Murmurs of Possible Municipal Building Sale

Augh! The NY Sun reports:

Speculation is heating up that the Municipal Building, the soaring limestone landmark that overlooks City Hall, could be among the government real estate assets to be sold off and converted to residential buildings as municipal employees prepare to move into a new, privately managed office building planned for ground zero.

Why? Because the city signed an agreement with World Trade Center developer to assume 600,000 square feet of space at Tower 4. City Councilman Alan Gerson says that while he hasn't heard anything official, rumors about selling the Municipal Building arise from time to time. Plus he added, "There is something to be said about the government holding on to a great iconic civic building in addition to City Hall."

No kidding! The Municipal Building is a beautiful McKim, Mead and White structure, completed in 1914, that was apparently based on the firm's unsuccessful bid to design Grand Central Terminal. About 30,000 city employees work there, including the Manhattan Borough President and the Public Advocate.

The Municipal Art Society's president Kent Barwick tells the Sun, "It is masterpiece of architecture, built as close to City Hall as you can get." It's true - and if you look on Flickr, many tourists think that the Municipal Building is the actual City Hall, since it is so majestic. It would be pretty sad if the building, which the public gets to interact (the Marriage Bureau, for instance, is there) with it now, became private property - though the apartments would have amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge, lower Manhattan and more.

The official city line is that the Municipal Building is not for sale, though the city is investigating various options given the WTC Tower 4 lease. And in the summer, we admired the statue atop the Municipal Building, Civic Fame.

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By Jen Chung in News on November 22, 2006 10:07 AM

Comments [rss]

andrew2000

vote for Mr.Gerson!! Great reforms from great leader!!

www.gerson2009.com!!!

andrew2000

It is masterpiece of architecture, built as close to City Hall as you can get." It's true - and if you look on Flickr, many tourists think that the Municipal Building is the actual City Hall, since it is so majestic. It would be pretty sad if the building, which the public gets to interact (the Marriage Bureau, for instance, is there) with it now, became private property - though the apartments would have amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge, lower Manhattan and more.

Sam Tilden

Remember, this is a mayoral administration that nixed plans to put the City of the Museum of New York in the Tweed Courthouse, preferring to put city bureaucrats there instead.

The result? The museum, which really deserves more visitors, is still in its hard to reach uptown location. City residents don't have access to the Tweed Courthouse, which although a monument to corruption is quite impressive. And moving in the Dept of Education bureaucrats didn't help the schools any.

While I think Pataki has mishandled the Ground Zero rebuilding, I shudder to think what would have happend if the current mayor had gotten his hands on the site, given his urban plannign record in other areas.

don't move

What's with all these city agencies moving to new offices every year?

So they can hide from the public? There's no need to move. Period.

I'm tired of going to a city agency only to be told they moved.

Adam

My grandfather worked in that building for 40 years in the Finance Department. The city should not sell the building with all of the tradition it has. Renovate it and make it habitable for generations of city workers to come!

Barry Popik

Sell the place! I've worked inside the building, I got my marriage license there, and I identified Audrey Munson (Civic Fame) who stands on top of the building. The Municipal Building means more to me than to most people.

But the fact is that the building is in a terrible state of disrepair. Many offices are empty and others (the Public Advocate and the Manhattan Borough President) probably should be empty. The building would be properly cared for and put to full use in private hands. No co-op board, for example, would stand for the state of disrepair that the building is in now.

Save the building now by selling it!

nola

A brilliant idea. This building is too good for government slackers. Let the city employees go work in the Bronx. As a privately owned building it will be maintained by the owners instead of the taxpayers. And it isn't a true "public space" like Central Park so going private will not impact anyone's quality of life.

JT

I was married there and think it'd be a shame for that building to not be a public space. A damned shame.

janelle

i understand the commitment made to the WTC, but surely there are some city agencies who could use this space? if the building were sold to a private entity, do you think it would have any effect on the subway entrance: could/would someone try to close it, or could/would they be incentivied (not a word) to help fix up the dumpy chambers station (i love the eerie platform level, but the upper level could use a bit of... well, something)?

R

That is so sad. Public spaces ought to belong to the public, and grand public spaces are rapidly vanishing in this city. Will the city agree to erect private residences in Central Park next? I was married inside the Municipal Building, one early morning in September, and the idea that the funny little room where my partner and I became one (in the eyes of the law, anyway) could end up as a starter apartment for some young professional... it just seems sad to me.

Kay

Among one of the worst ideas ever.

Anon

Why is it that people always think new is better?!

In any case, I once had a job interview in the building on the top floor, before it becomes the tower in the middle. the inside of the building is incredible, and it shoudl be preserved by the city and used by the city as a landmark for civic jobs.