Debunking conspiracy theorists, new report shows that a major fire, not an explosion, caused 7 WTC’s collapse. [NY Times]

LES tenants accuse landlord of harassing residents with rent-regulated apartments. [City Room]

Queens gets an unprecedented apology from Con Edison for 2006 blackout. [City Room]

Curbed previews new "Curbed Marketplace." [Curbed]

DOB’s maligned self-certification program—where architects get to approve their own building plans—would cost $7.5 million to scrap. [Curbed]

Monthly report from the Real Estate Group of New York says “rental market continues to soften in its summer slump.” [TREGNY via Curbed]

Kellogg’s—the (in)famous diner off the Lorimer stop in Williamsburg—finally gets its makeover.  read more »

Last November--on what must have surely been a sad day for the kind of New Yorker who obsesses over 17-room Fifth Avenue apartments with ballroom ceilings imported from 17th-century Venetian palaces and marble staircases carved from Michelangelo’s quarry--the Kress family’s famous penthouse duplex at 1020 Fifth Avenue was taken off the market.

At that time, a source told The Observer that the listing, which, oddly, hadn’t been given to any one broker (though certain shiny-shoed brokers from certain brokerages were allowed to advertise the duplex on their Web sites), had come off the market because of “loose ends” that had to be cleared up by the estate.  read more »

First came the overhaul of the old Jewish Hospital into quasi-luxury rentals. Then came Saje. Chavella's. Bristen's. Two clothing boutiques. The beer garden. Abigail. The gentrification of Crown Heights -- in all of its prickly glory -- continues apace with the impending arrival of Lily & Fig Fine Cakes and Confections on Franklin Avenue and Park Place.

The high-end sweeterie sells its Florette cake (above) -- which is described on the store's Web site as "[f]our layers of chocolate sponge with a raspberry ganache filling, coated with your choice of Belgian dark or white chocolate icing and topped with an exquisite corsage of sugar-paste flowers" -- for $75.  read more »

Gay-rights activist Storme DeLarverie -- who famously punched a cop during the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion -- will be honored tonight during an exhibit of artworks at the famously arty Chelsea Hotel, where Ms. DeLarverie also resides.

"The Stonewall Veterans Association is bringing the blue Cadillac for Storme," said event organizer and abstract painter Susan Olmetti, referring to the convertible Ms. DeLarverie often commandeers for the city's annual Gay Pride Parade.

The event, which begins at 6 p.m. at the famous hotel, located at 222 W. 23rd St., will also feature live portraiture by noted artist Antony Zito.

Full details are as follows:

MEDIA AVAILABLE: Aug.  read more »

It's potty time at the embattled Chelsea Hotel, where Arnold Tamasar has been hired as the new director of operations, replacing the much maligned former manager, Glennon Travis.

Chelsea Hotel gossip site Living With Legends notes that Mr. Tamasar is the former assistant director of housekeeping and style at the W New York Times Square Hotel, where he earned accolades from toilet tissue giant Kimberly-Clark for maintaining restrooms with the highest standards of cleanliness and ambiance:

The restrooms overflow with greenery. There are three tiers of wheat grass, Egyptian green limestone and white oak doors with gingko leaves embedded in the frosted glass. For special occasions such as weddings or wine tastings, the hotel adds an extra touch by providing a restroom attendant to hand out towels.

His expertise should come in handy at the old Chelsea, where plumbing issues are quite prevalent.

John Gallagher, who served as first deputy press secretary for Mayor Bloomberg until he quit in early June, is moving into the real-estate and development business, taking a newly created job with the title Director/Vice President of Public Affairs for Tishman Construction.

Mr. Gallagher's not a stranger to the development world; his City Hall job included work on economic development, PlaNYC and the city budget. He starts his gig at Tishman early next month, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The move comes as the city is tightening its oversight of the construction industry, an industry where Tishman is a giant, responsible for building the Freedom Tower, the new Goldman Sachs headquarters and the Bank of America tower near Bryant Park.  read more »

Report finds significant “communication lapses” marred response to Deutsche Bank fire in 2007. [NY Times]

Paterson opens up about his first five months in the hot seat. [NY Times]

Experts express doubt over Bloomberg's windmill proposal. [NY Times]

Windfarm developers offer more comment on windmill proposal. [NYDN]

After a five-year-old’s fatal fall down an elevator shaft, a busted elevator finally gets some attention. [NYDN]

Madison Square Park on the verge of a residential renaissance. [NY Post]

Gimme Shelter: Mike Piazza puts his $6.8 million Tribeca loft on the market to look for snazzier quarters; the Plaza gets a new tenant; a stubborn Park Ave.  read more »

Vornado Realty Trust isn't hell-bent on demolishing the historic Hotel Pennsylvania, anymore -- but it's putting the paperwork in place, just in case.

Vornado recently applied for a Certification of No Harassment from the city, which, if granted, would by no means guarantee demolition but is apparently a prerequisite for tearing down the semi-grungy hotel across from Penn Station.

Vornado, which owns that site and many others in the area, hasn't made up its mind on what to do with the hotel (at least not publicly), and last word was that the company would do one of three things: put a giant office tower in its place, put a smaller office tower in its place with large retail, or simply spruce up the hotel.  read more »

Retail leases are up, along with rents, along Fifth Avenue’s key shopping blocks. [NY Times]

The fabulous 100 Eleventh Ave. condo—designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Jean Nouvel—is fabulously over budget and behind schedule. [WSJ]

The Brooklyn D.A.’s office begins investigation into the death of Jacob Neuman—the five-year-old boy who fell down an elevator shaft yesterday in his South Williamsburg housing complex. [City Room]

New Vere condo heralds the rejuvenation of Long Island City’s Jackson Avenue. [Curbed]

Surprise, surprise. The Gottliebs win the hotly-contested auction of the Gottlieb Building—a nearly vacant five-story apartment building on Horatio Street. [Curbed]

Developers of Park Avenue condo sue the building’s general contractor over fire and construction delays.  read more »

The Paterson administration has replaced Port Authority board commissioner Christy Ferer with Fred Hochberg, a former Clinton administration official at the Small Business Administration and dean of Milano, the New School's center for management and urban policy.

While the Paterson administration generally announces such nominations beforehand, this one went in quietly and stayed that way until it was done, as the state Senate last night voted to confirm Mr. Hochberg for the unpaid position on the agency's board.

Ms. Ferer, whose term expired last year, was appointed to the board by Governor Pataki in 2004. Her husband was  read more »