Monday, October 6th, 2025
Today’s weather: Warm and sunny; high 80.
The rest of the week: The same tomorrow, followed by cooler temperatures and a mix of sun and clouds the rest of the week; a possibility of showers on Wednesday.
On this date in history, the New York Jets announced they were leaving Shea Stadium for the Meadowlands (1983), and Instagram was launched (2010).
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper right-hand corner to check.
The Harmony Program, a nonprofit that brings musical training to public schools and community-based organizations, is offering free trumpet and trombone classes for students in the third through eighth grade, starting this week. Trumpet classes meet M-W-F and trombone classes meet Tu–Th-F, both from 4–5:30 pm. at St.Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church. Register — HERE. For more information, email programs@harmonyprogram.org.
If you’re calling 311 to report issues with the ongoing demolition at the ABC campus, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection asks that you give the address as 141-149 Columbus Avenue, to enable the department to better track the complaints.
The preservation committee of Community Board 7 meets Thursday from 6:30-10 p.m. to review an application from the Presbytery of New York, asking the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to allow the demolition of the historic West Park Presbyterian Church on the basis of financial hardship. The meeting will be held at the Joan of Arc campus Auditorium, 154 West 93rd Street (Amsterdam and Columbus avenues), and also on Zoom. Register to receive the Zoom link — HERE.
News Roundup
Compiled by Laura Muha
Last fall, we reported that the building that once housed The Mermaid Inn had been sold to developers who planned to replace it with an 18-story residential tower. Now, a rendering of the lower floors of the proposed new building has been revealed by the website NewYorkYIMBY.com, which covers real estate development in the city from what it calls a “pro-growth perspective.”
The rendering shows a lower story of gray stone blocks, with an arched entrance whose shape is echoed by a gated entrance to a motor courtyard. The arched windows of the building’s second floor, also of gray stone blocks, echo the first floor, giving the facade a prewar feel. Above the second floor, the facade changes to brick, with stone window frames, fluted stone paneling, and, in some cases, Juliet balconies.
The building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects for Nortco Development, is located at the corner of West 88th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. According to permits filed with the city, it will be 215 feet tall, with retail space on the ground floor, a parking garage on the second floor, and 37 condominium units on upper floors. The New York YIMBY article also includes what it says are “outdated” renderings of the upper floors that “still offer an indication of the plan for the fenestration and exterior ornamentation.” The older renderings show stepped setbacks and a bulkhead with an arched motif. Updated visuals for the upper floors have not yet been revealed, according to the site.
Read the full story and see the renderings — HERE.
Seven hundred people gathered at St. John the Divine last weekend to watch the Rev. Winnie Varghese installed as the cathedral’s first female dean. But there was an unexpected twist halfway through the ceremony, when Varghese’s father fainted in his front-row pew and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Varghese had not yet delivered her remarks, and in an interview a day later, she told ChristianCentury.org she didn’t know what to do. “I was looking at him, he was out, and he wasn’t waking up,” she said.
After consulting with Matthew Heyd, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Varghese left the ceremony to accompany her father to the hospital. “I thought, I’m here with literally 700 people I love, who love me and love this cathedral,” Varghese told Christian Century. “I know I have a remarkable bishop and canons and leadership … I can just be my father’s daughter because these people, they will know what to do.”
But, she added, “I feel extraordinarily conflicted about it [leaving], and I think I will forever.”
The next day, Varghese — who is also the first gay woman of color to serve as the cathedral’s dean — posted an Instagram photo of herself with her father at the hospital and told followers he was feeling much better. “We are so grateful for your prayers,” she wrote. “We are so sorry not to have finished the service that so many worked so hard to prepare; and we are endlessly grateful for your support.”
Varghese told Christian Century she hopes to deliver the remarks she prepared for the ceremony at a later date.
Read the full story on Varghese’s installation — HERE. And see an interview with Varghese on NY1 — HERE.
Fall is here, and it won’t be long until Central Park’s 18,000 trees turn the landscape into what the Central Park Conservancy calls “a kaleidoscope” of color: crimson, scarlet, gold, yellow, orange, purple.
To make sure no one misses out on it, the conservancy recently activated its Foliage Tracker Map, which is updated daily by park arborists, and allows users to see where leaves are changing at eight locations in the park. As of yesterday, there was “no change” at any of the locations, but when the leaves do start to turn, you may want to check out The New York Times travel section, which recently included Central Park as one of six great places for urban leaf peeping. (The others are Mount Royal Park in Montreal; the Arnold Arboretum in Boston; Stanley Park in Vancouver; Centennial Park in Nashville; and Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle.)
The Times suggests a mile-long loop through the North Woods as an ideal way to take in the autumn leaves, entering the park at West 103rd Street and walking past the northern edge of the pool, toward the grotto. “On your way, take in the greenish-yellow beech tree leaves, the scarlet-hued black tupelo and the sweetgum trees that mark the path,” the paper advises, also suggesting stops at the Blockhouse (which overlooks the Harlem Meer) and the Great Hill.
Read the full story — HERE and find a map of the North Woods — HERE. The conservancy’s Foliage Tracker is — HERE.
About 15 years ago, while watching a friend compete in a regional pool tournament in Midtown, UWSer Matt Kenefick — a pool enthusiast since childhood — got the urge to shoot a few games himself. The problem: There was no easy way to find a place to play.
So Kenefick, who has 30 years of software development experience, created one. ChalkySticks, the website and mobile app he launched in 2013, includes a searchable database of more than 10,000 places to play pool in New York City and around the world. Users also can create profiles, watch professionals play, map out difficult shots on a page called “the pad,” and shoot balls on a 3D simulator.
“I thought, ‘I can’t be the only person who wants this and it doesn’t exist, so someone else must want it,’ and I like to make stuff, so that was what I made,” Kenefick told amNY, which recently profiled him. “I want pool to grow and so, anything that I can do to help facilitate that, is what I’m working on and so that’s kind of how ChalkySticks evolved.”
Kenefick told amNY he spends almost 40 hours a week on the app, and though he is thinking about ways to monetize it, it currently is free. “I want to allow people to find the information that they need,” he said. “Like, if they want to find a pool table, I don’t want to get in the way of that. One of the primary guiding lines that I have for myself is I want to keep a lot of it free.”
Read the full story — HERE. And check out the ChalkySticks site (which includes a link to download the mobile app) — HERE.
ICYMI
UPDATE: Major UWS Landlord Allegedly Overcharged Senior Tenants on Rent Payments
City Selects New Operator for Central Park’s Wollman Rink: What to Know
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Only 37 units for an 18 story building!?! This is why we have a housing crisis – gosh
Isn’t the issue income inequality? If developers can get 37 people to pay tens of millions for a new apartment why wouldn’t they? What is really needed is fewer people with 9+ digit net worths so developers would build more units for “average” NYers who can only afford a 7 digit apartment.
Change the zoning to allow them to building a taller building and we will get more units.
Josh P.
My co-worker had been living in one of the original buildings for years.
He and his family were forced out and everyone in the building lost their housing – so that the building could be vacated and torn down and replaced by this luxury construction.
What are your thoughts on this issue?
People losing housing?
I had a friend in here too. I think there were more apartments in the buildings before. Only 37 being built!
The issue underlying issue is a housing shortage. We need more homes. There will always be some amount of old buildings being torn down and new ones built to replace them, but when we build the new ones we need to make sure that they are big enough that they are increasing the total number of homes in the neighborhood for everyone. When we freeze the neighborhood in place, we preserve the homes of some people but lock out others.
Josh P,
IMO it is not OK for people to lose their homes so that a new luxury building can be put up.
There are countless buildings in Manhattan (and increasingly in Brooklyn) where people were forced out of their apartments, landlords held apartments vacant and then the buildings sold for teardown and new luxury buildings.
That’s deflection. They want *different* people in the city. and couldn’t care less about the people who made this city attractive, safe and vibrant in the first place
Also, none of the new units are stabilized. They’re going to be at market rate. That only benefits the developers and people wealthy enough to blow 5k/month and up on apartments.
The issue isn’t the height, the issue is there’s on average 2 apartments per floor in the building. That is not a pragmatic use of the allocated space.
Manhattan should only have 40 story buildings minimum.
Any different from some elderly person getting to live alone in the 3-4 bedroom NYCHA apartment across the street they raised their kids in after the kids are grown and moved out? Also not an efficient use of space but I hear no one complaining about that. Or people staying in NYCHA who can easily afford an outer borough apartment (not sure why anyone would choose to stay there but they do)?
Yes, the rich do a lot of bad things and should be contributing more. 100% agree. But the constant “blame the rich” gets old and ignores a lot of other misallocations of resources.
The current rent stabilization rules don’t afford the opportunity to people who have raised their kids in large apts to downsize and move to a more appropriate sized apt that is affordable. Landlords have no incentive to make that happen they are busy trying to jack up rents wherever they can. If that option was put in place, you would see many more large subsidized apts. become available. That is an easily achievable goal. I think something like that does exist for NYCHA and other Mitchell-lama type buildings, but it needs to be implemented on all the subsidized housing for NYC. (wonder if Mamdani will do anything about that?)
Could you identify by name those NYCHA residents to whom you refer?
Pookie, Big Al, Lorraine
Don’t think this kind of comment belongs on WSR.
Quoting a song. Lighten up.
The building is currently vacant.
Absolutely we need more units. The floor of parking is not helping
I’m living my “happily ever after” in a Nortco developed building; even more miraculous as all the construction was interrupted & rejiggered by the pandemic. I think those renderings look great and very neighborhood-appropriate. And, judging by the crowds, it looks like the relocated Mermaid Inn is also living its best life.
Not mentioned in this story – the number of rent-stabilized apartments torn down to make way for this new monstrosity.
YIMBYism is nothing but a beard for real estate developers. Luxury units do nothing for affordability
Do not despair. The incoming City leadership will fix the affordability crisis! These RAMSA monstrosities will not stand! 100-yr old grime, stench and blight will prevail again!
Do you spend time working on these gems or is there a google dive the YIMBY Discord/email lists keeps for stock responses
I do, they pay me by the word. They don’t pay you!? Figures.
Nah I’m not one to glom onto Libertarian West Coast movements.
Enjoy shilling for em tho
https://sfstandard.com/2022/09/27/yelp-ceo-jeremy-stoppelman-on-why-hes-been-a-yimby-since-day-one/
NIMBYism is nothing but a beard for landlords who don’t want competition from new units hurting the rent on their old buildings.
How about regulations? Those also stick in your craw?
What? Safety regulations are absolutely necessary, but don’t really have anything to do with zoning. (Except that newer, bigger buildings are generally safer because we’ve learned a lot in the last 100 years.)
Good on Nortco. High-density housing makes for miserable quality of life and overcrowded neighborhoods. They did the right thing by not turning the building into a factory farm. And it looks beautiful.
My co-worker had been living in one of the original buildings for years.
He and his family were forced out so that the building could be vacated – and torn down and replaced by this luxury construction.
With all due respect SBL, that comes with the territory when you rent. Unfortunately many of those in rent stabilized apartments never consider buying because it would increase their monthly costs, even though they could do so if they wanted. They’re lulled into a false sense of security because they have a good deal. You will always be at risk when you rent; that’s a fact of life (and a motivation to buy).
This ultra “luxury” building is being built on one of the noisiest streets on the UWS, that has plenty of car, ambulance, fire engine and truck traffic, is across the street from a low income public housing project and a middle class subsidized building, has no land or outdoor space (except maybe a roof deck), etc. 18 stories, – there won’t be many views to river or park. While it is close to mass transit (although people paying $$ millions of dollars for apts rarely take public transit), the marketing of these units will be a snow job. There are other large apts for sale in much better buildings, that have more space, are closer to parks, have views & more parking spaces available. That is all besides the fact that the appearance of the building will be a weird eyesore that will be completely out of place with anything around it.