the organization since to minimize a mammoth expansion of its founding: James Amster, an interior UN and affiliated offices that would decorator whose home at Amster Yard have taken over residential areas. became an anchor in the area; then Pe- • In the 1970s, in what many consider ter Detmold, whose real estate business one of the TBA’s greatest achieve- specialized in East Midtown brown- ments, neighbors stopped a huge Long stones; and Island Rail Road passenger terminal since 1972, planned for the northwest corner of Bill Curtis, a 48th Street and Third Avenue. And the graphic de- group fought to keep helicopter ser- signer who vice – noisy and potentially dangerous first moved – from continuing atop the nearby Pan to Turtle Am Building (now the MetLife Build- Bay in the ing). 1960s. “The James Amster, who founded the TBA in 1957, • In the 1980s, the organization was in- in the garden of his home at Amster Yard in strong lead- the 1970s. Today, Amster Yard is the New ership of strumental in the successful effort to York home of the Cervantes Institute, and the Amster and limit the building heights in the area garden is open to the public. Detmold by “downzoning” the The Efrem Zimbalist House district and Turtle Bay mid-blocks be- during our on East 49th Street today early years houses apartments. tween First and Third avenues. And it has helped also led the drive to redesign and re- Project CART us maintain the influence we still have furbish Peter Detmold Park. today,” says Curtis. “The issues may be • In the 1990s, the TBA fought for the Free Transportation different, but our goal is the same – to reopening of the 48th Street ramp to for Manhattan Seniors maintain the livability of our East Mid- the FDR Drive, easing traffic on First For more information town neighborhood for future genera- Avenue. And, in an important move to call 212-956-0855 tions to come.” enhance the neighborhood, it spear- from 9 am - 5 pm Here are some of the TBA’s most notable headed the rejuvenation of Dag Ham- efforts through the years: marskjold Plaza and the opening of the Funded by the NYC • In the mid-1960s, the group fought to Katherine Hepburn Garden. Department for the Aging stop the building of a big municipal • More recently, the TBA has been an www.turtlebay-nyc.org Turtle Bay News 5 DHP Hosts Concert in Wind-Up to 2017 Sing for Hope would fully exempt affordable super- markets from the CRT, which adds near- Dag Hammarskjold Plaza echoed with the evening of June 20. Safek played many ly 4 percent to the gross rents of busi- the sounds of Broadway and other show songs and took requests from the audience. nesses located between 96th Street and tunes when Daniel Safek, pianist from the Two additional concerts, on June 19 and Murray Street. smash hit, “Hamilton,” hit the ivories on 23, featured pianist Richard Fegan. • Reactivate Empire Zones to unlock tax incentives in the parts of Manhattan that are not within the Upper Manhattan Em- powerment Zone (UMEZ). • Establish an interagency task force to identify and eliminate supermarket rules and regulations that are inapplicable in the face of technological or market changes, and which fail to promote the Pianist Daniel Safek plays show tunes on Sing for Hope piano in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. public good. • Establish (and enforce) commercial loading zones in front of every super- Supermarket continued from page 1 ability of retail stores to operate profitably. market. The faster a store restocks in- What can be done? communities, and outlines government ventory, the more it can shave from its strategies that could help protect tradition- Brewer’s report suggests these actions. costs through efficiency and reduced al stores. • Update and expand FRESH Zoning, spoilage. The report lists three factors as causing the decade-old study that created zoning • Introduce community marketing that to incentivize grocery store construction. the crisis in traditional bricks-and-mortar incentivizes local supermarkets to sell grocery retailing: new development, bank- A related suggestion is the introduction, affordable high quality fresh foods that ruptcy, and excessive rent and gentrifica- by the City Planning Commission, of promote healthy eating and home prepa- tion. Communities and local government floor area bonuses or permits to transfer ration. representatives have tried to negotiate or sell floor area bonuses to CPC-desig- rental terms that supermarkets can afford, nated sites within the FRESH zone. In the meantime, we will wait and see if but have met with no, or limited, success. • Eliminate the city’s Commercial Rent city government can deliver solutions in a The arrival of membership clubs and in- Tax for supermarkets. Brewer and new economy that has changed the daily ternet-based businesses has stiffened the City Council Member Corey Johnson routines of many people living here. competition and further undermined the have sponsored Intro 1472-2017, which To read full report, visit manhattanbp.nyc.gov.

TBA MEMBERSHIP COUPON BOOK ORDER FORM Manhattan’s Turtle Bay Yes, I want to join the Turtle Bay Association to help support Story of a Midtown Neighborhood our community’s quality of life. A Contemporary History of Turtle Bay Arcadia Publishing • 160 pages; 50 photos Annual Membership Dues $15.00 � Senior $15 � Individual $25 � Family $30 Name � Business $40 � Benefactor $100 � Pacesetter $250 Address Name______City/State/Zip Address______Apt______Phone City/State/Zip______Enclosed is my check for $_____ for ___ book/s, Home Phone______Work Phone______plus $3 per book for postage/handling

Email______Make check payable to: Turtle Bay Association � I would like to become more involved in TBA activities. Mail to: Turtle Bay Association, 224 East 47th Street, Please make your check payable to Turtle Bay Association. New York, NY 10017 Mail to: Turtle Bay Association, 224 E. 47th St., New York, NY 10017 Sales proceeds benefit the Turtle Bay Association.

6 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org