Photo by Vivienne Gucwa.
Winter weather roars back today. We’ll see a mixture of rain and snow with a high of 39. More of the same tomorrow – before the sun returns for the weekend. Continue reading Good Morning!
         
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 35 Cooper Square. At today’s meeting of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Mary Beth Betts (the LPC’s head of research) gave a presentation on the criteria used in deciding which Federal houses are worthy of landmarking. As just about everyone on the Lower East Side knows by now, the Commission has refused to offer protection to 35 Cooper Square, which is in danger of being demolished. During the presentation, Betts reiterated the LPC’s position that the 1827 house lacks necessary historic details and original building materials to qualify for protection. Community activists, of course, disagree. They’ll likely be on hand tonight when Community Board 3 passes a resolution in support of preservation. One of those testifying before CB3′s landmarks committee earlier this month was Kerri Culhane, an historian working with the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council and the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors. In preparation for an application to the State of New York requesting historic designation for the Bowery, she has researched and written a thorough history of 35 Cooper Square. See the full text of that document after the jump: Continue reading 35 Cooper Square: Rebutting the Landmarks Commission  
 Photo by Jim Henderson. It was a busy day at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Lower East Side resident Linda Jones, a member of the Historic Districts Council, just gave us an update. As we reported earlier, the Commission voted to protect the Henry Street Settlement’s playhouse. Chairman Robert Tierney took a moment during the proceedings to praise Henry Street for its stewardship not only of the theater but of all of its historic buildings. The Commission also heard testimony concerning the Citizens Savings Bank at 54-58 Bowery. We previewed this agenda item last week. Linda spoke for the Historic Districts Council, which has made protecting the Bowery one of its highest priorities this year. Commissioners also heard from Mitchell Grubler of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors. Continue reading LPC Considers Protecting More LES Buildings
The Commission called the playhouse one of New York’s first experimental theaters, which “gave rise to the Off Broadway movement.” The three-story red brick neo-Georgian-style structure was built by Alice and Irene Lewisohn, the daughters of a wealthy German-Jewish philanthropist, and, the Commission noted, was “completely controlled by women.” In 1967, the theater was renamed for Harry de Jur, a former Henry Street Settlement director. Today the theater is the home of the highly regarded Abrons Arts Center.
 A Poster from the 1973 Production The Living Theatre is presenting a rare revival of one of their most significant pieces, Seven Meditations On Political Sado-Masochism, which has not been performed since it’s debut in 1973. Seven Meditations was written after co-founder Judith Malina and members of the company were imprisoned–and some tortured–by the Médici dictatorship in Brazil in that same year. Described as “a visceral examination of the social contract between the governed and the government,” the play explores Sacher-Masoch’s Six Houses of Bondage: Love, Money, Property, State, War and Death, with a seventh meditation on Revolutionary Change. Associate Director Brad Burgess tells us the show has been updated to address the political prisoners and victims of the current revolutions. The show is being presented by the Culture Project’s Women Center Stage which is at The Living Theatre all month. Directed by living legend, Judith Malina. The show contains nudity and a simulated torture scene. Every Tues. and Wed. at 10:30pm during March // Pay What You Can at the door // 21 Clinton Street.
Our friends at the Educational Alliance let us know about their new web series following the kids in the “After 3 Arts Program.” Third, fourth and fifth graders are learning from working artists to stage a big time theatrical production. The after school program is based at P.S. 142. In Episode 1, Sakanah, Anthony, Jerikah, Kiara, and their director Ms. Lynch and assistant director Joe begin rehearsals for “A Town Called Nowhere” — a Spaghetti Western musical. Have a look:
A week from tomorrow (March 30th), Community Board 3′s Seward Park redevelopment committee will meet to continue discussing urban design issues. According to an updated agenda, there will be an “interactive exercise for the committee to consider building massings, heights and spatial tradeoffs.” The agenda also indicates there will be a “discussion on feasibility of upzoning on the SPURA sites.” Continue reading CB3 Resumes SPURA Deliberations
On Friday, New Yorkers will pause to remember the 146 people who perished in the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village 100 years ago. But commemorations have actually been taking place for several days. On Sunday, the Henry Street Settlement held a tea and reception in memory of the fire victims — and to reflect on the changes that have occurred in the labor movement during the past century. Continue reading A Week to Remember the Triangle Fire
 Photo by Hamburger Hepler. Mostly sunny today with a high of 56. Looks like it could be windy at times. Mother Nature did not get the “Spring” memo. A mixture of rain and snow will be developing after midnight. Continue reading Good Morning!
 Michael Whyland State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has a new press secretary. He’s Michael Whyland, former chief of staff to Rep. Dan Maffei (who was narrowly defeated in last year’s election). Whyland also served as press officer for Governor Eliot Spitzer and he was communications director for the Service Employees International Union 1199. He replaces Dan Weiller, who resigned his post with the Speaker a few months ago to work for influential lobbying firm Patricia Lynch Associates. Lynch, another former Silver aide, was caught up in the state pension scandal last year and agreed to pay a $500,000 fine.
In today’s food news:
 Outside Gallery Bar this past weekend. Here’s an update on the situation at Gallery Bar, the nightlife destination at 120 Orchard shuttered March 11th by the NYPD. They were back in business this past weekend, with a few additions (including two really big doormen managing very orderly crowds lined up on the sidewalk). As we indicated last week, Judge Joan Kenney cleared the bar to re-open after its owners and city attorneys settled the civil case, which had been filed by the police department’s legal bureau. Among several conditions, Eater reported, the NYPD insisted and owner Darren Rubell agreed to hire extra security. The bar will also apparently be bringing in a sound engineer to look at better noise proofing. Continue reading Gallery Bar Back in Business
 Valerie Frankel and Laurie Gwen Shapiro will participate in a "Hidden Identities" Panel at the Educational Alliance. The Educational Alliance will host what looks to be quite an entertaining panel, “Hidden Identities: Tales From Under the Hood,” next Monday evening at 7:00pm. The event is inspired by the idea of hidden and unmasked identities, and will feature a diverse group of writers, editors and performers from various creative backgrounds. Local writer and filmmaker, Laurie Gwen Shapiro curated the panel and will moderate the evening. I asked her how she decided who to include on the panel. Here’s what she had to say: I was approached by Dana Weissman, who used to run spectacular events for 92nd Street Y, to do something, “Out of the Box,” as she put it, for our community, and given that it was the Educational Alliance she gingerly wondered if we could make it tie into Purim. I thought well, Purim has a wild backstory – a sexy Jewess hiding out undercover…Voila, a theme, “Hidden Identity” or to broaden it, “Unmasked Identity.” Continue reading Hidden Identities – A Panel at the Educational Alliance
By Traven Rice in Arts, Business, Community Organizations, Crime on March 21, 2011 2:02 pm |
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