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WEEK OF MARCH AMERICAN BEAUTY ◄P.12
15-21 2018
SAVING THE PAST IN NOMAD PRESERVATION Untrammeled high-rise development has redefined the district north of Madison Square Park — but the wrecking ball will never claim two century-old structures that were just awarded landmark status BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
Joe Rizzo, the owner of Langdon Florist in Tribeca, and Stephanie Gregg, his oldest daughter, stand under the awning of his storied shop at 62 Reade Street. After running the business for the past 35 years, and tending to customers from first lady Chirlane McCray to former first lady Laura Bush, Rizzo closed the store on March 10 and is relocating to Staten Island. Photo: Courtesy of Langdon Florist
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? SMALL BUSINESS Sadly, they’ve gone to Staten Island, everyone. When will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn? BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
First lady Chirlane McCray and former first lady Laura Bush would appear to have scant little in common: One is a left-leaning progressive with
“Volume used to be high, and costs were low. Now, costs are high and volume is low.” Joe Rizzo, owner of Langdon Florist in lower Manhattan
ties to Brooklyn, the other a moderate conservative hailing from Texas. But actually, they do share a common bond — their florist. Both women, along with one spouse, a certain Bill de Blasio, have been loyal and longtime customers of Joe Rizzo at 62 Reade Street in Tribeca. Unfortunately, the owner of Langdon Florist — faced with rising rent, a brutal barrage of
So dramatically has NoMad been transformed in the 21st century that developers have concocted a new vocabulary for their creations: “Slender-scrapers” and “skinny climbers,” “needle towers” and “super-talls,” all boasting “high slenderness ratios,” have punctured the skyline. “It seems that a super-tower is being built or proposed on every single corner of NoMad these days,” said Mario G. Messina, president of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association. But the neighborhood’s architectural conversation got a reboot, at least briefly, on March 6 when a pair of treasures from the early 1900s were officially designated by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC awarded landmark status to the Hotel Seville, at 22 East 29th Street, now operating as the James NoMad Hotel — a modestly scaled, limestoneand-red-brick, 12-story Beaux Arts-style classic with a highly ornamental base and crown that was completed in 1904.
The Hotel Seville on East 29th Street in NoMad, a Beaux-Arts treasure currently doing business as the James NoMad Hotel, was awarded landmark status last week by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. Photo: Historic Districts Council
Parts of Fifth and Madison Avenues in NoMad are now turning into a combination of Hong Kong and Dubai.” Mario G. Messina, president of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association
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WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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