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Mail in your Dues.Mail in your Dues.Mail in your Dues.Mail in your Dues. Support your Block Association!Support your Block Association!Support your Block Association!Support your Block Association!

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. 8 February 2002

Presidents Message

As we celebrate a new year on 13th Street, we musttake time to reflect on the tragic events of Septem-ber 11, acknowledge the grief we all feel, and keep

in our hearts and in our thoughts the victims and he-roes of that horrific occurrence.

The officers of the Block Association wish you

the strength and patience to get through these diffi-cult times, and a prayer for peace in our lives andthe lives of all humankind. GARY TOMEI

Our Local Heroes

Fire Engine Squad 18 at 10th Street and GreenwichAve. lost seven firefighters on Sept. 11. They are:

Ff. Eric Allen Ff. Andy FredericksFf. Dave Halderman Ff. Timmy HaskellLt. Billy McGinn Ff. Manny Molica

Ff. Larry Virgillio

A fund has been set up for their families. Checksmay be made out to Squad 18 Family Fund, anddropped off at Fiddlesticks or World of Video, bothon Greenwich Ave. south of 11th St.

The Sixth Precinct also lost officers in the WTCdisaster. They are:

P.O. James Leahy Det. Claude (Dan) Richards

Checks for the P.O. James Leahy Memorial Fundmay be dropped off at or sent to the 6th Precinct a233 W. 10th St., 10014. Leahy was a 10-year vetproceeds will go to his family.

Checks in memory of Det. Richards, who was a 20-year veteran of the bomb squad, should be made out

to ESUBomb Squad Relief Fund. They may alsobe delivered to the 6th Precinct.

Our sympathies go out to the members of our locauniformed services, and to the families of the heroes.

Big Dig on 13th Street: Over ThreeYears of Subway Vent Construction

The NYC Transit Authority will begin 39months of construction this spring on two new fan

plants to ventilate the subway. If the start date isthis April, the projected end date will be July 2005

It will be the most disruptive project on our blocksince the mid-1960s, when the express tracks weredug underneath the 6th Avenue local.

The project will rehabilitate and expand the

plants that now vent out air from the subway, re-placing the current 3 fans with 7 that can blow air inanddraw air out. Four of these fans, comprising thewest fan plant, will be on our side of 6th Ave.

We will know that the project has begun when

Annual MeetingAgenda:

The Big Dighow bad is it going to be?New School dormbeer busts or Bolshevik dialectics?

Also: election of officers

Thurs., Feb. 21, 2002 7:30P.M.At t h e Mark le Resid en ce

123 W 13 th St ree t4 t h Floo r Lou ng e

!Flags on 13th St., 9/16/01"

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workers start exploratory drilling to see whatsdown there. The schedule from that point will be:1. First 6 months: excavation, building retaining

structures at perimeter.2. Second 6 months: contractor submits detailed

plans for elements based upon excavation.

3. Second year: installation & rebuilding utilities.4. Third year: installation of electrical and me-

chanical systems for new fan plant.At a community meeting on November 29,

principals in the project handed out an informationsheet about the project, including their phone num-

bers. They promised to do all that they can to makelife bearable during construction.

Steve Strauss, NYC Transit Government & Community Rela-tions, (718) 694-5135Carlo Bergonzo, Construction Manager, (646) 252-4788Sam Mukerji, Resident Engineer, (646) 252-4794

Attendees at the meeting were most disheart-

ened by the officials indications that, although thework hours section of the information sheet prom-

ises that work will occur from 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.,and not on weekends or evenings, in fact the con-tractors will not be restricted to those hours. They

may work until 8 P.M., and on weekendsboth Sat-urdays and Sundays. (Overtime wage rules mightsave us from those horrors.)

Big Dig Issues for Our Block

1. NOISE! (a) There will be a lot of jackham-

mering at various points during the project. Notcontinuous for 39 months, but intermittent. (b) Toeliminate the kerchunk kerchunk if boards or steel

plates were to replace the roadway, removable as-phalt blocks, much less noisy, will be used instead.(c) Once installed, the fans will be tested, causing a

big whoosh 20 minutes each month.

2. ITS BIG! Our block will be excavatedfrom north building line to south building line,

istarting just west of 6th Ave. and extending past theparking garage.

3. RATS! Rats will likely to be roused by the

construction. The contractor is responsible for raextermination.

4. Access. Our access to all buildings, shopsand garage is assured by the NYCTA.

5. Getting through. There will always be atleast one car lane and one pedestrian lane availableThe pedestrian lane will be suitable for wheelchairs.

6. Utilities will be shut down periodically--with

notice to residents--during overnight hours.7. GOOD NEWS: The rest of the block

should get less traffic as cars, trucks, and buses turn

away rather than squeeze through the funnelMoreover, the subways will become safer.

What Can We Do to Minimize Disruptions?

The block associations (ours and the Upper W13th St. B.A., between 5th & 6th Aves.) and coop

boards must work with the principals listed to theleft. We must demand that Department of Trans-

portation supply an officer to control traffic and de-ter vagrancy. In addition, everyone call the officialswhen they have problems because of the dig, and lethe Block Association know about it.

(Thanks to Bob McCarthy, Seth Medwick, and David

Reck for their help in compiling this article.aj)

Real Estate Market After 9/11 Still Strong

Real estate sales for 2001 and particularly since9/11 were at somewhat lower prices than in year 2000all over town. However, the market for sales andrentals in New York and on our block is still strong.

The Katherine House at 116-120 West 13th hasbeen purchased by the New School. Informed sourcestell us that it will be used as a dormitory.

A two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at 143 W. 13(the former church complex) sold for $929,000; a onebedroom in a townhouse sold for $425,000; and a stu-dio in a doorman building sold for $280,000.

Currently, two bedrooms with 1-1/2 or two bathsrange from $559,000 to $775,000, and studios areavailable at $215,000 and $199,000. Several town-houses on our block are currently for sale at prices

ranging from $2.8 to $3.6 million. Rentals range from$1,550 to $1,900 monthly for studios, and up to$3,500 monthly for a parlor floor-through

(Above information provided by Block Association membe

Kitty Sorell, Corcoran Group, 539-4968.)

Site of the Dig

Attn: HOMEOWNERS IN G.V. HISTORIC DISTRICT

The National Architectural Trust affords homeowners in theG.V. Historic District the opportunity to register their homewith the Trust and obtain a significant charitable tax deduc-tion amounting to about 11% of a homeowners taxable in-come. A seminar regarding this program will be held at 4Wash. Sq. N. on Thurs., Jan. 31 at 7:30 P.M. For further inf

and to reserve a seat at the seminar, call 888-831-2107.

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Officers of the Block Association: Gary Tomei, Presi-dent; Nancy Deckinger, 1st Vice-President; Alan Jacobs,2nd Vice-President; Robert Kittine, Secretary; BillBorenstein, Treasurer. Steering committee includes: Of-ficers plus Dorothy Graham (Beautification Committeechair); Larry Fruchter (Community Relations chair).

Newsletter published by Alan Jacobs, 727-7462, orajacobs@nyc.rr.com. Contributors: Gary Tomei, BillBorenstein, Nancy Deckinger, Kitty Sorell.

Daffodils of Remembrance

In the aftermath of the tragic events of Septem-ber 11, a Dutch businessman and the city of Am-

sterdam sent New York a gift of one million daffo-dil bulbs. These were distributed throughout thecity to be planted as a remembrance to those we

lost. Our Block Association obtained over 500 ofthe bulbs from the NYC Department of Parks.Along with the students of City & Country School,

many residents have planted them in our tree pits,planters, and gardens. This spring, the bloomingdaffodils will signify remembrance and renewal.

Tree Pits

Each year the 32 tree pits along our block are

fertilized. In 2001, all the trees were trimmed andone was cabled. Some of the iron fence guardswere replaced and some were repaired. If we have

the permission of the homeowner, we plant flowersand maintain them over the summer.

Flags, Plants, Decorations Stolen;Graffiti & Litter; Lights Stop Crime

After the unprecedented WTC tragedy, manyneighbors displayed American flags, some of which

then were stolen. While we do not believe that ourneighbors stole them, we also wonder whether anyof these acts of desecration were seen but ignored

by people living on the block. A more alert and co-

operative Block Association membership can lessenthese affronts to our peace, tranquility, and security.If you do see an act of vandalism, a crime or a

violation occurring, please intervene, either person-

ally or by calling the police. [911 or 741-4811]While the flag incidents are rare, there have

also been thefts of plants, outdoor planters, holiday

wreaths, and holiday lights.We have been reasonably successful keeping our

block free from graffiti and litter. Periodically weremove graffiti and stickers from the Rite-Aid wall,

lampposts, mailboxes and signs along the block and at

our corners. We have complained to the stores thadistribute flyers, which quickly become litter. Moshave been responsive to our requests.

Lights vs. Crime: Weve been successful in rid-

ding our street of major crimes. One reason is thawe keep the block well lit at night. Report anystreetlamp malfunction and insist upon quick repair

[442-7070] Also, please maintain lights in front of

your buildings and keep them on all night.

Garbage Can Enclosures

The garbage can enclosures at the corners ofour block have been well-received. While they do

overflow occasionally from heavy use, they holdmuch more than the smaller wire mesh cans, andthey keep the contents out of sight. Our gratitude

goes to the Galileo store at 13th St. and SeventhAve. and the Spring Health Food store at 13th Stand Sixth Ave. for their constant vigilance in keep-

ing their corners clean. Periodically the containersare cleaned, the graffiti and stickers removed, and

the cans get a new coat of paint.

13th St.: Scorched in the Frozen Zone

We who were here, two miles from the attack

cannot forget those days of confusion, bravery, out-rage, shock, and sadness. We were in the middle ofit, trapped in the frozen zone, but beyond risk of

bodily harm. When we left our houses, we driftedthrough horror. Wanderers prowled our streets

searching for kin. The stench seeped through ourpaper masks. The stillness near our hospital con-firmed what we did not want to know: there would

be few survivors in the wreckage. Medical doctorswere not much needed; this was a job for the clericthe psychologist, the mortician, the Mayor, the

neighbor. We consoled the searchers. Our sensesscorched, our neighborhood survives.

The view from here.

mailto:ajacobs@nyc.rr.commailto:ajacobs@nyc.rr.commailto:ajacobs@nyc.rr.com

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The Markle: Always a Good Neighbor

The John and Mary Markle Memorial Evange-line Residence has been a positive presence on our

block since it opened over 70 years ago.The dream of Salvation Army Commander

Evangeline Booth was to open a magnificent resi-dence for young working women in our neighbor-

hood. Evangeline Booth was the daughter of thefounders of the Salvation Army, William and Cath-

erine Booth, and one of only two women to attainthe rank of General in the organization. The biog-raphy John Markle: Representative American tells

us that when Com-mander Booth in-formed Mr. Mar-

kle, a coal magnateand philanthropist,of her dream, he

asked how much itwould cost. Sheanswered

$500,000. Heinstantly pledgedthe money, claim-

ing, Ive got itright here in my

jeans.The prestigious

architectural firm

of Vorhees, Gme-lin & Walker de-signed the building

which, along withits counterpartTemple on 14th

St., is regarded asone of the finestexamples of Art

Deco architectureOriginally, thebuilding featured

amenities such as afull gymnasium

Olympic size pooland wood paneledlibrary. Still inexistence is the

lovely roof gardenwith magnificen

360 views.In the 1950s

Victoria Lanard

the Markles as-sistant admin-istrator and life-

time Villageresident, tells usthat our prede-

cessor block asso-ciation was the first

to receive matching

funds from the City to plant trees. She further tellsus that many Markle residents helped in the plant-ing, thereby creating our leafy urban haven. Fol-

lowing in the tradition of civic involvement, theMarkle has been a member of our Block Associa-tion since its inception.

At the outset, residence was limited to womenno older than 35 making no more than $35 a weekThe room rates varied from $8.50 to $13 a week

The Markle nowaccepts women of

all ages as well asmale senior citi-zens. Current

weekly room ratesvary from $235for a private room

to $143 to share aquad. For moreinformation, in-

cluding numer-ous activities for senior citizens, call 242- 2400.

The Mighty Markle

Commander Evangeline Booth, onview in the Markle lobby

The Roof Garden

Dedication ceremony, 6/14/30