Vanishing New York Backup

Last week, the Columbia Spectator published an op-ed entitled "Is Columbia really destroying Harlem’s authenticity?" Written by first-year student Cristian Zaharia, it supports the school's expansion into Harlem, which was made possible via eminent domain . Zaharia argues that Harlem's authentic culture is not African-American, but one of ever-changing cultures dating back to the Dutch, and that the expansion "will be the start of a new, fresh era for the neighborhood." On his Facebook page , Harlem historian and activist Michael Henry Adams wrote a reasoned and impassioned response. It is reproduced here in full, with his permission: Adams arrested while protesting the demolition of Harlem's Renaissance Ballroom and Casino, photo by Antwan Minter Harlem has numerous lovely old buildings reflecting varied cultures, even former synagogues. But throughout history, nothing about Harlem has made it renown, world-wide, apart from black people. One ma...

Fantasy World has vacated its wedge-shaped building at 7th Avenue and West 11th Street. The shop is empty. Signs in the window say they've moved to 333 6th Avenue at West 4th. today In 2013, The Real Deal reported that Fantasy World would not last much longer here. Developer Ike Chehebar "made an application to Landmarks Preservation Commission to add several floors to the one-story building." “They didn’t really want us here,” Fantasy World salesclerk Aileen Baez told TRD. “It took a lot to get this open because people don’t want a sex shop in their neighborhood. But we’ve never had any problems.” Chehebar said, “We hope to reposition that asset with a high-end, value-add tenant — something along the lines of Nespresso." before the closure I don't know how long Fantasy World was here. In my search for Edward Hopper's Nighthawks diner , I considered their building as a possibility, but it didn't pan out. I did, however, find this 1980s tax...

VANISHING More bad news for the life of New York's classic dive bars. After 28 years on Bayard Street in Chinatown, Winnie's is closing. Reader Jack wrote in, "Two bartenders at Winnie’s Bar and Grill in Chinatown have told me that they are closing sometime in March as the landlord is renting the space to someone else (they have gone for 3 years without a lease)." I called to confirm. The bartender I spoke with told me they'll be closing at the end of March . She was unable to give any details about the reason for the closure. *UPDATE: The owner writes on imgur , "Winnie's Bar will be closing due to the inability to attain a lease from the landlord ." Site of several Chinese gangster showdowns in the late 1980s and early 90s, Winnie's was a favorite spot of the notorious Ghost Shadows. It later became known as a place for karaoke and was voted Best Karaoke Bar in New York by the Village Voice . Here's how they described the ...

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks has a new space. Opening this Wednesday, Bonnie gave me the first sneak peek inside her shop at 28 East 2nd Street. As you first learned here, Bonnie was forced out of her long-time Greenwich Village location by a landlord who wanted more rent, or a different kind of tenant, or whatever landlords want when they decide to kick out an enduring and beloved small business. When word spread, she found a pair of angels in siblings Margo and Garth Johnston, who wanted a bookshop in the basement of their East Second Street townhouse. They heard about Bonnie’s plight and reached out with a sweetheart deal. Bonnie has spent the winter unpacking, painting shelves glossy white, and organizing what has turned out to be a dream bookshop, much larger than the last, complete with a working fireplace ("I'll probably never light it--fire and smoke don't go well with books") and a backyard perfect for book parties. She is thrilled to have h...

VANISHED Manhattan has lost another classic coffee shop. Reader Scott Levine sends in the following shot of a shuttered La Parisienne , on 7th Avenue by 58th. photo by Scott Levine The hastily written sign in the window says only: "We're moving on! Thanks for letting us serve you for over 50 years." In business since 1950, La Parisienne was a favorite spot to grab a meal after a show at Carnegie Hall or a walk through Central Park, a place for the standard old-school diner fare of burgers, eggs, pancakes, et al. (It was not a favorite, however, of Mexican wrestlers .) It boasted a beautiful vintage neon sign, in blue and red, along with the ever-vanishing STEAKS CHOPS SEAFOOD. Now the neon sign is off and calls to the diner go unanswered. Bon voyage La Parisienne. Better days, via Google Maps

Back in 2012, the great and wonderful Prime Burger was forced to close after 47 years in business  (74 if you count its days as Hamburg Heaven). At the time, co-owner Michael DiMiceli explained to Eater , "The building's been sold. We had an agreement with the new owners to stay here longer, but those agreements fell through. They decided that they don't want us here as tenants anymore ." Over two years later, the space at 5 E. 51st Street is still empty. We see this all the time. A landlord pushes out a long-time tenant, and then leaves the space empty, creating blight while they wait for the right luxury chain to pay the exorbitant rent. In this case, that monthly rent is $52,083... and thirty-three cents. Against my better judgment, I peeked inside. All that gorgeous 1960s-era decor, the wood-panelled walls, the booths with the swinging tables, the conical chandeliers, that delightful time capsule --completely gutted. For nearly three years it's ...

NOT VANISHING In more good news today for old New York, Kenn's Broome Street Bar will not be closing anytime soon. A tipster wrote in, "They just signed a new five-year lease." A call to the bar confirmed: They're staying put. A year ago, I broke the news that the 43-year-old bar would be closing , following the death of Kenn Reisdorff. The building soon went on the market. But reports in the Post that the building had sold (for $12 million) were "erroneous," the bartender told me. For reasons unknown, the building has not been sold. And we can still go on enjoying the Broome Street Bar for another several years. With this, after the good news about Smith's Bar and Jim's Shoe Repair , we're feeling somewhat optimistic. For now.

NOT VANISHING A year ago, I broke the news that Jim's Shoe Repair was being kicked out of its space on E. 59th Street, where it's been since 1932. Landlord S.L. Green gave the space to Walgreens so they could expand their giant Duane Reade. News spread, we started a petition and wrote letters , and Jim's got help from the powerful law firm Bickel and Brewer, whose Storefront affiliate gives help to community individuals and businesses in need. Now there's good news. Third-generation Joe Rocco told me, "Duane Reade has agreed to give us the lease back," and it's good for several more years. A year ago, Joe and his family thought it was over. They were looking for a new space. But today, "We're all excited. The combination of our loyal customers all staying behind us, and the help from Bickel and Brewer made it happen." "Hopefully, it starts something," says Joe. "Hopefully, people in this city will see that these ol...

VANISHING A year ago, I shared the unsettling news that Caffe Dante would be closing --and then reopening--after 99 years on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. They did just that, reopening in May with a renovated look . It wasn't the same, but it was still Dante, still run by the Flotta family, Mario Jr. and Mario Sr., who took the place over in 1971. Now, in the year of its 100th birthday, we hear Caffe Dante will really be closing. UPDATE: The owner of Caffe Dante says the rumor is a false alarm and "We're going to be here for a while yet." Let's hope that's true. UPDATE TO THE LAST UPDATE : The rumor was true. They sold and closed . A reader wrote in that "Caffe Dante is no longer." The owners tried to make it work, to refashion the business and keep up with a doubled rent from their landlord, but in the end they sold the business--likely to a group of Australians. The new owners reportedly plan to keep the Dante name, "no...

VANISHING It's another loss for gay 8th Avenue. After 21 years in Chelsea, The Unicorn, a gay XXX video and toy shop, is closing this Sunday night at 2:00AM. Thanks to reader Albert for pointing us to the news, posted to the shop's Google reviews page. The manager writes that the closure is "due to a huge rent increase." The building was sold and the new owners have other plans for the space. The Unicorn is like a secret spot, around the corner off 8th Avenue on West 22nd Street. It has no neon signs and no rainbow flags, just a purple door topped by a small, faded awning. Walking in, you feel rather furtive, like you've slipped away from the everyday world. In the back is a dimly lit lounge, outfitted with couches and video booths where men linger in the shadows. It costs $12 to go in through the turnstile and there is decidedly no readmission. The shop itself is clean and well-lit, run by a couple of friendly guys who might engage you in a ch...

About a decade ago, Damon Hoydysh, founder of Highline Studios , climbed up onto the old, pre-gentrified High Line and shot a whole bunch of film--of the weedy wilderness and graffiti tunnels before they were turned into artisanal food courts and tourist outlooks. He shares it here for a first exclusive look (be sure to watch on full screen): I asked Damon a few questions: Q: How did you get up to the High Line to take this footage? A: I hopped the fence at the LIRR railroad yard at the north end of the High Line. Once you cleared the fence, it was just steps to the beginnings of the High Line. It was really hot that day, and when I got to the end, I had to get down through a functioning meat processing facility on 14th street. It was just one of those moments, older guys in white butcher’s coats looking at me funny as I briskly exited via their huge, full-floor meat locker with my camera over my shoulder. Q: What attracted you to the old High Line? A: I was always obsess...

When I heard about the eviction of Avignone Chemist --on Bleecker since 1929 and in business even longer--I went by to talk to the owner. He told me that Force Capital Management, a hedge fund that manages $1.2 billion, not only bought his little building, they also bought the big building on the corner. Now they have the block. Using the LLC 228 Bleecker Street Realty, Force Capital Management paid $18,700,000 for the corner building in 2012. Why? Don't tell me this old beauty can be torn down and replaced with a glass box. And what about Trattoria Spaghetto on the ground floor? I asked--they told me they've got 15 more years on their lease. By the way, Trattoria Spaghetto is a good place for lunch in the off hours, on a weekday. It's quiet. There's an old woman who sits by the door in a turban. She knows everyone and everyone knows her. She laughs and talks about the weather. Over the speakers, the music is Queen, nothing but Queen. Trattoria Spaghett...

Like the High Line Effect that flattened west Chelsea, and the Marc Jacobs Effect that transformed western Bleecker Street, we're now seeing the Hudson Yards Effect decimate 10th Avenue in the 30s. All along the Hudson Yards, buildings are coming down, or getting grabbed up by developers who aim to upscale. Into empty lots and parking lots are going new condos and hotels. Even the Brutalist 450 West 33rd is getting a facelift. In a city where everything must glitter, silvery cool, this brown beast just won't do. It will be clad in pleated glass and incorporated into Brookfield's "Manhattan West" development, that massive hall of mirrors. A couple blocks up, two little tenement buildings remain--440 and 442 Tenth Avenue. The buildings were bought by the Silverstone Property Group in 2012. Tenants reached out to Curbed to complain about the subsequent conditions--no gas, no hot water, holes in the ceilings. Are there any rent-regulated tenants left? ...

I don't like sports bars. I don't like nouveau Irish bars. So I'm not sure what made me stick my head into Foley's on West 33rd , but I'm glad I did. Foley's is famous for its dizzying museum of baseball memorabilia (including more than 3,000 autographed balls). It's only been there about a decade, but the bar itself is a well-preserved antique. The decorative tile floor alone is worth the trip. There's also a scenic stained-glass wall in the back (Tiffany, or so I was told), and a set of imposing men's room urinals that date to the late 1800s (I was told). The staff is friendly and, if you're lucky, you'll find yourself in conversation with John Clancy, father of the owner, Shaun Clancy , and author of a memoir entitled " Never Say I Can't ." It's easy to fall into chatting with Clancy. Just walk around admiring the place and he'll tell you all about it. "See that clock up there? It comes from....