7/30/2019 W. 13th St. Gazette 5

1/3

Annual Meeting:Election of Officers

Tuesday, February 9,

1999, 8P.M.Kat h e r ine Hou se ,118 W. 13t h St .

Agenda: Installation of Lampposts

Acquisition of Planters

Sidewalk RepairNew Business or Su estions

W. 13th St.GazetteVoice of the W. 13th St. 100 Block Association, Inc., 143 W. 13th Street, Suite 105, New York, N.Y. 10011

Issue No. 5 February 1999

Association Lights the Way to a New Victorian EraOur Association, under the aegis of the Greenwich Village Alliance (GVA), has obtained a $35,000 grant for theinstallation of old-fashioned bishops crook street lampposts for our block. These antique-style posts, which

will replace all the modern ones on the block, will add to our streets Victorian ambiance.The grant was obtained largely through the joint efforts of our Treasurer, Bill Borenstein and the office of

Councilman (now ex-Councilman) Tom Duane. Bill is also co-chair of our Beautification Committee, and Tom

is now our State Senator. We deeply appreciate their excellent work in this endeavor.We also gratefully acknowledge the GVAs formal sponsorship of our effort and the gracious cooperation

of the 12th Street Block Association (5th to 7th Avenues) and the Upper West 13th Street Block Association(5th to 6th Avenues). Together we have all achieved a glowing grassroots victory in the continuing restorationof our already historic neighborhood.

A Message from thePresident

My most gratifying momentas the President of this BlockAssociation came on Nov.

17th when I received a

telephone call from ScottMelvin of Councilman

Duanes office. Scottconfirmed that the City hadapproved our request for

money to install old-fashioned lampposts on our block.

These lamps will complement the historic char-

acter of our block, further enhancing the blocksunique charm. They will stand as a permanent shin-

ing addition to the beauty of our neighborhood.

Every member of the Association can take pride inthis fine accomplishment.Gary Tomei

Association Eases Traffic Flow

After more than a year of pleasby the Association, the

Department of Transportationchanged the parking rules on our

block last March. We now haveno parking 8-6 Mon., Wed. &Fri. on the north side and noparking Tues., Thurs. & Sat. on

the south. Sunday parking is allowed on both sides.These changes have improved the flow of traffic,

decreased horn blowing, and lessened pollutionfrom vehicular emissions.

Also, the City & Country School and the Asso-

ciation working together succeeded in installing yel-low school crossing signs on 13th St. near theschool, and markings on the roadway

Association Assists in Zoning Victory

Last year, in a storefront at 106 W. 13th that had

been vacant for several years, Sieglers used furni-

ture store became a

neighbor. Before movingto our block, Sieglers hadbeen on West 11th Street

for over 100 years. Thevacant site had attractedvagrants and accumulated

litter. Therefore, the

Block Associationwelcomed this newest

commercial addition.Two residents, how-

ever, opposed the storefor reasons that were

never made clear. These individuals objected to the

stores request for a variance. The store need-ed thevariance because the space it occupies had been va-cant for so long that, under the zoning law, it could

no longer be used for commercial purposes as of

right.Earlier this year, representatives of the Associa-

tion attended various meetings: first the ZoningCommittee of the Community Board; second, theCommunity Boards monthly general meeting; and

third, the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), acity tribunal that decides zoning matters. While theAssociation supported Sieglers request for a vari-

ance, its support was contingent upon the prohibi-tion of objectionable uses such as a bar or a disco.

Over the summer, the BSA granted Sieglers a

variance that protects the block completely becausein the event that Sieglers moves, no commercial

use other than the current use (a furniture store) willbe permitted. This achieves the Associations goalof ridding the block of areas that attract vagrants

and/or vermin and eliminates concerns about possi-ble future uses of the site.

Painter Stuart Davis Lived Here

Recently a plaque was placed on Cambridge House,

corner of 13th St. and 7th Ave. The plaque reads:STUART DAVIS (1892-1964)

7/30/2019 W. 13th St. Gazette 5

2/3

Page 2

Stuart Davis, circa 1932

Rapt at Rappaports

(1952)

On this site, the American artist Stuart Davis

maintained his studio and residence from 1934 to

1954. It was here that he painted many of his most

important works including: Hot Still-Scape for Six

Colors--7th Avenue Style (1940); Ouh! In San

Pao (1951); and Rapt at Rappaports (1952).

Davis painted for six decades and was an

original and important force in American art. He

also was an active part of the flourishing academic,

intellectual, art, and jazz life of Greenwich Village.

Dedicated by Cambridge Owners Corp. 1998

Two posters in the lobby of Cambridge House

advertise a 1997 exhibit of Daviss work at thePeggy Guggenheim collection in Venice.

Stuart Davis is gen-

erally considered the out-standing American artist

to work in a Cubistidiom. Using naturalforms, particularly formssuggesting the

characteristic environ-ment of American life,

he rear-ranged them into flatposter-like patterns with

precise outlines and sharplycontrasting col-ors. He later

went over to pure abstractpatterns, into which he oftenintroduced lettering, sugges-

tions of advertisements, posters, etc. However ab-stract his works became he always claimed thatevery image he used had its source in observed real-

ity: I paint what I see in America, in other words Ipaint the American Scene.Stuart Davis is represented by Andrew Kelly of

the Salander-OReilly Gallery, 20 E. 79th St. (212)879-6606

Grungy Nearby Building Going Upscale

A development group has bought 510 Sixth Ave.

with plans to convert the 10-story building, whichextends from 13th to 14th Sts. along the east side ofSixth Ave., into 98 luxury condominiums. The

building once housed Macys (see article below).The developer hopes to attract good-quality retailfor the ground-floor space. The buildings main

tenant, FEGS, a social service agency, is locating toa site downtown.

A representative of the purchaser says the

building is worth the $47.5 million paid for it. Ithink it will provide as good a quality of life asanywhere in the Village. Renovations should be

finished within a year and a half. Several otherlarge retailers expect soon to open large stores on14th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Macys First N.Y. Site Was Here

In 1857, Rowland Hussey Macy opened a small

fancy dry goods store at 510 6th Avenue. The en-trance on 6th Avenue was just 100 feet north of ourcorner of 13th Street.

Until a few years ago, on the 14th Street side of

the building, the word Macys and a red star hadbeen visible. The red star was the symbol of the

whaling ship that Macy had captained just beforeopening his first store.

The store started small, measuring some 20 feet

wide and 60 feet long, and specialized in dress andmillinery trimmings. The first days sales totaled$11.06. The years sales were $90. All customers

paid cash including members of the Macy family.At a time when haggling was standard practice

in retailing, Macys introduced the one-price system

so that every customer paid the same price. Addi-tionally, Macys was the first retailer to quote spe-

cific prices in newspaper ads, to offer money-backguarantees, and to sell made-to-measure garments,

which were sewn in a

factory on the premises.Also, Macys appointed thefirst woman executive in re-

tail.From 1857 to 1877,

Macys expanded to occupy

the complex that remainstoday, consisting of 11adjacent storefronts, thus

becoming a complete department store. R.H. Macydied in 1877, but the operation he founded openedsuccessor stores in other parts of Manhattan, finally

settling at Herald Square in 1902.

Please Consider Your Neighbor

The Association reminds one and all that, after 11P.M. or so, loud music should be lowered and rau-cous parties toned down and confined to the inside

of ones home.

Trees and Flowers

The Parks Department, responding to requests fromthe Association, trimmed the blocks trees lastspring. We hope this will not only help beautify the

block, but will keep our trees healthy and add yearsto their lives.

We are still also working on obtaining planters

for the east end of the block. Once these are ob-tained, we hope that those with residences closest to

the planters will make sure the trees in the plantersare well watered and maintained.

For the second year in a row, residents planted

flowers last spring. The tree boxes were dug up,fertilized, and mulched.

Change of Address

The new mailing address for the Association is:W. 13th St. 100 Block Association

143 W. 13th St., Suite 105

New York, New York 10011

7/30/2019 W. 13th St. Gazette 5

3/3

Page 3

This newsletter is published by Alan Jacobs, with

contributions from Gary Tomei, Nancy Deckinger,

Harriet Brand, and Bill Borenstein. Submissions

welcome. Drop them with the doorman at 105 W.

13th St., marked 11E. Or e-mail them to:

alanjj@sprintmail.com.