Final MTA Mulry Square Designs Unveiled

Last night the MTA presented their final designs for an emergency ventilation plant on Mulry Square, the triangular parking lot at the southwest corner of 7th Avenue South and Greenwich Avenue. Get more info and photos from Off The Grid…

Final MTA Mulry Square Vent Plant Designs Unveiled.

Help Save The Chelsea Market Tonight At 6:30pm

The Community Board 4 Meeting on Chelsea Market is tonight at 6:30pm at 119 9th Avenue at 17th Street. At issue is a plan to build two large towers at either end of the market. Go to NearSay to read more…

“The current zoning does not allow any additional construction on the site, but a new owner, Jamestown Properties, has expressed a desire to rezone the site to allow a commercial tower to be erected over the 10th Avenue end of the complex and a hotel at the 9th Avenue end.”

via Save Chelsea Market June 1 – West Village & Greenwich Village Local News – gvshp.

Fat Black Pussycat Sign Gone

More from Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY about the historic Fat Black Pussycat sign on Minetta Street that was painted over on Wednesday…

“Says the tipster, “The faded remnants of The Fat Black Pussycat Theatre sign on Minetta St. was painted over on Wednesday by the owners of Panchito’s Restaurant. Tour groups would often stop to see the faded signage and the building where Dylan wrote ‘Blowin’ In The Wind.’ It’s stupefying… neighbors were yelling at the painters as they were quickly painting over the signage.”

via Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York: Pussycat Gone.

Fat Black Pussycat Sign Painted Over By Panchito’s

Lost City spotted a comment on Ephemeral New York’s site noting that the Fat Black Pussycat sign above the back entrance to Panchito’s on Minetta Street had been painted over.

The Fat Black Pussycat coffee bar first opened as The Commons in 1958 and took on the Fat Black Pussycat name after its expansion in 1962. By 1972 The Fat Black Pussycat was gone and Panchito’s was in. Still, the legacy of The Fat Black Pussycat has loomed large as people like Bob Dylan, Bill Cosby, Mama Cass Eliot, and Richie Havens all played there.

The Fat Black Pussycat sign with its faded black and red letters became iconic over the years and was an attraction in itself for people who wanted to catch a small glimpse of what Minetta Street might have looked like on the night Bob Dylan sat in The Fat Black Pussycat and wrote Blowin’ In The Wind.

Lost City: Bye Bye Black Pussycat.

Elaine’s May Become P.J. Clarke’s

The Upper East Side celebrity hotspot Elaine’s, which recently closed, may be taken over by P.J. Clarke’s. Though they now have several locations, the original P.J. Clarke’s on 3rd Avenue and 55th Street was once frequented by Frank Sinatra, Jackie Kennedy, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mercer, among others. Here’s more from the NY Post…

The Posts Jennifer Gould Keil learned, however, that the place may be reborn under the name of another famous restaurateur. The owners of P.J. Clarkes are negotiating to buy Elaines and reopen it as part of their chain.

via Elaines finale – NYPOST.com.

Elaine's May Become P.J. Clarke's

The Upper East Side celebrity hotspot Elaine’s, which recently closed, may be taken over by P.J. Clarke’s. Though they now have several locations, the original P.J. Clarke’s on 3rd Avenue and 55th Street was once frequented by Frank Sinatra, Jackie Kennedy, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mercer, among others. Here’s more from the NY Post…

The Posts Jennifer Gould Keil learned, however, that the place may be reborn under the name of another famous restaurateur. The owners of P.J. Clarkes are negotiating to buy Elaines and reopen it as part of their chain.

via Elaines finale – NYPOST.com.

Revised Plan Broadens East Village Historic District

Due to resident’s protests the city has agreed to expand the proposed East Village Historic District. If approved, landmark designations could come as soon as July. Here’s more from The Local East Village…

“The buildings were almost crying out to be included in the district,” said Richard Moses, a member of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. “It makes sense to include them, they’re very strong architecturally, and there is a lot of cohesion in the streetscape.”

via Revised Plan Broadens Historic District – The Local East Village Blog – NYTimes.com.

Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate Now Open For Tours

Now through Sunday, November 6 you can tour Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate in Sleepy Hollow. Tours are daily except Tuesdays…

“This hilltop paradise was home to four generations of the Rockefeller family, beginning with the philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. His business acumen made him, in his day, the richest man in America. Now a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this extraordinary landmark has been continuously and meticulously maintained for almost 100 years.”

via Historic Hudson Valley – Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate.

Stand Up For The Essex Street Market Tonight

The Community Board 3 meeting on the future of the Essex Street Market is tonight at 6:30pm at 189 Allen Street. If you have strong feelings on the issue, this is a chance for your voice to be heard. The Lo-Down has the full story…

“Until now, the official word regarding the Essex Street Market location has been “We already know what we can build there.” This sentiment doesn’t reflect a large segment of our community and visitors to our neighborhood. Many have spent months expressing the opinion that our Essex Street Market is a living piece of history.”

via Community Organizer: Stand Up for Essex Street Market Wednesday Night | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side.

Help Create A Digital Guidebook To New York's Neon Signs

Project Neon needs your help building what will become a free iPhone app document the city’s neon signs. If you have an appreciation for these signs and would like to contribute to this project, visit Kickstarter to find out how you can help…

“I have been hard at work taking hundreds of photos and narrowing down a list of 100 of the best signs in the city. I’ve also been working on designing a beautiful, free, neon map app for iPhones that will tell you when you’re just around the corner from a killer sign. You’ll also be able to search for signs and rate them. And since Project Neon is here to celebrate signs we can all go see, the database of signs will be updated periodically.”

via Project Neon: A Digital Guidebook to New York’s Neon Signs by Kirsten Hively — Kickstarter.