University House

[TonyO]

9th & 10th Street LLC is proposing to build a new building where a old school building stands now.


The current building is used as a community center.



Here is the location from aerial view:



Here is the project's homepage:

http://singerfinancialcorp.com/University/index.html

Local NIMBY's are trying to block it, of course. The building is out of place in the East Village.

http://stopthedorm.org/

[krulltime]

I really like it. The mix of details for the way the windows are located is always a plus for me.

I walked beside the old building and I always though it was abandon for a while. I though it was going to be converted in residential since it had that temporary wall. But I guess they did that to keep peolple out while they decide what to do then. It is not a bad looking building.

[Derek2k3]

It's pretty much cancelled already. Read recent editions of The Villager for more info.

[TonyO]

Opponents were out in force just this past weekend having people send postcards to the mayor objecting to University House. It looks like the current owners want to restore the old building now.

‘Restoration’ of CHARAS building called a facade

By Lincoln Anderson




Villager file photo by Akiko Miyazaki


The former P.S. 64 on E. Ninth St. was home to the CHARAS/El Bohio arts and community center until a few years ago. The owner has filed extensive plans to remove all cast-stone detailing around the windows on all 12 sides of the classic, “H”-shaped, century-old school building.

As the nonprofit group that had been exploring building a 23-story dormitory on E. Ninth St. announced it is pulling out of the project, opponents of the plan recently uncovered a potential new threat: a permit issued for “repairs and restoration” of the facade of the old school building on the site.


Dorm opponents fear the facade work is an effort to block landmarking of the former P.S. 64 — most recently home to charas/El Bohio — so the landlord can demolish it and build the tower. On the other hand, landmarking the existing building is, in part, a strategy to stop the dorm.


Filed by SLCE Architects for 605 E. Ninth St., owned by Gregg Singer, the plans call for removal of almost all the exterior ornamentation — mainly around windows — above the first floor of the five-story, turn-of-the-century building. The Department of Buildings approved the plans on May 5. The applicant began filing the plans in March 2003, meaning the current permit is a renewal, according to D.O.B.


Referring to “work…to be demolished” the plans state the intention to: “Remove existing cast-stone veneer, pediments, keystones and cornices from facade, patch and prep subsurface to receive brick veneer;” and “Remove existing copper fascia/coping edge [along cornice line] and replace with aluminum coping.”


The permit states the cost of the facade demolition as $600,000, which Ilyse Fink, Buildings director of communications, said sounds about right for the amount of work.


Jennifer Givner, a Buildings spokesperson, said a sidewalk construction shed would have to be erected for the exterior work. The building doesn’t fall under Local Law 11, which requires that landlords of buildings over six stories keep their facades safe.


Michael Rosen, of Stop the Dorm/Save Our School, uncovered the plans through his contacts as a former developer. Stop the Dorm has sent thousands of petition signatures — collected over the last month from Tompkins Sq. Park to Avenue D — to Robert Tierney, Landmarks Preservation Commission chairperson, calling for the turn-of-the-century building to be landmarked. S.T.D. opposes the dorm and supports returning the old building to use as a community arts center.


“Clearly, demolition is being done under the guise of renovation,” said Rosen. “Absolutely nothing is being repaired here or restored. This is absolutely the destruction of a New York treasure.”


Rosen called the facade work an “aggressive” tactic that property owners have been known to use in New York City to block preservation attempts.


East Village is landmark deprived

He said the old P.S. 64 building, designed by noted public schools architect Charles B.J. Snyder during the “golden age” of school construction, is worthy of landmarking on its merits. (Snyder was renowned for his distinctive, “H”-shaped school buildings.) Plus, the East Village, which lacks a historic district, has been neglected by Landmarks, Rosen added.


“We’ve looked at [the former] Stuyvesant High School, which is also a Snyder building, and there’s no way that building outshines this building,” Rosen said. “Very, very few things in this neighborhood are landmarked. This neighborhood is very underrepresented in terms of landmarks.”


Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said landlords will sometimes make last-minute exterior changes either to try to avoid being included in historic districts or, at least, not have to maintain historic facades. Berman noted that right before the Gansevoort Historic District was designated last year, some Meat Market property owners illegally removed metal canopies.


Singer, the building’s landlord, however, variously claimed to not really know what was going on and that the repairs were being done for “the tenant,” which he doesn’t yet have. He said he couldn’t explain the work in detail, but that his in-house contractor could, but that the contractor isn’t comfortable talking to the press. Meanwhile, Donald Gabbay, of Plaza Construction, listed as the permit applicant, declined comment when called by The Villager.


“That’s something that sounds like the condition of the building,” Singer offered, referring to the facade work permit. “It’s dangerous. Stuff could be falling down. It’s an old building.”


Added Singer, “If the city wanted to landmark it, they would’ve landmarked it a long time ago. They owned it all these years…. I didn’t buy a landmarked building.” (Singer bought the property at auction for $3.125 million five years ago.)


“People can’t afford to renovate the building now — how are they going to afford to renovate it if it’s landmarked?” he asked.


For now, Singer said he is keeping open both options of building “University House at Tompkins Square” — the 700-plus-room student dorm — and finding nonprofit tenants for the existing former public school building.


“Whatever comes first — the dorm or the tenant,” he said. Constructing the dorm depends on state Dormitory Authority bonds being issued through legislation in Albany, which both State Senator Martin Connor and Assemblymember Steve Sanders have said they oppose.


Not taking the bonds rebuff lightly, Singer said he has a local operative, whom he didn’t name, who will “expose” Sanders and Connor.


“We’ll go public — and good luck to them at election time,” Singer warned.


As for tenants, Singer says he’s been unable to find any in five years and that the community ought to help find him one. Yet, Stop the Dorm members contend a dance/spiritual group offered Singer $20 million to buy the building and that, more recently, a dance group offered $40 million. Singer denied knowledge of the offers and reiterated he didn’t buy the building to sell it, but to lease it.


Asked if he would consider scaling back the dorm’s size, Singer said he did that six months ago, reducing it from 27 to 23 stories, which he said is the ideal height for the project to work and can’t be lower.


As usual, Singer blasted and belittled his opponents, calling Councilmember Margarita Lopez “a fraud,” the information on Stop the Dorm’s Web site “made up,” CHARAS, the arts organization he evicted from 605 E. Ninth St. over two years ago, “just a name — there is no such thing,” and Susan Howard, of Save CHARAS “a joke.”


Asked if he was still working with the nonprofit group National Development Council on developing the dorm, Singer didn’t say that their relationship was ended.


“N.D.C. want the community to meet with them — and if the community doesn’t want to meet with them, they don’t know what to do,” Singer stated.


N.D.C.: We’re outta here

However, speaking May 25, Daniel Marsh, of N.D.C., said they are no longer working with Singer on the dorm and have given up trying to reach out to the community to devise an alternative project for the site. Marsh said the community clearly didn’t want to hear from them — and that East Villagers’ angry opposition left N.D.C. reeling. In short, they’ve thrown in the towel.


“We never had made a decision to move ahead with the project,” Marsh said. “And when things got out of hand we decided not to proceed. There were so many discussions and fabrications on Web sites that were not true…. We can only stand so much. We entered our process with good intentions and before we even had a chance to talk to anyone we were maligned. Our involvement was not going to be received very well, in our mind.”


Asked when N.D.C. decided to pull out, Marsh said, it was three weeks ago, “about the time the community was making fun of our chairman [Samuel Beard] and maligning him.”


He said, N.D.C. will move on to other projects they’re working on, like building a new magnet school in Hartford.


Councilmember Lopez noted she had had a meeting scheduled last Monday with Marsh, but he cancelled.


Eric Lugo, Lopez’s chief of staff, who spoke with N.D.C. about the cancellation, said he understood they had backed out of the project.


“They got hit so hard on the dormitory thing that they don’t want to do anything,” he said.


But while N.D.C. may be gone, Singer’s still around.


“One more time I am in disbelief at the attempt to destroy this historical building,” said Lopez, of the facade-demolition plans. “First he buys this building, even though it was for community use. Now he tries to destroy the value of the building.”


Lopez conveyed to Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster that she feels it’s illegal for Singer to get a permit to demolish the facade when the building is being considered for landmark status.


“This is outrageous — the Buildings Department is not seeing clearly what this is about,” Lopez told The Villager.


However, D.O.B. spokespersons said if the building isn’t landmarked or calendared for a hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission they can’t stop the permit being issued or the work being done.


Asked where the request for designating 605 E. Ninth St. a city landmark stood, Diane Jackier, Landmarks’ spokesperson, said, “We received a request for evaluation and this is under review.” Asked if there were instances when an emergency stop-work order could be put on a potential landmark, Jackier said she was only giving the one comment.


Stop the Dorm has been holding meetings, closed to the press, at Two Boots Video/Den of Cin on Avenue A to come up with a plan for reusing the existing P.S. 64 building.


At its full board meeting on May 24, Community Board 3 passed the following resolution regarding the “CHARAS site/University House development”: “1) To strongly support the designation of the Beaux-Arts building at 605 E. Ninth St. a landmark; 2) to, once again, condemn the underhanded disposition of the building [by the city] to Gregg Singer, which has endangered its use as a community facility, and 3) to observe that the ramp constructed at the building is a paradigm of handicap construction.”

[krulltime]

^ I gess I agree it is a nice building to be destroy. I like it.

But the rendering fo the new building should be built somewhere else I hope. :wink:

[Gulcrapek]

Sorry, but there are much, much better examples of that style of architecture, mainly schools, around the city. I don't see why it deserves to remain.

[NoyokA]

I agree with you Gul. Besides the new building is much nicer. I think they could find a middle ground however if the developer includes a community facility.

[Lauren Loves NY]

OK, from all that I've read, I pretty much understand what a NIMBY is and what their mission is, but what does the acronym stand for?

As for the proposed building, I really like it. P.S. 64 doesn't seem remarkable enough keep. I say make better use of the land.

[Gulcrapek]

Not In My Backyard.

[Lauren Loves NY]

Originally Posted by Gulcrapek

Not In My Backyard.

Ah. Thank you!

[TonyO]

A view from 10th St. across Avenue B of the proposed 222-room dorm. The 10th St. side of the existing former school building would be demolished for the project.

Son of towering dorm:19 stories at CHARAS site

By Lincoln Anderson


In an apparent effort to curry favor with those who want the old P.S. 64 school building landmarked, developer Gregg Singer commissioned an architectural firm known for historical renovations to do a new design that preserves at least part of the turn-of-the-century building.


Like Singer’s initial plan for a 23-story dormitory tower — first reported by The Villager in April — the new design, as before, called University House at Tompkins Sq., also includes a tall tower. Filed last month, the new plans call for a 19-story tower set on the site’s 10th St. side, where that portion of the old “H”-style school building would be demolished. The old school building’s Ninth St. facade would be preserved and incorporated into the dormitory.


The new tower would be equal in height to the 16-story Christodora House condo apartment building just to the west. In September, Singer told The Villager that the redesign would be set back more toward 10th St. in order to block less of the views of Christodora tenants.


The previous 23-story design, by S.L.C.E., would have kept none of the old P.S. 64, most recently home to the former CHARAS/El Bohio community and cultural center. That design was roundly condemned by community members and local politicians as too tall and inappropriate for the site.


Richard Blinder, a principal in the firm of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, said Singer contacted them about six months ago.


“He called saying he had to deal with a potential landmarks issue,” said Blinder, who is responsible for the redesign. “But at this point,” Blinder added, “this is not a landmarked building, we don’t think it’s going to be a landmark and we’re doing everything to restore the Ninth St. facade.”


The plan calls for 222 dormitory units, as well as facilities to support the students, including a laundry room, recreation room, meeting rooms and study rooms, plus a 45-car underground garage. Blinder said he couldn’t say how many students would be housed in the dorm rooms, as the number of beds has not yet been set. There would be three elevators.


“We all think it’s a good proposal,” said Blinder. “We responded to some of the concerns that we’ve heard about. We know there’s community opposition. We’ve responded to that part of it we think is possible to respond to.”


However, Blinder added, just keeping the existing building without adding the new tower wouldn’t work because it wouldn’t contain enough dorm rooms. He also said the old building couldn’t physically support the tower.


Blinder compared the design to what was done when the Helmsley hotel was added above the landmarked Villard Houses at 50th St. and Madison Ave. He said the old P.S. 64’s Ninth St. facade “will be kept to look very much as it does today” — though adding that “that terrible, horrible, winding [handicapped-disabled] ramp,” would be removed. A small handicapped lift would be added instead. Otherwise, the entry stairs and plaza on the Ninth St. side would be kept.


Blinder said they presented the plan to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, though L.P.C. approval isn’t required.


“They thought it was thoughtfully done,” he said. He added that the design of the top of the tower is modern yet includes a mansard roof and that the tower is in three column-like sections to mirror the old school’s design.


The building will make use of the community facilities zoning allowance, which is exploited by nonprofit developers to add bulk. As a result, the building would be “substantially more than what you could build as a residential building,” he said.


He said he feels the new building would improve the 10th St. side of the property by opening it up with windows to student spaces and study rooms. The current school building with its wall on 10th St. “turns its back on the community,” Blinder feels.


Blinder said the plan is for there to be about 45 dorm rooms packed into the sides and front of the “C” left when the back of the “H” building is demolished. These rooms would have 15-ft.-tall ceilings, while the rest of the dorm rooms would have lower ceilings.


Based in the Village on University Pl., Beyer Blinder Belle restored Grand Central Terminal and Ellis Island. The firm’s latest project is to restore the U.S. Capitol. Their earliest work was as consultants to Community Board 2, for which they did studies of the waterfront and far West Village and during which they met legendary activists like Jane Jacobs, Tony Dapolito and Ruth Wittenberg.


“We have longstanding connections to the Village,” Blinder said. “We consider Jane Jacobs to be one of our mentors.”


Asked if the firm was worried about backlash for getting involved with the contentious project — and told that one prominent public relations firm previously dropped Singer as a client feeling the issue was too hot to handle — Blinder said of the developer, “I don’t know what he was like when he started the process — but I think he’s tempered where he was.”


As he did in April, Singer let someone else do most of the initial explanation of the new project. Back then it was Daniel Marsh, president of National Development Council — a nonprofit developer Singer hoped to have build and run the dorm with a long-term lease. N.D.C. ultimately backed out in the face of community pressure.


However, Singer did answer a few questions from The Villager via his wireless BlackBerry. Asked how he would finance the project, Singer said he would try again for New York State Dormitory Authority bonds — even though both Assemblymember Steve Sanders and State Senator Martin Connor previously said they would not support the required bonding legislation.


“The best financing for the schools would be bonds issued by the N.Y.S. Dormitory Authority,” Singer said. “They understand the severe shortage of dorms in N.Y.C. and are interested in helping students in having affordable housing.”


Asked about the project’s cost, Singer replied, “No price.”


Asked if a nonprofit organization would be operating the building, Singer said: “It would not be appropriate to discuss the tenancy or operation.”


However, a new 13-story building being constructed at 81 E. Third St. has recently called attention to the requirement for developers to have a lease in place when they submit plans calling for community facility space. Plans submitted for that building called for it to be half dormitory, yet on closer inspection, the Department of Buildings found there was no lease in place. The developer was given a month extension to respond — yet the 13 stories of steel were put up in a flash in just a month.


Yet, Singer contends his case is different and that he doesn’t need to have a lease in place.


“That’s typical of residential zoning whereby an owner wants to increase his amount of square feet by utilizing a community facility use,” he said. “That’s not our situation.”


It was no conclusive by press time whether Singer is right or wrong on this point.


In addition, Singer said of the dorm project: “The community board approved this use a long time ago. In recent years the community board has not been interested in discussing this or any project at this location.”


Speaking last week, Jennifer Givner, a Buildings spokesperson, said the new design plans were submitted to a planning examiner on Oct. 26. As for how the project benefits from the community facilities allowance and whether a tenant must be in place to get this allowance, Givner said, “I think we’ll have to look at this when we actually review the plans. I don’t want to speculate. Basically, it’s a 19-story building. It’s likely to be a tedious process, a lengthy review,” she added.


As The Villager was going to press Monday (a day earlier due to a printer’s date for Thanksgiving) Givner was not available for follow-up questions on whether a tenant must be in place for the dorm to qualify for the community facilities allowance or to allow it to be built in the first place.


John Beckman, a New York University spokesperson, said the school isn’t interested in the dorm.


“We are not involved in the project,” Beckman said. “We have said ‘no’ every time the developer has approached us. He has not approached us recently. We are unaware of any new plans.”


Those who opposed the previous incarnation of the student dormitory are equally against the latest design. Local elected officials, the East Village Community Coalition and Community Board 3 all support restoring the building and using it as a community, cultural and educational center.


“Here we go again,” said Councilmember Margarita Lopez, sounding exasperated. “I don’t know how to make clear that proposals like that do not fulfill the needs that this community has. It shows the only purpose that this man has is to make money. This community has a lot of needs — and that building doesn’t fulfill any of them. It’s sickening.”


Told the dorm has a garage, Lopez said it sounds more appropriate for a residential building.


“This is the first time I have seen a residence for students with a garage for 40 cars,” she noted. “Perhaps this is a Trojan horse — and he thinks that we don’t know Greek mythology.”


Michael Rosen, a founding member of Save Our School/Stop the Dorm and the East Village Community Coalition, was also disappointed by the latest proposal.


“We knew that they were talking to Beyer Blinder Belle,” Rosen said, adding that community pressure must have pushed Singer to pick the firm known for historically sensitive projects.


Yet, Rosen said, “Beyer Blinder Belle is willing to support destroying part of the sanctity of this building.” Rosen said E.V.C.C. met with the firm, but Beyer said he had no knowledge of such a meeting. “We discussed with them the importance of this building to the neighborhood,” Rosen said.


E.V.C.C. is leading the effort to landmark the old building, designed by legendary schools architect B.J. Snyder and the place where Yip Harburg, who wrote “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” was educated and where Elizabeth Irwin first tested her revolutionary theories on learning.


Rosen thinks Singer can make a fine profit without a tower, especially since Singer bought the 135,000-sq.-ft. building for a low price of $3.15 million. The property has 110,000 sq. ft. of air rights.


“Mr. Singer could make a lot on this property as an arts and cultural center,” Rosen said.


If Landmarks doesn’t designate the building, allowing part of it to be destroyed for Singer’s new plan, Rosen said, “It would really be an abandonment of their responsibilities and a betrayal of the citizens of New York.”


Rosen is unconvinced by Singer’s claim that he doesn’t need to have a tenant in place to get the community facilities allowance. David McWater, chairperson of Community Board 3, is similarly skeptical.


“I don’t claim to be the expert, but as I understand it, you’ve got to have a tenant in place,” said McWater. As for Singer’s saying that the board has supported a dorm on the site, McWater said, “I’m pretty sure when the newspaper story broke [about the 23-story dorm in The Villager in April], I’m sure we passed a resolution against it. I don’t recall Community Board 3 ever being in favor of a dorm there.”


Andrew Berman, director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation, disapproved of the new design, noting, “I would say that taking a four-or-five-story building and sticking a 19-story building on top is not my idea of preservation.”


Assemblymember Sanders, who represents the district in the State Legislature, said nothing has changed and that there’s no way he would support legislation for Dormitory Authority bonds for University House.


“In four words — not going to happen,” he said. “Evidently, Mr. Singer hasn’t learned a darn thing. If he had been paying attention, he would have learned by now that he can’t make these decisions without consulting with the community, local elected officials and other community groups.”


Sanders added he is certain State Senator Martin Connor would not approve a bonding bill in the State Senate, either.


“In the Thanksgiving vernacular,” Sanders said, “this turkey ain’t gonna fly.”

[billyblancoNYC]

These people piss me off like I can't even describe. It's so frustrating that these winners have any say. They don't want ANYTHING there. Or maybe a meth clinic or homeless shelter. Give me a break. It seems to be a more than fair compromise.

[NewYorkYankee]

F NIMBYS, the city should say "If you dont like it MOVE". I bet once they built it no one in the area would even care. :roll:

[Gulcrapek]

"Sanctity" of the building? Like the "sanctity" of marriage? Gimme a break.

I like the old design much better.

[TLOZ Link5]

The old design didn't appeal to me. Too lithic.

The question is, who is going to occupy this "dorm?" NYU, for one, has already stated that it's not interested.