The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF JANUARY
10-16 ◄ P.12
2018
THE GHOSTLY REMNANT REAL ESTATE Or how a 19th-century UES church popped up in all its majesty when a private school razed an old parking garage — and why its resurrection could prove fleeting BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
the East River to see if there was a way to fix flood damage from 2012’s Superstorm Sandy without doing as much demolition and disrupting so many lives. Turns out, there was. “This was an outside-the-box, creative solution,” said Cuomo, a Democrat, at a news conference announcing the new plan. He was flanked by engineering experts from Columbia and Cornell universities who dreamed up the proposal. “You have to be willing to think outside the box or break the box.” While many were relieved by the announcement, some wondered whether the last-minute change had been fully thought through. The announcement came after years of planning for the upheaval expected to be caused by the tunnel’s closure, which was supposed to happen in April.
A monumental and long-forgotten Yorkville treasure has resurfaced from out of the past on a quiet crosstown block on East 90th Street — but it is quickly expected to disappear from sight. Upper East Siders wishing to glory in its grandeur and other-worldliness must not tarry: At an unspecified date, later this year or in 2020, it is set to vanish — perhaps for generations, perhaps indefinitely. If and when that happens, the last vestige of an historic superblock that once offered meals and housing and schooling and Catholic discipline to impoverished orphans of German origin will be gone forever. This is a story about relics, religion and real estate. It’s about parking garages, preservation and a passion for lost causes. Ultimately, it’s about the consequences of a property deal in 2011 between Hertz Rent-a-Car and the elite Spence School: At first, it fully restored a piece of the past to the Manhattan streetscape. But now, it is threatening to sever it for good. The object in question is an architectural remnant, a surviving fragment from an imposing neo-Classical, brickand-stone church. Only a single element of the original superstructure still stands — its facade. But what a facade.
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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer (center) with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and other elected officials in Brooklyn on Sunday, Jan. 6 to call for greater transparency in new L train plans. Photo courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer
AVERTING THE ‘L-POCALYPSE’ TRANSPORTATION Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s surprise announcement will keep trains running. But is the new plan the best option? BY DEEPTI HAJELA
Nearly a quarter-million New Yorkers who for years dreaded “L-mageddon,” a planned 15-month shutdown of a key subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn, got a lastminute reprieve from the governor Thursday with a new plan that will allow repairs to go on at nights and weekends and keep the trains running. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the surprise announcement just weeks after convening a panel of top engineering experts to take another look at the L train tunnel beneath
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It’s a fascinating piece of history. It’s curious and stunning that it survived. And it should not be covered up.” Father Boniface Ramsey, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church
A seven-story vestige of an old Yorkville chapel, embedded into a neighboring building, stands sentinel over an empty lot where the Spence School is constructing a new athletic complex. When completed, the facade will no longer be visible. Photo: Sarah Greig Photography / FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, January 11th – 4:31 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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