Last Friday, one year to the day after the death of the Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch, the Transom stood at the far west end of Atlantic Avenue, in a small but familiar neighborhood park in the shadow of the BQE, for a dedication ceremony in which Palmetto Playground would be renamed Adam Yauch Park. Read More
The Beastie Boys are back—with a book deal.
Mike D (Michael Diamond, IRL) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz, IRL) have signed a deal with an imprint of Random House, Spiegel & Grau, to release a book in 2015. The third Beastie, MCA (Adam Yauch, IRL), passed away last year after suffering from cancer, but will undoubtedly Read More
For a brief moment in the late summer, it seemed possible, if not probable, that the red brick row house at 186 Spring Street might become the first gay rights landmark in the city to be officially recognized by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the Soho rowhouse sheltered a number of prominent gay rights activists, among them Bruce Voeller (who was a leader in the fight against AIDS), Arnie Kantrowitz and Jim Owles, who was the president of the Gay Activists Alliance at the time he lived there, an influential organization that emerged in the aftermath of the Stonewall Riots. Until the spring, it belonged to another notable New Yorker, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz.
But on a rainy morning last week, the building was surrounded by neither city officials nor map-clutching tourists, but by a demolition crew tasked with tearing it down to make way for a seven-story luxury condo. Read More
It turns out that the federal-style rowhouse at 186 Spring Street has lots of friends in high places. Unfortunately, it may not have made them soon enough.
Today, in the latest bid to save the Soho townhouse from demolition, gay rights activists and local politicians rallied in front 186 Spring Street, highlighting the building’s role in gay rights and AIDS activism. The house served as a kind of gay commune for activists and organizations in the 1970s and early 1980s. Read More
Seller beware! In April, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz sold his SoHo townhouse to a Canadian developer, who claimed he wanted it for “personal use.”
Now The Village Voice is reporting that the new owner, Stephane Boivin, is seeking permission to demolish the property.Which doesn’t come as a huge surprise given that Mr. Boivin is planning a seven-story, mixed-use property adjacent to the Beastie abode, plus he already owns several other properties in the city. Read More
The crowd at New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl’s Fourth of July fireworks display tends to be a little bohemian for the region. Read More
From a New York point of view, the AP buried the lede here:
NEW YORK (AP) — Here’s something Madonna can really celebrate: a nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Madge joins heartland rocker John Mellencamp, the puckish rappers Beastie Boys and premier dance acts Donna Summer and Chic among the Read More
WATERGATE PROSECUTOR’S SON LEFT IN BOARD’S WAITING ROOM The co-op board of 998 Fifth Avenue is taking its sweet time in meeting the couple that signed a $16 million contract for the 16-room apartment of Archibald Cox Jr., son of the Watergate prosecutor. According to sources familiar with the deal, Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, 48, chairman of Read More
