Results tagged “renovation”

After threatening to lay off some 400 employees during the lucrative holiday season, Tavern on the Green has been granted a reprieve. The city had ordered owners to vacate the premises on January 1st and turn over the lease, but owners insisted that deadline would have required them to close down in December, in order to conduct an onsite auction of their assets, which were valued by an appraiser at $8.171 million. Though Tavern's owners had wanted three months for the changeover, a US Bankruptcy Court judge in Manhattan said "two weeks to a month" in January would be "a reasonable transition period." But will the new occupant play along?

       

This morning the Empire State Building took some time to show off its newly renovated Art Deco Lobby and restored historic ceiling mural, with architect Frank Prial (who did the Grand Central restoration) on hand. This is all part of a $550 million historical renovation, the lobby taking about $12.5 million of that. The NY Times reports that the pricey touch up brought back to life "two shiny Art Deco murals that disappeared from view in the 1960s."

Last night we were informed by the Wildlife Conservation Society that there would be a major announcement made this evening at the New York Aquarium. While the official press conference isn't until 7:30 p.m. tonight (it will include Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.), the NY Times managed to loosen some lips and found out it has to do with their Sea Change (what the WCS has dubbed their renovation project).

Duane Reade may be a soulless corporate chain, but its our corporate chain, forged right here in 1960 at a warehouse between its eponymous Tribeca streets. But despite (or because of?) its ubiquity—253 locations in NYC and counting—Duane Reade is deeply in debt, and last week its corporate parent, private-equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, shelled out $125 million to save Duane Reade from defaulting on its debt.

     

The Met sure is having a big week! First their Costume Institute Ball brought all the big names out, and then the NY Times reported on their recent renovation. They explain that in the 1970s the museum "unveiled a plan to create its own Crystal Palace in Central Park—a glass-enclosed, glass-roofed space to house its expanded American Wing—Community Planning Board 8 voted 24 to 1 against the proposal, and one board member called it a rape of the park." That board member was likely feeling violated around 1980, when the American Wing opened, and perhaps even more so now, following two years of construction and renovations it will open up to the public on May 19th.

     

For the past thirty years, Norm Abram has served as the master carpenter for This Old House. Abram has become a beloved and inspiring figure who demystifies the home renovation and restoration process to millions on public television. Abram, who also hosts The New Yankee Workshop, has been making frequent trips to Brooklyn these past few months, as This Old House tackled its first ever New York City project with the restoration of a brownstone in Brooklyn. We spoke Abram at the wrap party for the project, which brought a decrepit Prospect Heights SRO (see some photographs from last December) back to its former glory.

       

After nearly two years of renovations, the first phase of Lincoln Center's overall transformation is ready: A completely re-energized Alice Tully Hall is getting to set to open once again this weekend. Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in association with FX Fowle, designed the re-imagined space, which houses both Alice Tully Hall and the Juilliard School and was originally a boxy, concrete Brutalist structure by architect Pietro Belluschi. Now, there's a three-story high, glass-enclosed lobby (with cafe) that peers onto Broadway and lets Broadway look inside as well. And over a sunken outdoor plaza—complete with mini-amphitheater seating—is Juilliard's cantilevered extension.

Curbed has a photograph of the renovated Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and we have to say it looks great. (Lincoln Center's website has photographs of its massive renovation project's progess, including photo of the old ATH.) Our biggest pet peeve with the space, which is where many New York Film Festival films are screened, had been that the exit signs were brighter than hell—they were utterly distracting in the darkened space. As Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeffrey Wells wrote in 2001 for Reel.com, "The exit lights are so bright that they cast a red glow over everything within a 10- or 12-foot radius. And there's six or eight of them, so half the theater is lit up like a New Orleans cat house. All that needs to be done is for managers to insert bulbs behind the signs that don't have quite as much wattage." Now, it looks like the exits and signs are recessed—here's hoping!

Yesterday the Village Voice blog Runnin' Scared noted that some construction netting was placed over the 36 Cooper Square facade (aka their HQ) over the weekend. A DOB permit on the building states there will be "selective repointing and replacing of damaged portions of the brick and stone with in-kind replacements." Today they found out that this includes the removal of the Village Voice sign. The building owners say the changes aren't a secret and they want the facade to look "like it did years ago," however, no one told the publication about the removal of their sign. Wonder if they'll get to keep the flag...

Some Park Slope activists have so little faith in the MTA's promise to renovate the dreary Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street station that they're imploring transit officials to scale back their plans and instead make a few specific improvements immediately. The massive refurbishment was supposed to begin this year and turn the "dank and dark" station into a light-filled hub with clean windows and a new copper roof. But the plans were later scaled back and postponed in the shadow of looming budget shortfalls.

       

The Port Authority unveiled renderings yesterday for an ambitious $152 million renovation of the George Washington Bridge bus station in Washington Heights. Built by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi, the sprawling three-level station opened in 1963, winning an award that year for its use of concrete in construction. It occupies both sides of Broadway between 178th and 179th Streets, near the entrance to the George Washington Bridge.

The Beacon Theater, which went dark last month for restorations, gets The NY Times treatment today as the "Carnegie Hall of rock rooms." The Times looks at the venue's past (it nearly became a grocery store in the 70s) and 78 years of neglect. But after the 6-month, $15M facelift (to be complete in February '09), will the vibe still be in tact? Gregg Allman commented, saying it “has a great vibe, it’s not either a coliseum or a club," but he went on to note that "you didn’t want the house lights all the way up, given those cobwebs with the big hunks of dust." Will the legions of hippies who flock to the UWS venue for the Allman Brothers, and various jam bands, feel at home with a clean, refurbished interior--or will they not even notice the changes?

You can get to Carnegie Hall with practice, practice, practice, but Lincoln Center has been harder to navigate as it undergoes its massive, multi-million dollar renovation project. One woman told the NY Times that on her way to see "South Pacific" at the Lincoln Center Theater, she got lost after trying to find her mother amidst the construction: "Suddenly I felt like a contestant on ‘Survivor.' I knew what I had to do,” she added. “ ‘Help!’ I screamed, ‘Somebody, help us!’" (And security showed up to help them to the theater.)

Sure, we're all familiar with subway tiles, but would you ever go so far as to recreate the Dekalb subway stop in your bathroom? One Glasgow resident did just that, making good on a 21-year-old promise.

21 years ago I arrived in New York City from Scotland to visit...and was immediatedly fascinated by The Subway. I was an undergrad painting student at the time, and returned to Scotland to begin making full-size replicas of mosaic-ed station names, complete with grafitti and running-water staining. At the time, i remember saying that if I ever bought a flat, I would tile my bathroom with a New York subway station name. I decided on my local station on that first NY trip - DeKalb Avenue.

      

Yesterday we noted that the Highbridge Park path was unveiled after undergoing a $4.2 million makeover. The High Bridge, which the has been closed for around 30 years, will undergo a $60 million renovation and will reopen as a pedestrian bridge. The bridge connects Manhattan and the Bronx and is located at 174th and Amsterdam Ave in Highbridge Park in Manhattan and at West 170th, University Avenue & Highbridge in the Bronx. Besides the access trail from 165th and Edgecombe Avenue, the a staircase leading to the High Bridge Water Tower was also restored.

Late New York composer and Broadway writer Richard Rodgers became world-renowned, but as The NY Post notes, "never forgot his Harlem roots." Yesterday his family donated $1 million to restore the neglected bandshell at Marcus Garvey Park, and as Bloomberg reminded everyone at a press conference--Rodgers also donated the original funds (to the tune of $150,000) to build the facility in 1970. The city has also put forth $4 million towards the renovation, which will begin in the Fall of 2009. When complete the new bandshell will feature improved acoustics, new seats, wheelchair accessible sections and a new name: The Richard Rodgers Bandshell.

Exciting news for homeowners: for the first-time ever, This Old House is coming to New York City. Bob Vila Kevin O'Connor & Co. are currently looking for a home to renovate in the area ("a great old house in need of help, with plenty of things to save and update"). Some more details on what they're looking for:

The project's scope must be "just right"— not a whole house, but more than just a kitchen. The renovation must be completed in about 4 to 5 months, with construction beginning as early as August and finished by December. The ideal project should already be underway with design plans and have the ability to be “fast-tracked.”

Tourists, museum-goers and Gossip Girl-esque Upper East Siders...the Metropolitan Museum steps are no longer for you to sit on...at least, temporarily. CityRoom reports that the steps are undergoing a yearlong renovation, and until the project is done, the 1/3 of the steps left open are for walking only. Even tourists taking photos with the famous backdrop are getting booted.

The long-neglected F train station at 4th Avenue and 9th Street in Brooklyn will be refurbished starting in the fall, according to amNY. Built in 1933, the Art Deco station is on the National Register of Historic places, and the north end of the platform offers an impressive view of the Statue of Liberty.

Wall Street tycoon Dr. Mitchell Blutt is at the center of a Manhattan mansion controversy: He purchased two town houses east of his home on East 90th Street between Park and Madison in hopes of combining them into one giant abode.

       

The effect of a well-trafficked park under renovation really doesn't come into full relief until the spring, when the absence of greenery and flowers seems less like a normal part of urban living and more of a desecration of greenspace. The renovation of Washington Square Park continues at full tilt, however, as the fountain is reoriented centrally and the rest of the park is reordered to be greener and less anarchical. The Square used to be a potter's graveyard before it became a fashionable address. New York City's inexorable desire for change marches on.

    

A week after abandoning plans to build a new arena at the planned Moynihan Station, Madison Square Garden officials revealed $500 million plans to renovate the 40-year-old space. Cablevision--which owns MSG--vice chairman Hank Ratner told reporters that though the company supports Moynihan Station, "We are going to renovate the arena here, and we are not going to be moving...We can accomplish anything we want by renovating." Well, Cablevision probably does like those tax breaks.

The fate of McCarren Park Pool turned around after being landmarked and given a $50 million gift from Bloomberg, yet its future look is still up in the air. Following the February 4th meeting, last night another Community Board meeting was held to discuss The Pool. This time architects Rogers Marvel and The Parks Department were on hand to present conceptual plans. Curbed has the reveal, but they note the renderings are merely "draft images and, of course, the redesign has to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission."

A state judge has shot down Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to rent sports fields on Randalls Island to private schools because the administration failed to follow the legally required land-use review process when it made the deal. The plan was for private schools to pay $2.6 million a year for the next two decades in exchange for use of the renovated fields during peak hours from 3pm to 6pm. The Parks Department had agreed to contribute $65 million to refurbishing 36 sports fields and building new fields on 12.5 acres of the island.