Community groups gain access to withheld documents since Columbia University and ESDC hired same consultant. Columbia University hired AKRF, a prominent planning firm, to help gain agency approvals for its controversial expansion into Manhattanville. Two months later, the Empire State Development Corporation hired AKRF to conduct a blight study needed to determine if the use of eminent domain as part of Columbia’s plan was appropriate. Columbia paid AKRF’s consulting fees for preparing the blight study … <Read More>
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St. John the Divine project withstands EIS lawsuit
Court dismissed action because new environmental review would not restore scenic views. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine leased part of its 11-acre campus to a developer, who built an 18-story residential building on West 110th Street at the corner of Cathedral Parkway and Morningside Drive. When local residents opposed the project, the developer agreed to make an honest effort to ensure that the building would qualify as an “80/20 building” under which … <Read More>
Paul Goldberger discusses design, projects, and people
Paul Goldberger, the New Yorker’s architectural critic, previously spent 25 years as the architecture critic for the New York Times. Goldberger received a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for distinguished criticism, and has authored several books, most recently Up From Zero, an examination of the process of developing the former World Trade Center site.
Originally an English student at Yale, Goldberger felt himself continually drawn to architecture, journeying all night to see le Corbusier buildings and … <Read More>
Christopher Albanese on Building Green in the Big Apple
Christopher V. Albanese is Executive Vice President of the Albanese Organization, a nearly 60-year-old real estate development and management firm founded by his father and uncle, now known for its innovative environment-friendly developments.
Albanese grew up in Queens and attended Cornell University where he majored in Economics. Following a stint at Coldwell Banker after college, he joined the family business in 1987. After three years, he left to pursue his law degree at St. John’s … <Read More>
Courtyard garage questioned
Garage with landscaped roof garden proposed for courtyard of 19th century housing complex. On May 20, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on a proposal by the Pinnacle Group to build a two-level garage in the courtyard of the Riverside Houses in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. The complex was developed by philanthropist Alfred T. White in 1890 to provide attractive housing for the working classes, while giving residents maximum access to light and air. In the … <Read More>
Union Square Park restaurant on hold
- The City was forced to halt construction on the pavilion at Union Square Park. Photo: Jonathan Reingold.
Judge issued a temporary restraining order, thwarting the City’s plan to install a restaurant in Union Square Park. In 2004, the City announced plans for a $14 million renovation of the entire north end of Union Square Park, with the Union Square Partnership contributing $6 million for the effort.
Under the plan, the park’s pavilion would be renovated … <Read More>