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News Fall 2007 Turtle Bay News A Publication of the Turtle Bay Association Fall 2007 Vol. 50, No. 3 Upcoming Book Toasts and Tributes Cap Explores Story TBA 50th Anniversary Year Of Turtle Bay he Turtle Bay Association’s 50th an- to 50 years of community service. (See The mid-20th century ushered in a new era niversary year came to a festive close story, page 7) for Turtle Bay, as the United Nations moved Tas neighbors joined TBA board mem- Joining the reception on November 12 into its headquarters on the East River, and bers and one of the neighborhood’s most were Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the Third Avenue El – last of Manhattan’s celebrated residents, composer and lyricist who had arranged to have a tribute to the elevated rail lines – was demolished, mak- Stephen Sondheim, at a champagne recep- association entered into the Congressional ing way for one of the city’s biggest build- tion at the Japan Society. Record, Manhattan Borough President Scott ing booms. Held on November 12, the party marked Stringer, State Senator Liz Krueger, Assem- Now, a new book, “Manhattan’s Turtle Bay: – almost to the day – the date on which the blyman Jonathan Bing, and City Council- Story of a Midtown Neighborhood” – to TBA was founded by James Amster and a members Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lap- be published in January – tells the story of handful of neighbors back in 1957. Today, See event photos the organization has grown to include nearly the area’s past on pages 4, 5 half-century, as 2,000 individual and business members. residents found Sondheim, who has lived in Turtle Bay pin. Each thanked the TBA and its members themselves since 1960 and served as the TBA’s 2007 for their efforts and activism in working to at the center honorary membership chair, was joined at improve quality of life in the East Midtown of the world the gala by close to 150 neighbors and a host community over the past 50 years. stage, no longer of elected officials who came armed with Many thanks to the Japan Society, 333 East separated from proclamations and congratulations from 47th Street, for providing such a warm and the rest of Man- across the city. The reception capped a year inviting venue, and for opening its galleries hattan by the of celebratory events, including a “Salute to to guests during the reception. noisy overhead Volunteers” railroad, and party held coping with a in June at frenzy of office and apartment building. Luxembourg Written by local resident Pamela Hanlon House, for- and published by Arcadia Publishing, mer home “Manhattan’s Turtle Bay” looks back at the of Irving area’s earlier history as well, when Turtle Berlin, and Bay’s landscape changed from farmland in the organiza- colonial times, to a neighborhood of elegant tion’s annual brownstones in the mid-1800s, to the site meeting in of slaughterhouses and factories late in the September, 19th century. The 160-page book describes held at Am- how a lasting renaissance came to the area in ster Yard, the the 1920s, when charming town houses and spot where luxury apartments attracted celebrated writ- neighbors ers, musicians and theatrical personalities first gathered to what became known as a “small town” in 1957 to set Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, showing a salute to the TBA that was entered oasis in the heart of the city. in motion into the Congressional Record in recognition of TBA’s 50 years of community plans that service. Maloney presented the tribute to TBA President Bill Curtis (left) at the The inspiration for the book’s central theme, would lead TBA’s anniversary reception on Nov. 12. Manhattan Borough President Scott continued on page 8 Stringer is in the background. TBA•224 E. 47TH ST. NYC 10017•212-751-5465•FAX 212-751-4941• WWW.turtlebaynyc.org •[email protected] Mark Your Calendar Waterside Developer Agrees to n Sunday, December 9 TBA Holiday Toy Drive and Party Include Affordable Housing, School McAnn’s on 1st BY BRUCE SILBERBLATT (between 52nd and 53rd Streets) 3-6 p.m. ince it was first announced, developer the neighborhood – including waterfront Admission: Gift for a needy child Sheldon Solow’s proposal for the Con access, redesign of the FDR drive and pos- 212-751-5465 S Edison Waterside properties south of sible U.N. expansion. Further, 39th and 40th 42nd Street has been roundly criticized by Streets between First Avenue and the East n Last Tuesday every month the community and its elected officials for River, which had been turned over to Con 17th Precinct Community Council its failure to provide not one single unit of Edison years ago, will not be returned to the Open Meeting, 6 p.m. affordable housing out of its 4,000-plus city. The change of zoning into commercial Sutton Place Synagogue apartments. 225 East 51st Street rather than to residential and the inclusion 212-826-3228 On November 5, Solow made an abrupt of an out-of-place 1.5 million square foot (No meetings July, August, about-face on the issue, announcing that he office tower have not been altered. December) would set aside 600 units under the city’s In short, while affordable housing at the n Second Wednesday every month inclusionary housing program for those Con Edison development is welcomed by Community Board 6 New Yorkers unable to pay today’s sky-high all who fought for it, there remains a long, Full Board Meeting, 7 p.m. rentals. In addition, Solow will negotiate convoluted road to be traveled before all of NYU Medical Center with the City School Construction Author- the community’s concerns are met. 550 First Avenue ity, a New York quasi-government agency, 212-319-3750 to include a 650 student on-site school, the U.N. Makes It Easy prior lack of which also had been nearly TBA Contacts: unanimously condemned. To Follow News Phone: 212-751-5465 Solow could have added another 200 afford- Neighbors can keep up with the latest news Fax: 212-751-4941 able homes, but did not include the 69-story, regarding the United Nations’ big renova- E-mail: [email protected] 1,000-apartment building that will occupy tion project (Capital Master Plan) on a new Web Site: www.turtlebaynyc.org 685 First Avenue in the agreement. easy-to-follow website. Updated every two Check our Bulletin Board: days, the site includes background and gen- East side of Second Avenue, That, of course, raises other issues. The new 685 First Avenue will be the tallest of eral plans, plus news announcements and between 48th and 49th Streets, links to pertinent news articles. Check it out on outside wall of the supermarket. the clump of towers planned for the former Con Edison site. The development will at www.un.org/cmp. overwhelm next-door Tudor City and its Meanwhile, U.N. planners hope to accelerate Turtle Bay Association two jewels, its landmarked parks. For that the renovation, completing the program by President: William E. Curtis matter, the bulk and height of the other tow- 2013, two years ahead of schedule. The new Vice Presidents: Millie Margiotta, ers, most taller than the U. N. Secretariat, plan calls for the Secretariat to be completely Dolores Marsh, Bruce Silberblatt likewise remain unchanged. Unmodified vacated during renovation, rather than in Treasurer: Francine Irwin in the plan are its density, a 1,500-car phases. Staff will move to nearby leased Secretary: Marie-Louise Handal below-ground parking garage and lack of space and a temporary conference building Directors: Jed Abrams, Ethel Bendove, Bunny Blei, coordination between the mega project and on the U.N. North Lawn. Orin Buck, Meryl Brodsky, Barbara Connolly, William E. Curtis, Yes, I want to join the Turtle Bay Association and help support our community’s quality of life. Denise Hamilton, Marie-Louise Handal, Pamela Hanlon, Olga Hoffmann, Annual Membership Dues Bill Huxley, Richard Irwin, q Senior $10 q Individual $25 q Family $30 Millie Margiotta, Dolores Marsh, q Business $40 q Benefactor $100 q Pacesetter $250 Patricia Q. McDougald, Francine Irwin, Michael Resnick, Name_____________________________________________________________. Carol Rinzler, Jeannie Sakol, Address _________________________________________ Apt______________ Helen Shapiro, Bruce Silberblatt City ______________________________State _______ Zip ________________ Turtle Bay News Home Phone ________________________Work Phone_____________________ Editor: Pamela Hanlon Contributors: Terri Heveran, E-mail ____________________________________________________________ Olga Hoffmann, Bill Huxley, Millie Margiotta, Patricia Q. McDougald, q I would like to become more involved in TBA activities. Rita Rowan, Bruce Silberblatt Please make your check payable to Turtle Bay Association. th Photography: Vivian Gordon Mail to: Turtle Bay Association, 224 E. 47 St., New York, NY 10017 2 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebaynyc.org Hearing Looks at Parks Awards ommunity concerns over awarding of parks concessions were heard in mid-October, as local leaders testified before Ca City Council Parks Committee hearing looking into the City Parks Department’s process for selecting concessionaires. City Councilman Dan Garodnick had originally called for the hear- ings in the wake of issues raised in the award of the café concession at the east end of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in the spring of 2006. Joining neighborhood leaders from throughout the city in voicing their concerns at the hearings, held October 24, were representatives of the Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Sherrill Kazan, Anne Saxon-Hersh and Meryl Brodsky, as well as Community Board 6 Parks Committee Chairman Gary Papush. Testimony was also heard from State Assemblyman Jonathan Bing. Bing’s testimony called the current process of awarding contracts “arbitrary,” and continued, “The process (of) awarding of permits is flawed, open to manipulation, and must be amended….All city agen- cies have a responsibility to the citizens of the City of New York, and the vendors who seek to operate concessions, that the agency New Look for Second Avenue.
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