Photo: On Orchard Street, Saturday afternoon.
In the news:
–Public records show that Omnia Properties is doubling the size of its new residential tower at 183 Chrystie St. It will now rise 17 stories and include 57 units. [Crain’s]
–At the NYCHA Smith Houses, there are 41 vacant apartments, up from an average of 6 a year ago. What’s happening at the Lower East Side public housing complex is a microcosm of what’s occurring citywide: it’s taking NYCHA longer and longer to renovate apartments for new tenants. [City Limits]
–Community activists are outraged about the city’s under-the radar pronouncement that demolition work would resume on the Manhattan Detention Center complex. The activists, opposed to a new Chinatown jail, have been pushing an adaptive reuse proposal. [The Broadsheet]
–Several items of interest on Community Board 3’s June meeting agendas. On June 8, there will be a discussion about use of Seward Park High School’s courts by the community and outside groups. On June 13, city officials will present Delancey Street traffic redesign plans. And on June 20, city officials will seek support from the board for the, “assignment, amendment and restatement of the lease for East Broadway Mall (88 East Broadway)…” [CB3]
–Streetwear designer Angelo Baque opens his new store, Awake, on Orchard Street. Recalling his many life experiences on the Lower East Side, Baque says, “I look forward to cultivating a space that can inspire the younger generation of artists to express and connect through creativity and community.” [Hypebeast]
–On NPR’s Code Switch, a conversation with Ava Chin, author of “Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story Of Exclusion And Homecoming.” [NPR]
–The Museum of Modern Art has acquired more than 200 works from the experimental filmmaker Ken Jacobs, including his first film, “Orchard Street.” [The Art Newspaper]
–You can see the new doc on Kim’s Video at the Tribeca Film Festival. [EV Grieve]
–Have you checked out the new ice cream cart on East Broadway from Ernesto’s and Morgenstern’s? [Instagram]
