Fulton Street

[Kris]

April 28, 2003

A Distant Urban Past Is Just a Local Stop

By GLENN COLLINS

Considering its chaotic buildings, anarchic signs and gritty facades, Fulton Street is an unlikely candidate for architectural sanctity, let alone salvation.

It is, however, dense with historic structures, and its westerly verge is destined to be the home of a new Fulton Street Transit Center on Broadway. Incorporating six existing Lower Manhattan subway stations, the $750 million transit nexus is scheduled to be completed by 2007.

The transit hub is the leading edge of the transformation of Fulton Street from river to river.

Students of the city's past see the street, and its environs, as a cornucopia of neglected architectural treasures, even though anyone who walks it will be confronted by a hodgepodge of building facades, some of which are undeniably shabby. Nevertheless, a consortium of leading preservation groups is concerned that new development could result in the obliteration of many non-landmark structures.

"Here, in one square mile, is a textbook of American history and architecture," said Ken Lustbader, conservation consultant to the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund, a coalition of five organizations that joined forces after Sept. 11, 2001, to restore damaged historical buildings near ground zero.

The World Monuments Fund, one of the coalition groups, is alarmed that historic buildings could be demolished to make way not only for the transit hub but also for a host of redevelopment proposals envisioned by city, state, federal and private interests. "A great deal is at stake here," said John Stubbs, vice president of programs at the fund.

In December, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed a new focus for the neighborhood called Fulton Market Square, a public market that, he said, "can begin the transformation of that street into a great place to shop, see a movie, look at art or just people-watch." And in a speech last Thursday, Gov. George E. Pataki summoned up an image of Fulton Street alive with "dozens of new shops, cafes and restaurants."

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the city have hired the consultants Robert A. M. Stern and Gensler Architecture, Planning and Design to conduct a $525,000 Fulton Street revitalization study. And tomorrow, preliminary plans for the new transit center will be exhibited by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from 4 to 6 p.m. and followed by a formal presentation and discussion in the Alexander Hamilton United States Custom House at 1 Bowling Green, near Battery Park.

"We're not opposed to new ideas down here," said Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, another of the coalition groups. "We don't advocate freezing the area and making it a museum. But we have heard no one talk about preservation and reuse, and we'd like those ideas to be considered."

The M.T.A. Web site (www.mta .nyc.ny.us/planning/fstc/index.html) depicts a sleek transit building replacing existing structures that include an 1889 classic, the Corbin Building at 11 John Street.

But preservationists hope that historic structures will be incorporated in the finished design. In fact, according to William Wheeler, director of project development and planning for the M.T.A., the modern look "is just a concept" and an engineering consultant and an architect have yet to be chosen. Can buildings be preserved? "We are right at the beginning," he replied, "and looking at all our options."

In the weeks after the terrorist attack, five groups, often called "the preservation mafia," called attention to Lower Manhattan as an underappreciated architectural district, said Frank E. Sanchis III, executive director of the Municipal Art Society of New York.

The consortium included his own organization, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Preservation League of New York State, the Landmarks Conservancy and the monuments fund. Its Web site, http://nycpreservation911.org , highlights some gems that have not been declared landmarks.

Mr. Stubbs, of the monuments fund, noted that the venerable aimlessness of many of the streets in Lower Manhattan suggests the "old quarters" of urban Europe. "Down here," he said, "it is a low-rise medieval city — dotted with buildings 40 stories high that are part of the area's richness."

Fulton Street — which in 1852 became the city's first to be paved with granite Belgian blocks — is itself a miniature catalog of New York architectural history, Mr. Sanchis said. At its east end are the early 19th-century warehouses of South Street Seaport. Its west end could have the cynosure of Lower Manhattan's architectural future: a proposed 1,776-foot-tall skyscraper that Governor Pataki said last week "will restore the New York skyline."

In between, the Fulton Street area holds half-hidden facades, festive terra cotta and the nation's first Methodist church. Those interested in admiring its treasures might best begin their walking tour with a subway ride.

THE FULTON STREET-BROADWAY NASSAU STATION This warren of Lilliputian shops, labyrinthine corridors and befuddling stairways is inundated by 275,000 passengers daily and incorporates six subway stations built between 1905 and 1932. According to the M.T.A., the improved new hub, when completed, will make more sensible connections between nine subway lines there (2,3,4,5,A,C,J,M,Z), with a link to the N, R and E at Dey Street. To continue the walking tour, head up to the sidewalk at Broadway and Fulton Street, then turn east across Broadway to:

ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL Centuries after George Washington worshiped there, this landmark Colonial monument (parts of which date from 1764) became both a sacred and secular space for the recovery workers of Sept. 11, 2001. It also happens to afford a fine view from across the street of the planned site of the future transit terminal: directly below the American flag above Mrs. Field's Bakery Cafe.

BROADWAY FROM FULTON STREET TO JOHN STREET Glance east toward the ground-zero void, then stroll along the west side of Broadway, which will soon be transformed, Governor Pataki said last week, "with new landmark gray sidewalks, granite curbs" and new lighting fixtures. Across the street is the former storefront of Chelsea Jeans at 196 Broadway, that housed a glassed-in collection of dust-covered jeans: a time capsule of Sept. 11, 2001. Continue south, cross Dey Street and walk far enough to look east across Broadway at:

11 JOHN STREET The Corbin Building, an 1889 skyscraper, was designed by Francis H. Kimball, a busy downtown architect known for his decorative use of terra cotta. Underneath all the grabby signs, fire escapes and soot is a festival of Renaissance revival ornamentation, cast-metal window spandrels and carved brownstone. If the building were reused or the facade saved, Ms. Breen said, "there could be a dramatic and wonderful transportation center and this irreplaceable building could still be preserved."

NASSAU STREET Walk east on John Street one block to Nassau Street, making sure to glance down the block toward the landmark John Street United Methodist Church, the first Methodist church in America. Turn south on Nassau to view the startling vista of the medieval street plan of Lower Manhattan, including the massive Renaissance rustication of the Federal Reserve Bank Building to the left, and the New York Stock Exchange, straight ahead.

63 NASSAU STREET Walk a half block south to 63 Nassau. This 1860's survivor of the era of ornate cast-iron facades is attributed to the first manufacturer of cast-iron buildings in New York, James Bogardus. Note the patriotic little metal cartouches of Ben Franklin. Head north again on Nassau Street, pausing briefly at the elaborately carved "L" stone cartouche at 83 Nassau Street: such initials, endemic to the area, were the talismans of merchants' pride.

130 FULTON STREET The Fulton Building on the corner of Nassau, which does not have official landmark status, is an eclectic Renaissance-revival fantasy of limestone, brick, and terra cotta, designed by the firm of DeLemos & Cordes and built from 1891 to 1893.

127 FULTON STREET Heading east again, encounter the Keuffel & Esser building, a slender seven-story Renaissance revival masonry classic with a graceful cast-iron storefront partially obscured by scaffolding. Note the coat of arms (the business was founded in 1867, and the building constructed in 1892) as well as the cast-metal window-frame sculptures of drafting implements.

123 FULTON STREET Dating from the early 19th century, this thoroughly unremarkable walkup, with apartments over a retail store, is a surviving example "of the classic type that once populated this neighborhood," Mr. Stubbs said.

106 FULTON STREET Walk down past Dutch Street to view the newish facade on the Pace University dormitory building. Then retrace your steps to Dutch Street and head south, to discover an architectural secret. The 14-story neo-Classical office building on the east side of the street — with the stamped-metal exterior and exquisite architectural detail — is actually what the L-shaped 106 Fulton looks like under its modernized cladding.

GOLD STREET Walk east, then south down the pre-grid-plan narrowness of Gold Street. Take in the Queen Anne-style 1888 Excelsior Power Company, designed by William Grinnell, with its extraordinary cast-iron building sign.

EDENS AND RYDERS Meander to the left down Edens Alley, trodding the Belgian blocks once so typical of the quaint lanes in the area. The L-shaped street's outlet on Fulton Street has an entirely different name: Ryders Alley.

CLIFF STREET Walk east on Fulton, then make a right at Cliff Street for an object lesson in architectural transition. The look of the original buildings, dating from the 1830's, is apparent from the granite post-and-lintel arch that extends across 28, 30 and 32 Cliff Street. The four-story building at 28 Cliff Street has retained many of the original elements. But "refacading" of 28 Cliff Street and 30 Cliff Street has led to modernizations that Mr. Stubbs deplores and, he said, "could hint at the future around here."

SCHERMERHORN ROW Complete the tour by walking east on Fulton to the South Street Seaport. Between Front Street and South Street, on the right, observe the classic row of Schermerhorn commercial buildings, completed in 1807. Stroll past this block that once bustled with burghers, immigrants, gentlemen, slaves and seamen. The buildings are still there because, in the 1960's, after no little struggle, they were declared landmarks.

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

[Kris]

January 20, 2005

BLOCKS

Waiting, Waiting on a Plan for the Fulton Corridor

By DAVID W. DUNLAP

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/20/nyregion/20blocks.jpg
The future of the landmark-quality former headquarters of Keuffel & Esser would be affected by a completed Fulton Street corridor plan.

THE "Fulton Corridor Action Plan" - a river-to-river redevelopment framework for Fulton Street and environs, with an emphasis on shopping, entertainment and the arts - was initiated in 2002 by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the City Planning Department. They awarded the project to Robert A. M. Stern Architects, known for its work on the retail revitalization of 42nd Street.

To date, there has been action on the Fulton corridor, but there is still no publicly articulated plan, though the need for one is growing more urgent.

For instance, the landmark-quality former Keuffel & Esser headquarters at 127 Fulton Street is for sale, with no clear indication of how it might fit in with a market hall that is envisioned on the same block, at the northeast corner of Nassau Street.

And the greater Fulton Street plan, whatever it is, will have to compete with other projects for the diminishing federal grants available in Lower Manhattan. Gov. George E. Pataki has set a deadline of March for laying out spending priorities.

"We have reason to believe they're working on good stuff, but without seeing the plans, it's hard to know," said Petra Todorovich, an associate planner at the independent, nonprofit Regional Plan Association.

Two weeks ago, it appeared that the public would finally get a chance to glimpse a more detailed future of Fulton Street and lower Greenwich Street, where new parkland might be created on a deck over the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel entrance. A panel discussion with state and city officials was scheduled Jan. 11 at the Center for Architecture in Greenwich Village, but the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation declined to participate and the event was not held.

"The frustration, very simply, is that we have been saying that it's not just about the World Trade Center site," said Fredric M. Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which runs the Center for Architecture.

Given the extraordinary demands of ground zero, it is not hard to understand why planners sometimes seem to slight other areas downtown. Still, if Lower Manhattan is to rebound fully, its social, cultural and economic health will rest on more than the new World Trade Center alone, which is why it is so important to get a picture of what officials have in mind for Fulton Street, Greenwich Street and the East River waterfront.

Kevin M. Rampe, the president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding, said yesterday that the Fulton Street plan was near completion and that planning for Greenwich Street was under way. Both projects will come into sharper focus, they said, once spending priorities are set and it is known how much money remains for projects outside ground zero, after ensuring construction of a memorial and cultural buildings.

In federally financed projects that involve the acquisition of real property, notices must be sent to all residents or businesses that may be displaced. The more refined and focused the plan, Mr. Rampe said, the fewer such disruptive notices need to be sent.

On the other hand, the longer the wait for a plan, the more speculation is likely to occur. That is underscored by the uncertain fate of the Keuffel & Esser Building, an 8-story, 113-year-old structure that is on the market for $9.8 million.

(If you are old enough to know what a slide rule is, you know K+E. If not, you can find a K+E Analon slide rule at the Smithsonian Institution. Keuffel & Esser donated it in the 1970's as the pocket calculator pushed the slide rule to near-extinction.)

Keuffel & Esser was founded in 1867 - a date memorialized on the facade at 127 Fulton Street - and acquired 120 years later by Azon. Its name is still on the Fulton Street building, as are reliefs depicting precision tools and scientific instruments. The architects, De Lemos & Cordes, later designed the Macy's flagship at Herald Square.

IT'S a critical building in that it raises the threshold of good architecture on the street," said Ken Lustbader of the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund, a coalition of five preservation-minded groups.

In 2002, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg offered his vision for the same block: Fulton Market Square, which he described as "a great place to shop, see a movie, look at art or just people-watch."

Whether the old building fits into this vision at all is unclear. So is the future of the market hall itself, which might cost $30 million. "Fulton Market Square is still a possibility, but it will be a function of available funds," Mr. Doctoroff said yesterday. "And it's not an inconsequential project in terms of money."

Mr. Doctoroff said the city had not yet examined in detail whether the Keuffel & Esser Building and the market hall could coexist or be combined in some way.

As a general principle, Mr. Rampe said, preservation is critical to economic redevelopment downtown. "Historic structures in Lower Manhattan play an incredibly important role in making it the place it is," he said.

That is why advocates like Mr. Lustbader are concerned about the planning limbo on Fulton and Greenwich Streets. "It's unclear what is actually going to be implemented," he said. "Will there be an official plan versus private-sector real estate speculation that can affect the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan at the expense of historic properties?"

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

[ZippyTheChimp]

Fulton St. area moves close to becoming historic district

By Ronda Kaysen


A swath of the Financial District may soon become an historic district, a change that would be largely honorific in nature, but provide potentially lucrative tax incentives for some property owners in the district.


The State Historic Preservation Office has taken a special interest in the Fulton-Nassau area and hopes to place a slice of Downtown north of Liberty St. and south of Spruce St. on the state register of historic places. Once the district lands on the state register, the application will then be forwarded to Washington D.C. so it can secure its place on the national register.


“This is probably the most important historic proposal we’ve got on the docket this year,” said Mark Peckham, national register unit coordinator, at a May 2 public hearing. “We’d certainly like to see it go forward.”


Behind the garish awnings flaunting cheap shoes and Prada knock-offs along the blocks east of Broadway, Theatre Alley and Park Row and west of Nassau, Dutch and William Sts., is an abundance of buildings seeped in city history. Many of the buildings date back to the 1860s through the 1930s, reminiscent of the neighborhood’s long commercial history.


“We said, ‘Wow, this is really intact, this is really amazing,’” Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, said in a telephone interview of his first serious consideration of the neighborhood in early 2001. “You have these riotous signs on the storefront, but underneath everything’s intact. You’re blown away by the intactness of it.”


H.D.C. proposed the idea to SHiPO in March 2003, in the hopes it might revitalize the tawdry area, which has been unduly burdened by the World Trade Center disaster. “All of a sudden all the stores were shuttered after 9/11,” Bankoff said. “We thought this is a real opportunity to bring these buildings back.”


Unlike city landmark preservation laws, which carry strict construction guidelines, a position on the national register places few restrictions on property owners. Developers are free to alter – or even demolish – any properties in the district and buy and sell property as they see fit.


SHiPO only steps in and makes recommendations, which could impact a development when a property owner taps state or federal funds for a project — such as Liberty Bonds and Community Development Block Grant funds.


And then there are the perks. Commercial or rental property owners are eligible for a preservation tax credit, which allows a 20 percent credit for substantial renovations, and non-profit organizations are eligible for historic preservation grants. There are no tax incentives for residential property owners, however.


“It’s largely honorific, but there’s a little icing on the cake,” said Kathleen Howe, a historic preservation specialist for SHiPO, referring to the tax incentives.


The handful of property owners, Community Board 1 members and other residents who attended the public hearing responded enthusiastically to the proposal. “I’m so happy that this project is going forward and I really hope it goes through,” said Nina Lavin, a Tribeca resident.


Bruce Ehrmann, chairperson of C.B. 1’s Landmarks Committee, suggested writing a resolution in support of the plan.

The proposal has not always received such a warm welcome. When SHiPO and H.D.C. first fielded the idea to C.B. 1 in Sept. 2003, it was met with marked resistance and skepticism.


“All the plans were in flux back then,” C.B. 1 member Roger Byrom told Downtown Express after the meeting, referring to the massive redevelopment changes facing the neighborhood in the months after 9/11. Board members worried, “Is this going to complicate things?”


Since the 2003 presentation, the neighborhood has changed its tune, as was evident at Tuesday night’s meeting. “There’s a lot of support from the people in this room,” said Byrom.


SHiPO sent letters to property owners in the historic district two weeks ago and has received few calls regarding the proposal.


The handful of residents who have called H.D.C.’s offices inquiring about the proposal, said Bankoff, are mainly property owners curious about the tax incentives.


With the community’s blessing, the proposal will appear before the state review board on June 15 and potentially join the 80,000 other New York State properties on the national register by the fall.

Ronda@DowntownExpress.com (Ronda@DowntownExpress.com)

Fulton St neighborhood study by LMDC presented to CB1
Slide presentation (http://www.renewnyc.com/content/ppt/Fulton_Corridor_04-28-05_files/frame.htm)

[mkeit]

I was on Futon St near Bway on Saturday-what a dingy and depressing street.

[investor350]

Fulton Street has more charm than you will ever attain-meiskeit!

[citybug]

I was on Futon St near Bway on Saturday-what a dingy and depressing street.

Cmon, Don't slam my neighborhood. Fulton Street is such a historic area that it needs to be preserved. So many of these building were built during the turn of the century and are connections to the past. Sure, The Fulton Street area has deteriorated over the years but it's still one of the few Downtown areas that has character and "pinoche".

[TLOZ Link5]

Don't you mean "panache"?

[mkeit]

I guess panache includes having one of the few (only?) Pudgie's in NYC.

[BPC]

Fulton Street is a little dowdy these days, but if you look carefully at the architecture (except for that last block by the Seaport), you will see that underneath the layer of grime there could be greatness.

[TLOZ Link5]

I guess panache includes having one of the few (only?) Pudgie's in NYC.

Pudgie's was once quite noticeable in Manhattan. There used to be one on Second Avenue, a few blocks from my building. But this was a looooooong time ago.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Fulton Street is a little dowdy these days, but if you look carefully at the architecture (except for that last block by the Seaport), you will see that underneath the layer of grime there could be greatness.

We agree! ;)

Fulton definitely has potential with a scrubbing. Could use better retail, but in time.....

[ZippyTheChimp]

Most of the problems are on the ground floor. Standards are needed for retail display. The neighborhood study calls for wider sidwalks. That means no parking.

Nothing needs to be knocked down, except if possible, the city should take a small area, and build a public plaza, somewhere between Nassau and Gold Sts.

Three notable buildings at Fulton-Nassue intersection:

The Fulton Building being converted to residences
http://img87.echo.cx/img87/5622/fulton130016zu.th.jpg (http://img87.echo.cx/my.php?image=fulton130016zu.jpg) http://img87.echo.cx/img87/633/fulton130029rc.th.jpg (http://img87.echo.cx/my.php?image=fulton130029rc.jpg)
http://www.130fulton.com/

The landmarked Bennett Building
http://img87.echo.cx/img87/6117/fultonbennett010oc.th.jpg (http://img87.echo.cx/my.php?image=fultonbennett010oc.jpg)

124 Fulton
http://img87.echo.cx/img87/6986/fulton124010sj.th.jpg (http://img87.echo.cx/my.php?image=fulton124010sj.jpg)

[Derek2k3]

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/44300025.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/44300024.jpg

[lofter1]

The Streets of Lower Manhattan

http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/the_streets_of_lower_25650.asp


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/images/news/161r_newsletter_opener_lg.jpg

Conceptual drawings of proposed
renovations to Fulton Street

September 19, 2005

Lower Manhattan, particularly south of Chambers Street, is home to some of the city's most multi-functional streets in terms of traffic, utilities, parking, and pedestrians. Originally, the area was "mapped out" by the first Dutch settlers, when streets didn't accommodate anything wider than a carriage. Four centuries later, many streets throughout downtown still boast original street names, are laid out in almost identical patterns, and remain nearly as narrow as they began -- characteristics that make traffic and utility management more challenging here than in other parts of the city.

Each quarter, LowerManhattan.info produces a newsletter celebrating aspects of downtown that make the area a wonderful place to live, work, and visit. The latest issue showcases the streets of Lower Manhattan, providing a glossary of street names revealing their fascinating histories, interesting street facts, and detailed descriptions of the anatomy of a street. You'll also find useful information about the government agencies that keep streets flowing smoothly and the utilities they house in good form, descriptions of upcoming plans to revitalize major downtown roadways, and an information-rich map.

Copies of "The Streets of Lower Manhattan" newsletter are available now at many downtown businesses, organizations, residential buildings, and transportation hubs. For a full list of distribution locations, please click here (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/lowermanhattan_info_newsletter_distributors_23444. asp). Pick one up, or download a PDF version (http://www.lowermanhattan.info/extras/newsletters/LM_NEWS_V3I3.pdf)

[NYCResident]

February 10, 2006
Fulton Street Redevelopment Is Approved
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's board voted unanimously yesterday to spend $38 million to redevelop the Fulton Street neighborhood into what the organization's president, Stefan Pryor, called "a vibrant, mixed-use, river-to-river corridor."

Planned improvements include new sidewalks and curbs, benches, lighting fixtures, plantings and signs. The area, to be called the Fulton Corridor, will extend from Church Street to Water Street. It includes not only intersecting streets and those adjacent to Fulton Street, but also the site of the planned Fulton Street Transit Center. The development corporation proposed grants to property owners who agree to restore building facades according to new guidelines intended to emphasize the neighborhood's historic character.

Among other improvements, the development corporation plans to renovate Titanic Park at Fulton and Water Streets. DeLury Plaza, at Fulton and Gold Streets, will be expanded into a larger park, and a children's playground is to be built at Burling Slip, a block south of Fulton Street and east of Water Street.

[pianoman11686]

Downtown Express (http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_170/citylooks.html)

Volume 19 • Issue 13 | August 11 - 17, 2006

City looks to Fulton and beyond in East Side plan

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_170/plan.gif

By Janet Kwon

The city has expanded long-awaited plans to add park space and better storefronts to Fulton St., although construction on all parts of the project will not begin for several years.

Amanda Burden, chairperson of the Dept. of City Planning, though, told Downtown Express that things are “moving very very rapidly,” now that the money has been approved by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

The $38 million plan will begin an environmental review this fall, and while construction for certain elements of the plan is slated to begin fall 2007, construction for other parts may not start until 2009.

In addition to refurbishing the length of Fulton St., the updated plans now include renovating streets that sprout from Fulton — Nassau, William, Gold, Cliff, Pearl and John Sts. Fulton St. is being extended through the World Trade Center site, which will make the street the only direct connection between Battery Park City and the East River.

“Honestly, when you’re on Broadway, you’re not invited to walk down the street — it’s not inviting to walk down Fulton,” Burden said in a telephone interview. But after the storefronts and sidewalks are revamped and new lighting is added, “it should be one of the most fabulous walks in the city and it will be.”

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_170/planb.gif
City Planning images of the plan to improve the area around Fulton St.

In a presentation to Community Board 1’s Seaport/Civic Center Committee, Keith O’Connor, a Lower Manhattan senior planner with City Planning, told the board members and residents that in addition to these streetscape improvements, building facades along a stretch of Fulton St. will also be restored and improved. Construction for this phase of the project will likely begin in 2009.

“Construction will be phased based on the completion of the environmental review and ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure), as well as to coordinate construction with the other various projects planned for Fulton St. — transit hub, W.T.C. site and other streetscape improvements,” said Rachaele Raynoff, a City Planning spokesperson.

Also, the current Fulton St. plan boasts a new playground at Burling Slip, which will be designed by Rockwell Group, who will be working on the project pro bono. Construction for this playground, as well as upgrades and enhancements for the existing Pearl St. playground and the Titanic Memorial Park near Water St. is predicted to begin late 2007. The city had planned to build an apartment building on the Pearl St. playground but changed the plan after C.B. 1 raised objections.

Rockwell Group presented their ideas and philosophy behind creating a “play space” in Burling Slip that both parents and children can enjoy. However, because this was the first time the community was presented with this idea, the firm waited for community response before beginning the design process.

In addition to $38 million from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (approved by HUD), City Department of Transportation is also dedicating $5 million of its Federal Highway Administration funds to the project.

The community reaction to Burling Slip was positive, with the general consensus being that the neighborhood needs more space for children to play. It will take at least 18 months to begin construction on the playground, said Lawrence Mauro, a project manager for the City Department of Parks and Recreation. The 215-ft. by 70-ft. playground will be funded with the $38 million L.M.D.C. money, and Rockwell Group said they are exploring ways to raise private funds to match public funds for the project.

Committee member Linda Roche wondered if certain parts of the plan would suffer to make way for the updates of the plan.

O’Connor answered Roche with a resounding “no,” and assured her that the agencies involved are doing the most they can with the money they have.

“I’m taking him at his word,” Roche said of O’Connor’s response. “I’m just happy to see that they’re working on it… the park over at Burling Slip will be a great amenity to the community,” she added.

Board member Marc Donnenfeld, however, feels that expanding the project could mean a shortage of money.

“They expanded the scope of the job, and generally when you do that, you always need more money,” Donnenfeld said, adding, “You put paint on the wall, and if you’re going to paint a bigger wall, you need more paint.”

The Fulton St. reconstruction project grew out of Mayor Bloomberg’s 2002 vision to revive Lower Manhattan.

© 2006 Community Media, LLC

[LeCom]

130 Fulton after its rape is complete

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2006/07/476902.jpg

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2006/07/474437.jpg

[pianoman11686]

I walked through that area a few weeks ago, and was amazed at how it is still so filthy. I can't wait to see the results of some of the street improvements. That being said, it had an electric vibrancy to it, and I felt that I liked this gritty aspect that still exists on many streets downtown.

[lofter1]

This must be the POS responsible for that horror show at 130 Fulton (per DOB (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?passdocnumber=1&passjobnumber=101792632&requestid=3) Applications):

Architect: ELLIOT VILKAS ARCH

[ramvid01]

Is this the building with the urban outfitters at the bottom, or am i confusing this with another atrocity of an addition?

[ablarc]

If the folks at Zoning talked to the folks at Landmarks, they'd come up jointly with a formula for square-foot bonuses if the building's original treatment were replicated or sympathetically (and expensively) varied.

You could leave it up to the folks at Landmrks to decide when the addition's design hit the target --but not until you'd replaced the present Commission, every man-jack of them.

[ZippyTheChimp]

There are plenty of landmarked buildings in the Financial district, but except for pockets like Stone St and South St Seaport, the entire district is not landmarked.

130 Fulton is not a landmarked building, or this travesty would never have occurred. The fault is with the City Planning Commission.

[ablarc]

130 Fulton is not a landmarked building, or this travesty would never have occurred.
Not surprisingly, since the city's full of comparably ornate buildings. This isn't a landmark in the sense that Flatiron is a landmark.

In Britain they rate their landmarks into Category A, Category B, Category C, etc. There are different degrees of landmarkhood, and we could have different rules apply to each.

[ZippyTheChimp]

The problem with landmarking "secondary buildings" is that it is more time consuming to build a case for landmarking than the more obvious Flatiron.

City Planning has no appreciation for aesthetics. They are only concerned with cubes.

I'm sure this was discussed elsewhere; there is no city agency that is responsible for architectural standards. The City Arts Commission only has juristiction over city owned property.

So it's either landmarked or not, and Giuliani and Bloomberg have effectively silenced the LPC. Sometimes, complaints from groups such as the Municipal Arts Society prods City Planning to act, but it is the exception.

[ablarc]

^ You're describing the real world as it is; I'm talking about improving it.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Maybe it was a bit hidden, but I was talking about improving it.

there is no city agency that is responsible for architectural standards.

[ablarc]

^
Maybe it was a bit hidden, but I was talking about improving it.

there is no city agency that is responsible for architectural standards.
OK, right, it was there, but it slinked right by me disguised as a naysay...

Rather than start yet another agency and add yet another time-consuming step to the permitting process, how about getting Landmarks to do it? Czsz had a good idea: declare all of Manhattan a historic district, then they'd have to consider each proposed project.

But replace those rascals first with dedicated architecture buffs.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
LPC is bad enough as it is, but making it responsible for every building in the city would create a huge agency and dilute its main objective further.

Landmarking the entire island would be a good idea, but that would involve the same intensive research as is done on specific neighborhoods on a much larger scale. I doubt it would survive a court challenge by private property owners.

I think the only logical place for it is within the Dept of Buildings, who already have jurisdiction over all building work.

[ablarc]

I think the only logical place for it is within the Dept of Buildings, who already have jurisdiction over all building work.
Probably better than nothing, but I do suspect New York's building department is no more aesthetically enlightened than the ones I deal with daily.

They would have to set up a separate department and segregate it from contact with the safety and wheelchair folk --preferably in a separate building.

Then require at least a master's degree in Architecture, History of Art, or Fine Arts. Archaeology might also qualify.

[Luca]

As unbelievably atrocious/fugly as the addition is, I'm glad they saved the old facade, at least.

I walked down Fulton and some of its parallel streets on the way to the seaport, etc. It's gritty allright, but not depressing or anything. Nice to see they're adding a playground, in case I take the kiddies next time I'm in NYC.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Starting in July, Fulton St. will mostly be closed for over 2 years

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_216/fulton.gif
Fulton St., west of Gold, and the red-lined section of
Nassau St. will be closed to most traffic for the next 2 years.
Emergency vehicles will be allowed through and delivery
trucks will be able to get close to stores. The plan includes
expanding and renovating parks and plazas.

By Skye H. McFarlane

The good news is that Fulton St. is getting a major makeover. The bad news is that due to an ailing 150-year-old water main, the street will require radical plastic surgery instead of a simple trip to the Macy’s makeup counter.

And as with any surgery, there will be some pain before a prettier, healthier Fulton St. can emerge. A group of five city agencies appeared before neighborhood residents last Thursday to elaborate on the Fulton St. project, which will entail 90-hour work weeks, multiple street closures and nighttime water shut-offs en route to revamped streetscapes, spruced-up storefronts and new public parks. Traffic closures on the street will start sometime in July, perhaps as soon as July 9, and will last for 2 1/2 years.

“It’s going to be a challenging time,” Josh Wallack of the city’s Economic Development Corporation told residents and business owners during the informational meeting at Southbridge Towers. “Hopefully, we can bring a lot of good things on line more quickly than we would have ordinarily.”

The original E.D.C. plan for the area was to repave streets, fix sidewalks and install historically appropriate curbs and lighting, similar to what the Downtown Alliance has put into place elsewhere in Lower Manhattan. However, when city crews did test excavations last year, they discovered that Fulton St. concealed a 150-year-old water main that would need to be replaced within the next decade.

Replacing the water main, the city learned, would involve digging by hand through 5.5 feet of densely tangled utility systems — some of which are no longer operational. The painstaking utility work will add years of labor and millions of dollars to the cost of the project.

Working a standard, 40-hour week, the city estimated that the project would not finish up until 2015, a completion date it deemed “unacceptable.” Therefore, representatives from the Departments of Transportation, Design and Construction, Transportation, Planning, and Parks came up with a plan to fast-track the part of the project closest to the new Fulton Transit Hub, which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hopes to open in 2009.

Starting sometime in the next few weeks, Fulton St. from Church St. to Gold St. will be closed to through traffic for the better part of two-and-a-half years. In 2008, most of Nassau St. from Fulton St. to Spruce St. will also be closed. As many as 10 crews will be working on the project at once from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.

In addition, crews will work through the night to replace the water main, so that necessary water shut-offs will not affect local businesses during the day. Each block will lose its overnight water service for a period of roughly two weeks, and that will likely start later in the summer or in the fall. In order to avoid digging up the same street repeatedly for new projects or repairs, as has happened on Maiden Lane, the city is insisting that private utility companies use the same trenches and contractors to complete any work they need to do in the area. The city will also install an additional water main during the project.

Agency representatives at Thursday’s meeting said that they understand that residents and business owners do not care whether it is the city or a private utility digging up the street — it is the city’s responsibility to make sure that the work proceeds as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

With the aggressive schedule, the city hopes to finish the first, and most arduous, phase of the project by Sept. 2009. During that time, half of each block will remain paved, so that emergency vehicles and local deliveries can access the street. Pedestrians will also be able to get through. Movement will become challenging in 2009, however, when the Nassau and Fulton St. closures will be compounded by three other D.O.T. repaving projects — a full street closure on Beekman St. and lane closures on Peck Slip, Maiden Lane and Liberty St.

Residents at the meeting gasped when they heard this news, saying that locals, taxis and naïve tourists will likely become trapped in the labyrinth of closed-off streets. Because most of the street closures will affect westbound thoroughfares, the D.O.T. is considering reversing the traffic direction on Spruce and Platt Sts. during the heaviest construction period. There may also be restrictions on parking and delivery times.

What most of the residents wanted to see, however, is enforcement of the city’s current parking regulations. Most of the streets in the area are already choked to a halt, they said, by illegally parked cars sporting government placards.

“Traffic here is a horror now,” said Seaport resident John Ost. “People just cannot get out of here as it is. You say that the N.Y.P.D. will be in charge of enforcing the traffic regulations and frankly, that worries me.”

A study by Transportation Alternatives last fall showed that police officers abuse their parking privileges more frequently than members of any other agency. A Downtown Express investigation in October found that even cars with expired, invalid or phony police permits were not given tickets on Fulton St. Residents at the meeting worried that closing so many streets, without also ticketing and towing illegal parkers, will turn the remaining streets in the neighborhood into impassable government parking lots.

The city officials did not respond to placard parking questions at the meeting, but the D.O.T. is currently studying the proliferation of placards in Lower Manhattan. A city source later said privately, “The city recognizes that the misuse of placards for parking is an issue in Lower Manhattan and we are looking at ways to address it.”

In 2009 or 2010, the agencies will start phase two of the Fulton St. project — the utility work in front of Southbridge Towers and streetscape renovations on William, Gold, Cliff, Pearl and John Sts. The second phase of the project will also include improvements to Titanic Park on the east side of Pearl St. and an expansion of the Pearl St. playground on the west side of Pearl St. The access lane next to the Pearl St. playground will be closed off and turned into a pedestrian plaza.

“We’re very excited to actually close that street and create a new public space,” said Joshua Kraus of D.O.T.

The city also hopes to create new public space in 2009, at the end of the first phase of the project. At Fulton and Gold Sts., the D.O.T. plans to eliminate the hazardous traffic triangle that currently allows cars to wheel north onto Gold St. without signaling or stopping. The intersection will become a standard crossing with a traffic light. If the city can arrange to purchase a small chunk of land from Southbridge, the Parks Department would then build a new park, called DeLury Square, on the excess curbside.

In late summer or early fall, E.D.C. will unveil the final component of its Fulton St. plan — an incentive program to encourage façade renovations. Though its terms have not yet been finalized, the program will work in spirit like the National Register system, using financial rewards (instead of punitive regulations) to encourage building owners to bring their structures back up to historically appropriate standards. This would include getting rid of garish signs and worn-down, late-20th century storefronts.

All told, the streetscape and façade programs will cost $38 million, provided by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. As yet, it is unclear how much it will cost to complete the water main and utility work. Part of the project will use $6.5 million in emergency repair funds from the Federal Highway Administration, with the city paying for the balance of the work.

Although there will be work going on day and night for the next two years, Wallack told the crowd that the construction will seldom be noisy, since crews must dig by hand and will often be working several feet below street level.

The Department of Design and Construction will have community liaisons in the neighborhood to work with community members and resolve day-to-day issues. Problems can also be directed to the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, which can be accessed by calling 3-1-1. The agencies pledged to hold repeated public meetings as the project moves forward.

“What we commit to you is that we won’t disappear,” Kraus told the residents. “We will come back and let you know what is going on…Just try to remember that there are exciting things in store when this is over.”

Skye@DowntownExpress.com

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_216/startinginjuly.html

[ablarc]

In late summer or early fall, E.D.C. will unveil the final component of its Fulton St. plan — an incentive program to encourage façade renovations. Though its terms have not yet been finalized, the program will work in spirit like the National Register system, using financial rewards (instead of punitive regulations) to encourage building owners to bring their structures back up to historically appropriate standards. This would include getting rid of garish signs and worn-down, late-20th century storefronts.
Should do this all over the city.

Think how much Bond Street would benefit from this. It would also get all those missing cornices put back; Harlem would look even better.

[brianac]

Burling Slip Playground

Daily Activities

The following information was last updated on May 19, 2008.
The project transmitted for bid on February 15, 2008. The bid is being scheduled. Section U materials have been coordinated with private utilities and sewer work in coordination with DEP. The contract requires law department and LMDC approval. Construction started planned for mid-summer.

© 2008 Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center/LMDC

[Sherpa]

The LMDC info website indicated a while back that "double shifts" would be put in by the Judlau union blokes, but every time I walk by (which is frequent and not at lunchtime) all I see are guys standing around (one or two smoking cigars) trying to look like they are busy... did the funding get dragged out over the longer time period such that they are also only working single shifts perhaps... I never see any workers after 6pm! By my reckoning the Fulton st work will be finished MUCH later than we all were lead to believe.

[stache]

will this result in lead poisoning? ;)

[Sherpa]

Good point..and there's so much hubbub about the need to detox the old Deutsche bank building while we are walking by all those open pipes for years.

[Sherpa]

I spy with my little eye!

No progress!