Vanishing New York Backup

The Highline Effect keeps knocking down Chelsea, and blue-collar businesses along the park have taken a few more hits, adding to the lightning-fast timeline of loss . 2012 At 19th St. on 10th Ave., Kamco Building Materials has been completely demolished . Nothing remains but a blue plywood wall. today Soon to take its place will be a pair of giant, $40-million condo towers , rising on both sides of the High Line. The condo project is called "The Highline." Because that name hasn't been used nearly enough. Here's a rendering of the double tower to come: tomorrow One block north, on 10th Ave. stretching across the entire block from 20th to 21st Streets, a GGMC parking garage is being demolished. Not much to look at, but part of the old low-rise neighborhood just the same. It sold for $47,900,000. The address is 500 West 21st. Originally bought by hotelier Andre Balasz, the current developer, according to the Wall Street Journal , is "Sherwood...

While chatting with a shopkeeper on Bleecker Street, I heard that the great Manatus diner is being pushed out. Said the shopkeeper, "Manatus has lost their lease. The space has already been rented out for a Calvin Klein store. Not sure how long they have left. Maybe a month." Don't panic yet. That was a month ago now, and while I've tried to get something definitive, I have been unable to confirm the information . One person I spoke to at Manatus hesitated to answer, eventually saying, "Eh, well, not tomorrow, maybe in a year." We've worried about Manatus for awhile. It's been around for decades--since at least 1985. They have long catered to a gay clientele, mostly older men , locals who eat in diners. It's also one of the last affordable places to dine in that part of town. (Read my previous post .) At lunch the men come walking in, some limping and some using canes, singly or in couples. They're greeted by the hostess with kisses ...

From blogger Cathryn Swan, check out Tales of Washington Square Park , "your official guide to that historic park by the editor of the Washington Square Park Blog." [ Bgirl ] The Yippie Museum Cafe is closing this weekend. [ EVG ] Luxury businesses cannot afford Soho anymore. [ NYO ] "the MTA will vacate its headquarters buildings in Midtown Manhattan by the end of next year and award a long-term lease to a developer expected to demolish the buildings and redevelop the premier location with modern Class A offices, a hotel, residential tower, or a mixture of uses." [ MTA ] The glory of 1980s Staten Island . [ Slate ] Take a walk on the Crack Tracks of the Bronx. [ JKM ] A Brooklyn alley is being revived as a hipster market --and somehow Vesuvio got stuck in there. [ NYDN ] Say goodbye to those little metal tags at the Met. [ NYT ] Looking at Stonewall 's neon signs. [ NYN ] A sad farewell to Blarney Cove . [ GL ] A sad shot of what's...

That little block of mom and pops, on 9th Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets, is being gutted. Reader Brad sends in a couple of photos and writes, "They have removed all signage and even kicked the Subway out to create one massive vacant space ripe for a bank and a Duane Reade!" We've been following this story since it began back in 2008. Here's a quick timeline (for more detail, click here ): 2008: Morris Moinian buys the building and prepares to remove all the small businesses, which included Tamara dry cleaning and tailor shop, The New Chelsea Barber shop, a couple of bodegas, Chelsea Liquors, and the Sweet Banana Candy store. Weeks after that announcement, the community held a rally to save the businesses from eviction. Months later, Chelsea Liquors was gone after 30 years in business, and the bodegas began to fall. Then it got quiet. 2008 2012: Moinian sold the building to the Stonehenge Group, who promptly delivered eviction notices t...

VANISHED The Whitestone multiplex cinema has shuttered after 30 years in business. It was purchased for $30 million last year by real estate development company the Lightstone Group, who will be turning the site into New York City's first outlet mall . For their final marquee, a goodbye note: from South Bronx Network 's facebook page The Lightstone Group is best known these days for its massive luxury development of Gowanus , but they have developed a number of outlet malls--full of typical mall chain stores . The one at Whitestone will be a chain itself--in the Paragon Outlets chain of outlets--and will "feature an open-air racetrack design and showcase over 100 global brands." Last year The Observer noted, " New Yorkers, secretly covetous of the bland, sprawling suburban malls that can be found in the city’s hinterlands, are ecstatic ...incredibly enthusiastic about the prospect of opening more places in New York that feel exactly like the soull...

After years in flux, the southeast corner of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue has returned to the market. Massey Knakal just put up a pair of banners and listed the price for 71 4th Avenue at $24 million . We started following this corner in 2007, when rumors circulated about the demolition of the block's historic artist studio buildings and the coming of high-rise construction . St. Marx Music (formerly a branch of the Atlas Barber School) and the Green East grocer were booted out. The site was covered in plywood and neglected. In 2008, we learned the corner would be demolished to make room for a boutique hotel . It looked like the low-rise buildings would be coming down, but they didn't. Since then, the only activity on this building has come from the Scribbler, a strange graffitist who regularly covered the plywood with his angry messages . But some time in the past year, the Scribbler stopped scribbling. With the Death Star risen and the Hyatt Union Square just op...

On East 14th, the Blarney Cove is closing this week . On their Facebook page they write, "Final count down has begun. Last day of the bar is now June 25th--Tuesday night ... I better see you in person before they shutter the doors." They've been here a long time and every trip to the Cove is like walking into a Bukowski poem. I went in recently for what is likely my last drink. Here's some of what the regulars had to say. "This place is closing. Fucking NYU bought the whole thing , from the corner on down. All these boys here gotta find another hole." "How'm I doin'? Could be worse. Next week I'm getting a full-body everything. They're gonna look at my brain to see if I'm crazy." "I'm so happy! I love you!"  "All the old bars we used to hang out at are gone. The Ukrainian Club. That's gone. Verkhovyna. That's gone. Vazac's was great, but now it's been yuppified . Yuppies? I ...