Bitter protests and a long, drawn-out lawsuit have thus far failed to stop the city from turning the 81-year-old pavilion in Union Square into a privately-operated restaurant. Critics call this is a vulgar prostitution of a historically public space which ought to be fully devoted to some sort of community center, but we live under the Bloomberg administration, which believes commerce is the best way to benefit the community. And so today Curbed notices what may be renderings for the posh restaurant in store for the pavilion, and it's easy to imagine Mayor Bloomberg feeling right at home here on a Summer day, enjoying a Lime Rickey and relaxing in his classic pleated shorts-loafers ensemble.
It's unclear how official these renderings are, and the designer, BNO Design (a firm led by celebrity interior decorator Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz), has this disclaimer: "This project design is solely conceptual and is not in any way related to current decisions for the Union Square space." Details, shmetails! Pitchforks and torches at the north side of Union Square tonight at sundown! Oh damn, it's sundown already?! Anyone else tired of living most of their lives in darkness these days? And it's only December 3rd, sigh.
