Community Demonstrates Uniform Opposition to NYU's 385 Foot Hotel Tower on Bleecker
At last night's meeting of the Arts and Institutions Committee (Community Board 2) meeting, several hundred came out to hear about, and express their vehement opposition to, NYU's plan to build a 38 story hotel and apartment building on Bleecker St. as part of the historically landmarked Silver Towers complex. A number of veterans in the struggle to moderate the university's development in the village seemed exasperated at the ambitious new plans. One group of neighbors likened NYU to a monarch and its tenants to subjects:
Many in attendance objected to the piece-meal way NYU is presenting the details of its Plan 2031 to the community. Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's Andrew Berman suggested that the Arts and Institutions committee demand a broader picture of NYU's expansion plans in the village. By way of comparison with other prestigious universities, he shared a series of maps showing their campuses superimposed over NYU's footprint in Manhattan, and he noted that Community Board 1 has virtually begged NYU to move some of its facilities to the financial district.
Here are some photos from last night's meeting, and be sure to join our new Facebook group: NYU, Grow *AWAY* from the Village!
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Lifting Landmarking?
A troubling facet of NYU's latest presentation is that the university apparently expects to obtain permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to add a fourth structure to the landmarked I.M. Pei Silver Towers site.
This proposed overturning of landmark status and its implications should be of concern to all of us.
VV
Why?
Why is that the perfect spot for a university community? It sounds like most people think it's perfect because it's not in the Village.
Why Not?
Why ISN'T the Financial District a perfect spot for NYU growth?
Please review the Andrew Berman video.
While the Village is overwhelmed with university development, to the point of being eradicated, NYU and lower Manhattan are perfectly compatible, and that area is virtually begging for the university to extend some of its academic branches there.
From the New York Observer, 6/18/10:
The contrast between Greenwich Village and Financial District residents is revealing of the nature of the two neighborhoods. The Village is a low-rise area that is saturated with buildings, and almost any development requires the demolition of existing buildings. Very tall buildings, such as N.Y.U.'s dorm on 110 East 12th Street, a 26-story tower behind the facade of St. Anne's church, are deemed out of place in the area. (This building is still a sour point for many preservationists.)
Downtown, the cavernous buildings of Wall Street firms mean that N.Y.U. can have as much space as it wants, argue Village residents, and the community would welcome its presence. The Financial District is still transforming from a commercial neighborhood to a mixed-use one, and the presence of N.Y.U. would undoubtedly bolster its profile for prospective residents.
Greenwich Village is neither a university community nor a campus, but a thriving historic neighborhood of residents and businesses, long a haven for artists, writers, intellectuals, activists. This made it a major attraction for enrollees, and NYU fit well into that fabric until it sought to "conquer" the entire domain, turning it into New York University Village.
Those of us who have spent several years or several decades in Greenwich Village and are devoted to maintaining at least a vestige of the charmed quality of life we knew in this global landmark are indeed vehemently opposed to further expansion here.
VV
NYU please consider building CB1 /Deutsche Bank area
The Superblocks are are in danger of being oversaturated. I hope NYU will seriously explore the offer by CB1 to build at the Deutsche Bank space--it's a perfect spot for a university community and would help to revitalize the area. Win-win!
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