Photos by Stephen Harmon.
Workers began emptying the interior of the old Lincoln Square Synagogue on 69th street and Amsterdam Avenue on Tuesday, preparing the site for demolition as developers get ready to build a new apartment tower there. The site has been sitting empty for several years, and several locals have complained that it’s become an eyesore.
Last we checked, the new building is set to rise 51 stories and hold 112 apartments.
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72nd St. Subway Station with its landmark protection, limited egress, and narrow platforms is just one big accident waiting to happen. And hear you have our city allowing 112 more apartments to be built within three blocks. Again, another missed opportunity to engage the developer to contribute to the community by funding an additional southern entrance; perhaps a school; how about adding a firehouse? Our infrastructure is taking a back seat every time we break ground for a new development. And at our expense 🙁
I guess you might be new in the neighborhood.
The 72nd St subway entrances were expanded a few years ago, and the platform was reconfigured. The expansion was the maximum that could be done. That’s it. The stop is now just about maxed out.
There are no sites available for schools in the 70’s-even as part of a larger building. Schools need larger footprints than the sites available for re-development.
Not new to the hood, but seen buses/schools/train stations/sidewalks take the brunt of the UWS over-development these past 50 years. You are correct, the 72nd street station went under renovations back in fall of 2002 (added North Exit & elevator on North side). The existing platforms & stairs were unable to be reconfigured or widened, and therein lies the safety problem. Over the next ten years, schools will be having some of their ‘play ground space’ encroached in order to expand and relieve some of the overcrowding. I firmly believe that the investors (developers) in the UWS should be taking on the cost of funding some of these collateral issues.
A decision was made to not move the local track due to costs, moving utilities, digging up the park and street congestion on Amsterdam Avenue for cut and cover construction were factors.
Let’s add to the PS199 over crowding. Where are our politicians when we need them?
More construction, yay!
There is already a firehouse on 66th St and Amsterdam. You can actually see the firehouse from the site.
Bout time that derelict eyesore cum garbage dump is finally being razed. However, I would have preferred a nice neighborhood garden than yet another resi tower that already graces most of Amsterdam Ave.
Aren’t the gardens adjacent to the site public enough?
overbuilding equals over crowding in our neighborhood & negatively affects our quality of life. 51 stories is EXCESSIVE. So much for
city planning, what a joke.