The Landmarks Commission is hearing out a big batch of cases today, including bid for landmark status for Webster Hall, the Free Public Baths on E. 11th Street, as well as proposed landmark districts for Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park, West Chelsea, and extensions of the historic districts in Noho and Douglaston. Stay tuned.
I've found myself disturbed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Building Commissioner Patricia Lancaster's smooth reactions to the deaths caused by the East Side Manhattan crane accident of this past weekend.
The death toll from the accident, in which a huge crane plummeted to the ground and sliced through several buildings, demolishing one, had risen from four to seven yesterday. The additional victims were Santino Gallone and Clifford Canzona, and Odin Torres, who lived in South Florida and was visiting for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
The other victims were Wayne Bleidner, 51, of Pelham, N.Y., the crane’s operator; Anthony C. Mazza, 40, a rigger, of Staten Island; and Brad Cohen, a rigger; and Aaron Stephens. A nylon sling, perhaps dangerously overloaded, is now suspected as the cause of the disaster.
Our City's leader's reaction? Mumblings about how it's tragic, that accidents will happen and construction is a dangerous job. Virtually no intimation that someone, or some department or some system is at fault here. Just lame comments on how investigations are continuing. It's as if Bloomberg were talking about a tornado that ripped through town, not a catastrophe brought on by his heedless advocacy of heedless overdevelopment. This was not a freak accident, as City Hall is characterizing it. It was an inevitability.
If a New York City police officer caused the unwarranted death of a citizen, there would be hue and cry, protests, raging editorials, and politicians on the ropes. Why are these deaths—also caused by the deficient performance of a City-employed official (Lancaster and her criminally ineffective department)—any different? Why are construction deaths shrugged off by City Hall as part and parcel with the the business of running the City? The victims are hardly mentioned and never lamented, aside from pat comments that Mike's and Patty's thoughts are with the families. How does Lancaster imagine she is being respectful of these families' great losses by steadfastly remaining in her post?
The Daily Kos suggests that Bloomberg should attend each funeral and I see nothing amiss in that proposal. The deaths are ultimately the result of his policies. (The way many construction workers gathered to pay their respects to their fallen colleagues reminded me of the way policemen and firemen show similar respect for those in their ranks who have died in the line of duty.)
"That crane came within feet of taking out a 12-story building full of people," one fire commander told The Daily News. Would Bloomberg and Lancaster be more contrite if dozens of people had died instead of "just" seven? Would they change course in their attitude toward rampant construction and City Hall's big bear hug of all developers? Would anything cause Bloomberg to change course? Or is he as blinkered, closed-off and pig-headed as our President?
In a column in the New York Post, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer compared the accident to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a bellwether of the last century the brought on sweeping changes in corrupy citywide labor laws. He invoked the disaster as a way of indicating that vast changes at the DOB are called for in the wake of the crane accident. Will such changes occur? Sadly, tragically, criminally, another crane accident is probably more likely.
Sad sight. The neon sign for Armando's of Brooklyn Heights was off for good on March 17. The seven-decade old Italian restaurant rolled up the floors on Sunday. Inside, staff were taking things apart and rounding up the many, many leftover bottles of liquor. Wonder where they're going. One less location fans can physically connect to the old Dodgers has disappeared.
The New Apollo Restaurant on Livingston in downtown Brooklyn is getting a new sign. The old one was great. Let's hope they don't screw it up.
Coney Island was neat, and really crowded, in the '40s.
Central Park South dining mainstay San Domenico is moving to Midtown because of a rent dispute with its landlord.
The East Side Manhattan Crane crash has claimed a total of nine lives. Mayor Bloomberg says we shouldn't "rush to judgment" about the accident. DOB commish Patricia Lancaster still has her job.
Queens Crap reveals a particularly revolting example of the kind of philistine behavior encouraged by Bloomberg and Lancaster's current stance on development.
Beginning today, I will be contributing an occasional feature to Eater.com called "Who Goes There?"
As the site puts it, in the feature I "crack the doors on mysteriously enduring Gotham restaurants—unsung, curious neighborhood mainstays with the dusty, forgotten, determined look—to learn secrets of longevity and find out, who goes there?"
My first inspection looks at Tout Va Bien, an ancient French bistro in the theatre district. The best part of this new gig is it will lead me to finally experience old New York restaurants that have perplexed and intrigued me for years.
...calling for DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster's resignation after the horrific Midtown crane accident over the weekend.
The New York Sun reported a similar cry from Queens City Council member Tony Avella:
"This is just the latest incident," Mr. Avella, who called for Ms. Lancaster's resignation previously after a fatal accident at the Trump SoHo construction site, said yesterday. "How many people have to die before the mayor realizes that the Department of Building, which is ultimately responsible for construction in this city, is in total chaos?"
A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg, Stu Loeser, said Mr. Avella's resignation call was off base. "Such comments indicate a total lack of understanding of the situation, and we're not going to dignify such foolishness with a response," Mr. Loeser said.
Now, let's look at the Department of Building's 2008 track record:
*March 15: A large crane fell away from a tower under construction at 303 East 51st Street, hurtling down to smash buildings blocks away and kill at least four people and injure 17. Fully 39 complaints had been filed against the site. A complaint on March 4 by a former contractor had warned that the crane was not properly attached. A DOB inspector concluded "No violation warranted for complaint at time of inspection." "Enough is enough," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. "We've closed restaurants that have fruit flies, but we don't close construction sites that have major safety violations. We have to revamp the construction protocols.We have failed this borough and the people of the city. It is unacceptable and it has to be stopped." (Picture courtesy of Curbed.)
*March 8-9: The Trump Soho tower was closed after a chain attached to equipment swung about, smashing a bunch of windows.
*March 4: A Jared Kushner building, which had been failing for months, completely collapsed near 124th Street and Park Avenue. Metro-North Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Line train service was temporarily suspended. The DOB actually admitted to screwing up on this one.
*Feb. 1: A crane collapsed at a construction site at Washington Street and Watts Streets in TriBeCa.
*Jan. 30: A worker at a 13-story building in Clinton Hill was reportedly blown from a window on the top floor due to "a wind-tunnel effect" and fell to his death.
*Jan 14: A man fell from the 42nd floor of the rising Trump Soho to his death. The wooden scaffolding he was standing on had collapses.
Is It Time for DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster's resignation?
The Old Town Bar, which usually goes for one long hand-written message of urban wisdom for its street-side window, had opted for two short messages this week, both aimed at New York State's fallen governor. 
No reason to post this old picture of Luchow's, the German eating hall that once dominated 14th Street near Broadway. It's just one of the losses to New York culture that I've always felt most keenly. It lasted 100 years exactly, from 1882 to 1982. I came to town to late to eat there, but soon enough to observe the empty, Victorian-style building (which should have been landmarked) for a few years before they finally tore it down.
Luchow's was truly a cultural landmark. During its heyday, Union Square was New York's theatre district. The beer hall was forever jammed with singers, actors and songwriters. William Steinway, a big deal in his day, ate there (his concert hall was right down the block). So did John Barrymore, Victor Herbert (who founded the ASCAP there), Arturo Caruso, Sigmund Romberg, Gus Kahn (who wrote "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" on a Luchow's tablecloth) Lillian Russell, and Weber and Fields, as well as writers O. Henry, Theodore Dreiser, O. O. McIntyre, Thomas Wolfe, and Edgar Lee Masters. Few restaurants in New York history have such a wealth of artistic associations.
There is an NYU dorm there now, and a P.C. Richards next door (on the site of the former Gramercy Gym). No artistic associations there. However, the company (still family owned) was founded in 1909, and I'd say it's a pretty good guess that the original P.C. Richards himself ate at Luchow's more than once.
The death of Manhattan's classic diners will be stemmed a bit in a couple months when the owners of the Cosmic Diner (at Eighth and 52nd) take over the Market Diner at 43rd and 11th. The Market, a neighborhood staple since 1962, shut down in 2006, causing many a cabbie to cry. (The place had parking.)
The new owner, James Athanasopoulos, told the New York Times, "We’re making it a little bit more upscale, and will maybe have a little bar on site. We’ll probably get rid of the parking, unfortunately." Instead, he'll put in outdoor seating. Seems like an acceptable compromise to keep the place alive.
Pictures courtesy of New York Architectural Images, including the cool one below of the way it looked back in the day.
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