Turtle Bay News A Publication of the Turtle Bay Association Summer 2007 Vol. 50, No. 2 Neighborhood Building Boom: What’s Up BY BRUCE A. SILBERBLATT ationwide, the housing market has definitely pulled back mation League building is nearly gone. It will be replaced by a from the highs it set in 2005. Oversupply and relatively high condominium tower, probably 40 stories high. Both the Turtle Ninterest rates are the principal culprits. That’s not the situ- Bay Association and the Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza are ation in New York. Housing at all levels is in short supply as ever; closely monitoring this job, particularly as it may affect the adjacent the city, for the moment, is prospering. Demand propels prices, and Katharine Hepburn Garden. there are plenty of customers who are willing to pay top dollar for 313-315-317 East 46th Street: Three existing houses were razed. the new luxury apartments and houses (despite incentives, only a Plans have been approved for an 18-story condominium building. small part of the new construction is affordable housing). Turtle Bay The next-door Albano Building may become temporary swing sits right next to the commercial engine of New York – Midtown space for United Nations staff displaced during renovation of the – and thus it is no surprise that the unprecedented building boom in Secretariat building. our community, which began last year, continues full blast: 865 United Nations Plaza between East 48th and 49th Streets: U. S. Mission to the United Nations, at East 45th Street and United Conversion to condominiums in the existing 16-story building is Nations Plaza: This is 27 stories of architectural concrete, with under way. slitted windows that become wider higher up, a fortress designed with security uppermost. It is now some eight floors up, slow going 250 East 49th Street: After a year and a half of delays, punctuated since architectural concrete requires nearly zero tolerances. by damage to next-door buildings and site flooding, plans for a 823 United Nations Plaza at East 46th Street: The old Anti-Defa- continued on page 5 Neighbors View Vision For East Side Waterfront ore than 300 East Side residents gathered recently to view a pre- Mliminary architectural concept for what could eventually be a waterfront esplanade running from 38th Street to as far north as 63rd Street. The public session, held June 10, was the brainchild of the Municipal Arts Society, Community Board 6, City Councilmem- ber Dan Garodnick and other East Side elected officials. During the previous week, they had sought community input in a preliminary session and then on June 8, brought together six of New York City’s top landscape architects for a “charrette” – an intensive design workshop. The result was an architectural design concept, a vision, for TBA President Bill Curtis (second from left) is presented a City Council Proclamation commemo- an East River waterfront esplanade. rating the TBA’s 50th anniversary. Making the presentation at a celebration for neighborhood volunteers were Councilmembers Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lappin. Joining them, far left, was Garodnick, whose district covers much of Luxembourg Consul General Georges Faber, who graciously helped in arranging the event at the waterfront area, explained that the fate the Luxembourg House, former Beekman Place home of Irving Berlin. (More photos, page 3) continued on page 3 TBA•224 E. 47TH ST. NYC 10017•212-751-5465•FAX 212-751-4941• WWW.turtlebay-nyc.org •[email protected] Mark Your Calendar C’mon Along! n Tuesday, August 7 BY PATRICIA Q. MCDOUGALD Annual “Night Out Against Crime” 5-9 p.m. hat better way to see Manhattan Sponsored by the 17th Precinct than from atop a Gray Line bus Community Council Won its Downtown Loop tour – and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza have it start at the Waldorf with a personal- 212-826-3228 ity-plus comedic guide named Mindy, who n Saturday, September 1 swung easily into a very professional, a cap- Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza pella rendition of a Broadway melody by Street Fair Turtle Bay’s own Stephen Sondheim. Un- Second Avenue, 45th-57th Streets expectedly, a little north of Times Square we n Last Tuesday every month had to change to another bus, which came 17th Precinct Community Council with another guide, Robert. Though he Open Meeting, 6 p.m. Sutton Place Synagogue didn’t sing, he possessed an extraordinary 225 East 51st Street amount of entertaining Manhattan informa- 212-826-3228 tion that he spouted from memory – not a (No meetings July, August, note in sight. December) Amid all the amusing tales, he managed to Pat McDougald boards a sightseeing bus to find n Second Wednesday every month insert things of a bit more serious nature. out what tourists learn about Turtle Bay as they Community Board 6 come whizzing through the neighborhood. Full Board Meeting, 7 p.m. For example, didn’t you ever wonder about NYU Medical Center those low-hanging tree branches on 49th 550 First Avenue Street, between First and Third Avenues, house on 49th Street, we were regaled with 212-319-3750 and what a swat by one of them could do Katharine Hepburn lore and that of her next- to somebody who was riding atop a double- door neighbors, Stephen Sondheim, Garson TBA Contacts: Kanin, Ruth Gordon, et al. And there was Phone: 212-751-5465 decker and suddenly stood up to get that per- a little addendum about Thomas Wolfe and Fax: 212-751-4941 fect camera shot. Well, by comparison E-mail: [email protected] with other hazards – not prunable – that’s his drinking buddies who used to frequent Web Site: www.turtlebay-nyc.org nothing. As we criss-crossed Manhattan a tavern at the northeast corner of 49th and Check our Bulletin Board: toward South Ferry, our guide blithely Third, loooong before it was Smith and East side of Second Avenue, mentioned again about not standing while Wollensky. between 48th and 49th Streets, the bus was in motion. To demonstrate, as A Gray Line tour, with its great guides, is on outside wall of the supermarket. he sat he held his arm straight up in the air, special. You can live here all your life – and and at that moment the bus passed under a still learn something you didn’t know! Turtle Bay Association low-slung traffic light that missed his hand President: William E. Curtis by scant inches – and one of those things Vice Presidents: Millie Margiotta, has clout enough to make a person a whole Dolores Marsh, Bruce Silberblatt head shorter! Treasurer: Francine Irwin A Greener Turtle Bay Secretary: Barbara Connolly Still, I could hardly wait to test his knowl- Directors: Jed Abrams, edge of Turtle Bay. Not that I had planned Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious program to Ethel Bendove, Bunny Blei, to pounce with a “HAH, GOTCHA!” – but plant a million trees in the city over the next Orin Buck, Meryl Brodsky, 10 years should mean a greener Turtle Bay. Barbara Connolly, William E. Curtis, I’m sure I was listening more intently than Denise Hamilton, Marie-Louise Handal, anyone as we approached 865 United Na- Turtle Bay Tree Fund President Bill Hux- Pamela Hanlon, Olga Hoffmann, tions Plaza. Not a great many know that ley says the neighborhood should see more Bill Huxley, Richard Irwin, among other famous people, Thomas “You and healthier trees, with dead trees replaced Millie Margiotta, Dolores Marsh, more quickly. And, he says, the City Parks Patricia Q. McDougald, Can’t Go Home Again” Wolfe lived there. Francine Irwin, Michael Resnick, No sooner had that crossed my mind when Department will be creating new tree beds Carol Rinzler, Jeannie Sakol, he pointed to the building; not only did he along the area’s sidewalks. Helen Shapiro, Bruce Silberblatt know, but he also knew the years he resided Bill encourages neighbors with sugges- Turtle Bay News there, what floor he lived on, and that his tions for new tree locations in Turtle Bay Editor: Pamela Hanlon apartment faced the avenue! to contact him through the TBA office (212- Contributors: Terri Heveran, Then he focused on 860-870 United Na- 751-5465 or [email protected]) to Olga Hoffmann, Bill Huxley, discuss their ideas. Millie Margiotta, Patricia Q. McDougald, tions Plaza and reeled off names of current Rita Rowan, Bruce Silberblatt and past residents that sounded a like a Help assure that Turtle Bay keeps up with Photography: Vivian Gordon “Who’s Who” list. And as we passed her the greenest communities in the city! 2 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org Celebrating Volunteers. As part of the TBA’s 50th anniversary year, TBA recently honored neighborhood volunteers at a reception held at the Luxembourg House. Top row, from left: Olga Hoffmann and Bridget Falco; Joan Levy; Stuart and Leithia Rogers; Helen Shapiro and Marty Wolf. Center photo: The Rev. Joseph Parrish, Ron Palau, Jacqueline Bourrud and Thomas La Barbera. Far right center: Barbara Faber-Mohr. Bottom row, from left: Claire Brabec and Harry Ursillo; Dominick and Rose Pistone; Dick and Francine Irwin and Denise Hamilton. Waterfront continued from page 1 Further – making an extension as far north enade built up over a reconstructed FDR of three separate, but concurrent, develop- as 63rd Street potentially feasible – the Drive and containing grassy parkland, seat- ment projects along the East River are to temporary roadway created eastward of the ing and viewing areas. The plan is clearly be decided shortly. First, New York State FDR Drive from 54th Street to 63rd Street at a preliminary stage and must cross many intends to rebuild the midtown segment while the FDR was being reconstructed, hurdles before it would become a reality.