By Kim Velsey 10/31/12 5:27pm

Making History

Like a rock: the Alice Austen house on Staten Island (the Historic House Trust).

Built To Last: New York’s Historic Houses and Ships Largely Unharmed By Hurricane

Their floors may creak, their plaster may crumble and their halls may be filled with daunting drafts, but New York’s old houses have proved their mettle through many a storm. Hurricane Sandy was no exception. The city’s historic mansions appear to have come through the hurricane basically unscathed, preservationists told The Observer, although at least one Lower Manhattan Landmark remains unaccounted for.

“We’ve been very lucky, none of our 23 houses sustained damage,” said Frank Vagnone, the executive director of the Historic House Trust. “And many of them were right in the path of the storm. The Alice Austen House, in particular. It’s right on the Verrazano Narrows.” Read More

By Matt Chaban 8/20/12 6:12pm

Best Laid Plans

5 Photos

Hudson Squared Off

Hudson Square Hallejujah: City Planning Certifies Trinity’s Transformation of Sleepy Neighborhood

Time to pray to the zoning gods. As expected, Trinity Real Estate brought its big plans to the City Planning Commission today—it is the largest private rezoning ever undertaken. The plan to bring residential development to the quiet blocks just west of Soho was met with quiet approval from the commission, though a few members of the zoning board expressed concern over whether or not a private applicant, and not the city, should be undertaking such a project. Read More

By Drew Grant 12/15/11 6:25pm

Occupy Wall Street

Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church

Occupiers Start to Uncover the Unhidden Truth About Trinity Church and Duarte Square

Two weeks ago, three Occupy Wall Street members began a hunger strike in front of Duarte Square. They were protesting Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church for not allowing them to use the empty lot owned by the church’s real estate arm, Hudson Square Properties. The demonstrators were arrested…twice…for trespassing on the church’s land.

It seemed like an odd battle to pick for Occupy Wall Street; especially since Trinity Church had provided the OWS with space to hold meetings, use WiFi and public facilities, and even join in discussions with religious leaders. But since Nov. 17th’s Day of Action saw members get arrested for trying to make a temporary camp in the empty lot, the Occupiers have focused their energy on guilting the church into just giving them the land.

Except, as we noted at the time, this was never going to happen. Read More