Save Hotel Pennsylvania

2012-01-25T20:25:00.001-05:00

2012-01-25T12:28:00.001-05:00

2012-01-25T12:27:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-25T09:18:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday old girl! 93 years young and still going strong!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the preservation of the Grand Central Terminal

2012-01-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

"Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. Maybe… this is the time to take a stand, to reverse the tide, so that we won't all end up in a uniform world of steel and glass boxes." -- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the preservation of the Grand Central Terminal

Yahoo Answers

2011-12-22T11:32:00.002-05:00

This popped into my e-mail today:

What's the deal with the 15 Penn Plaza Building? - Yahoo! Answers

15 hours ago ... I just recently discovered a new building will be built in Midtown Manhattan known as 15 Penn Plaza. I don't know much about this new proposed building. ...
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid...

I had to put my two cents in.

Vornado considers renovating Hotel Pennsylvania instead of erecting massive skyscraper

2011-12-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

I came across two very interesting articles today, that I really hope happen.

Vornado considers renovating Hotel Pennsylvania instead of erecting massive skyscraper

December 14, 2011 09:00AM
From left: Vornado Chairman Steven Roth, a rendering of the 15 Penn Plaza skyscraper and Hotel PennsylvaniaVornado Realty Trust has put off constructing a massive skyscraper that would challenge the Empire State Building's height at 15 Penn Plaza, sources told the New York Post, and might even pour millions into renovating the hotel that currently occupies the site.

With market rents still hovering below the rates necessary to make office development profitable and the financial firms that would make sensible anchors cutting operations instead of expanding, Vornado has decided to hold off on the development. Further clouding the project's future is the competition rising just west of 15 Penn Plaza, where both the Related Companies and Brookfield Office Properties are preparing to begin construction on Hudson Yards and Manhattan West, respectively.

As a result, Vornado is mulling a complete renovation of the Hotel Pennsylvania that currently resides on the site, along Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd streets. One real state executive said it could cost $30 million just to renovate the hotel's 1,000 rooms, and millions more to update the lobby and common areas.

Time-out seen in skyline war

By LOIS WEISS

Last Updated: 3:05 AM, December 14, 2011

Posted: 11:51 PM, December 13, 2011

The Empire State Building just might keep the 34th Street skyline to itself for a few more years.
Sources tell us that Vornado Realty Trust is putting off constructing its taller challenger to the west at 15 Penn Plaza until market rents reach a point where it’s worthwhile to redevelop the site with an office building.
In the meantime, Vornado is mulling plowing millions of dollars into renovating its Hotel Pennsylvania, a dowdy cash cow that now sits on the future development site at Seventh Avenue between West 32nd and 33rd streets, across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.
“It could cost $30 million just to renovate the rooms,” said one executive who was not authorized to speak on the record. “It’s 1,000 rooms and everything adds up.”
Vornado would also commit millions of dollars more to update the lobby and common areas.
In December 2007, Vornado was days away from signing a lease that would enable it to develop a new tower and trading floors for Merrill Lynch when the Wall Street firm switched CEOs and gears amid its deepening financial crisis.
Since then, financial firms that would be the natural anchor tenants have found themselves cutting headcount and putting off major moves until the global economy improves.
Vornado is also facing increased competition for anchor tenants as Brookfield readies its $5 billion, four-tower 5.4 million-square-foot Manhattan West site on Ninth Avenue and Related Cos. gets traction on the West Side with Coach becoming the first tenant/owner for the first Hudson Yards tower.
Downtown also continues to be redeveloped with four World Trade Center towers and availabilities in Brookfield’s World Financial Center, along with Edward J. Minskoff’s redevelopment of 101 Ave. of the Americas, as Post colleague Steve Cuozzo reported yesterday, and his spec building at 10 Astor Place. There is also ready-to-go space in 11 Times Square.
*
TJ Maxx is coming to the Fulton Mall in downtown Brooklyn. The fashionista’s favorite retailer will move into about 23,000 square feet on the lower level of the mall at 505 Fulton St. by spring 2013. The former department store is owned by and is being repositioned by the Laboz family of United American Land.
The family also owns the neighboring 497 Fulton where H&M will open next year.
Peter Ripka of Ripco Real Estate represented both sides in the TJ Maxx deal that had an asking rent of a modest $40 a foot — at least by Manhattan standards.
Family head, Albert Laboz, is chairman of the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, and United American Land was recently selected by the city to redevelop the ground floor of the Brooklyn Municipal Building into retail.
*
Renzo Gracie Academy has just leased an industrial building at 100 Bayard St. in Williamsburg, where it will create a 14,000-square-foot all-encompassing gym and training facility.
“This is a nice modern warehouse, and they will put some money in it and it will become a training center,” said Josh Segal of Sholom & Zuckerbrot, who represented the building along with colleague, Larry Smith.
Joseph Katz, a partner in the venture, says the facility will include all kinds of athletic training. Along with Brazilian-style martial arts, there will be areas for “regular” gym equipment, boxing and other athletic training. “You won’t have to join separate gyms,” Katz said.
The former garment factory had an asking rent of about $22 a foot, with the tenant paying the real estate taxes directly to the city.
“I had a lot of activity on the building and most of the prospective tenants were gym or health club or yoga related,” added Segal.
*
HFP Capital Markets, a division of Hudson Financial Partners, will be moving in two stages to the entire eighth floor of 13,100 square feet at 386 Park Avenue South. The company is currently in 12,000 square feet at 685 Fifth Ave.
The first move early next year will be to an 8,600-square-foot pre-built suite that was designed by the Spector Group. The office has eight-foot wooden doors, oversized energy-efficient windows, a new reception area and a glass-front conference room. Later, when construction is completed, the company will expand to the entire floor, which already has a new elevator corridor.
HFP was represented by John P. Moran III, Hope Brodsky and Neil Goldmacher of Newmark Knight Frank. Jordan Berger represented the Savanna and Monday Properties ownership.
*
An entity controlled by Howard Lorber has sold the operating lease for the Renoir House, a 15-story apartment building with 150 units, at 225 E. 63rd St. for $44.5 million to San Francisco-based Carmel partners. Neither company returned calls.
According to city documents, the original 55-page 1966 ground lease with Sol Goldman provides for a series of 21-year options, with the last lease ending April 14, 2189 and annual rent of $142,200 per year.
*
The owners of the Keg Room, an Irish pub that has already surrounded Manhattan with several locations, have signed a 20-year lease at 53 W. 36th St. The asking rent for the 8,400 square foot spread was $70 a foot.
Edward Reilly of Reilly Real Estate brought the tenants to the changing neighborhood while Steven Hidary of Hidrock Realty represented the ownership in-house.
The space was previously occupied by three “underperforming” retailers and is now being completely reconfigured by Hidrock along with the restaurant owners, Joe and Mary Carty.
*
The former Chung King rap studio will get Relevent instead. The experiential ad agency and viral event marketing firm Relevent Group, is moving to the 10,095 square feet on the top, 12th floor of 10 Hudson Square. The asking rent was in the $40s per foot.
David Horowitz of Studley represented the tenant, which is a division of MDC Partners. MDC has four other companies in the building: Attention; Kwittken; Vitro; and Kirschenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, the largest tenant, with 111,288 square feet of the 350,000-square-foot building.
The building owner, Trinity, had an asking rent of $40 a foot and was represented in-house by Tom Lynch.
Relevent will move next year from space a third of the size at 27 W. 24th St. in the Flatiron District.
lois@betweenthebricks.com

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15 Penn Plaza to be complete in 2014

2011-12-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

Business Insider, published an article yesterday concerning the 15 Penn Plaza. You can read it here, but the long and short of it, the project is scheduled for completion in 2014.

3rd Quarter Results for Vornado.

2011-11-04T05:52:00.003-04:00

3Q numbers for Vornado are out. The old girl was able to squeak by with a modest profit of $9,773,000 up from $8,080,000 last year at this time. Impressive numbers, but as always it just means more money in Vornado's pocket an not a dime of it going to help improve the poor girl.

http://www.snl.com/irweblinkx/ShowFile.aspx?Output=HTML&KeyFile=12023939&Format=HTML

Live and learn

2011-10-02T15:00:00.001-04:00

Where is my closest landmark?

2011-09-18T15:13:00.002-04:00

Want to find out what is and what isn't a landmark in your area of NYC? Use this interactive map. You will be surprised at some of the results.

http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/

135 Bowery

2011-09-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

We received this letter from the HDC on the 15th. It shows you the lack of interest in preservation by the NYC Govt.

This afternoon, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Usage voted 4 (Halloran, Lander, Sanders, Williams) to 1 (Mendes) to deny the Landmark designation of the Hardenbrook Somarindyck House at 135 Bowery. The designation was opposed by the building’s owner, First American International Bank, who found a strong advocate in local Council member Margaret Chin. CM Chin, who has a good record on preservation issues and has worked closely with community preservationists, changed her initial support of preserving the building after learning more about the building’s condition from the owners and their plans to develop below-market-rate commercial rental space on the site. “"I just hope that the advocates will see my point of view on this," Chin said at the hearing (as reported by WNYC). "And that we will have opportunity to continue to work to preserve the historic character of Bowery. But on this building we will have to differ." It is almost inevitable that the full City Council will vote to deny this landmark designation next Wednesday.

HDC was the first to testify in favor of the designation at the hearing and our testimony is below. As part of our testimony, we submitted 49 letters we received as emails from you – our friends and readers – in response to our alert earlier this week. At the hearing, we were joined by over 25 Bowery residents and enthusiasts who gave incredibly intelligent, passionate, articulate and heart-felt testimony. We are incredibly proud to be part of such as strong community.

It was mentioned more than once by council members that their action was reflective of a broader view of the community and it was their responsibility to take the bigger picture into account. What was not evident from the hearing was any indication that the decision to be made was any more than helping a bank with a development rather than supporting a popular governmental decision. HDC is very disappointed in this decision.

Simeon Bankoff
Executive Director
Historic Districts Council
232 East 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
www.hdc.org

Hotel Pennsylvania 2nd Q reports

2011-08-01T16:29:00.000-04:00

Second quarter reports are out for Vornado, looks like the Hotel Pennsylvania made $8.677 M for the past 3 months. Up from last year at this time from $6.616 M. These are great improvements, and shows the the Hotel is on its was back to being profitable for Vornado. The whole report can be seen here.

Message to the Chair, Landmarks Preservation Commission

2011-07-12T08:07:00.002-04:00

If you would like to send Mr. Robert Tierney a message about the LPC decision of the Hotel Pennsylvania, and the Cafe Rouge, now is your chance! Be sure to let him know how you feel.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maillpc.html

LPC response letters for the Cafe Rouge

2011-07-12T06:08:00.003-04:00

We finally got a copy of the LPC response letters regarding the Cafe Rouge proposed landmark status. Thanks to Steven Lepore for getting this for us and being brave enough to submit the applications.

Follow the money from Vornado to Washington.

2011-07-06T19:04:00.000-04:00

All I can say is this is nothing new.

Do you think 15 Penn Plaza will do good or bad things to New York?

2011-05-20T07:58:00.000-04:00

Yahoo Answers wants to know. Let us know your opinion.

Hotel Pennsylvania 1st Q reports

2011-05-03T10:54:00.001-04:00

Vornado announced their first quarter reports today, for the period ending March 31, 2011. Although the Hotel Pennsylvania showed an improvement from last year at this time, they are still down. The Hotel lost $68,000 this quarter, which is an improvement from last year at this times, loss of $447,000.

Vornado the parent company and current owner of the Hotel Pennsylvania, did not invest any money this past quarter in improvements to the building.

Currently the hotel property size is 1,400,000 SqF with a retail portion of 188,000 SqF.

The full report can be read off of the SCC website here.

Land's End - Gatsby Mansion Torn Down

2011-04-19T07:22:00.002-04:00

Yet another historic building gone for good. When will people learn that history must be saved not destroyed?

2012 HOPE Conference

2011-04-17T15:19:00.004-04:00

2600 has announced that they will be holding the HOPE conference in 2012 at the Hotel Pennsylvania, we can only assume that this is a good thing. We will continue to keep you posted on the status of the 2012 HOPE Conference.

Follow us on Foursquare!

2011-03-27T09:01:00.002-04:00

Gimbels Passageway

2011-03-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

A recent NY Times article about the current Vornado situation with 15 Penn Plaza, (a.k.a. Hotel Pennsylvania) state, that before construction can begin on the 15 Penn Plaza office, "transit improvements must be designed and agreed upon before the city will grant Vornado building permits." Check out the link for more information.

Gimbels Passageway Simulator

2011-03-10T21:04:00.000-05:00

A clockwork disc simulator for designing movements to appear in the hall of Gimbels Passageway in New York City.

Ear Studio was commissioned by Vornado Realty Trust to design a public art element for the Gimbels Passageway renovation; the underground pedestrian tunnel connecting Penn Station to Herald Square closed in the 1970s.

This simulator, built with Processing and OpenGL, allows Ear Studio to experiment with the choreography of approximately 900 rotating discs and the invisible gearing system that couples them. The simulator exports this choreographic data for use by the team's 3D fly-through mockup designers and will also inform the data driving the final piece. The video can be found here.

Happy 92nd Birthday!

2011-01-25T00:20:00.002-05:00

Today Hotel Pennsylvania Celebrates it's 92nd Birthday. 92 years of history forever embedded in those walls. If walls could talk what would they say? Well, today they'd say "Congratulations Ol' Girl!" Here's to 92 more years!

Getting a Lawyer

2011-01-09T23:39:00.004-05:00

Does anyone have any lawyers they know that could assist us in pressing charges against Vornado or is anyone interested in helping?

Merry Christmas Hotel Penn

2010-12-25T18:41:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas Hotel Pennsylvania. This may be your last so we hope it is your bet one yet!

New York Times Ad

2010-11-19T19:15:00.000-05:00

I finally managed to get a copy of the NY Times, full page ad from The Empire State Building. This ad appeared on the same day as the hearings, (Monday August 23, 2010), and is actually a letter to the following council members.

Speaker Christine Quinn,

Deputy Majority Leader Comrie (Consumer Affairs; Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup relations; Finance; Land Use, Chair (Zoning & Franchises); Rules, Privileges & Elections)

Mark S. Weprin, (Land Use, Zoning & Franchises, Chair).

The ad can be found here.

Final letter from the LPC

2010-10-26T07:24:00.003-04:00

I just got a letter back from the LPC regarding regarding the Cafe Rouge landmarking Status. It was denied. They claim the Cafe "has been too significantly altered". This is a bunch of bull. I don't get why they couldn't just say the truth that the buildings demolition was already approved. Highly unprofessional if you ask me. I will post the full letter later.

FM/TV signals could be in trouble because of 15 Penn Plaza Tower.

2010-10-07T20:25:00.001-04:00

A recent article was published stating the obvious fact that the new 15 Penn Plaza building will more than likely disrupt FM and or TV signals from the Empire State Building. Jim Stagnitto, director of engineering for New York Public Radio, is concerned about both of his FMs at Empire, WNYC(FM) and WQXR(FM). “WQXR is a low-power Class B and will be especially susceptible to multipath in New Jersey. I’m very concerned. And without a predictive study to examine, we really don’t know how bad it could be,” Stagnitto said.

The question is what are they going to do about it? Can the FCC put a stop the the project because of this or until the find a way to relocate the antennas to a new higher location?

Testimony of Wally Rubin for Community Board Five at the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, Monday, August 23rd, 2010

2010-09-28T14:42:00.000-04:00

TESTIMONY OF WALLY RUBIN FOR COMMUNITY BOARD FIVE AT THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON ZONING AND FRANCHISES, MONDAY, AUGUST 23rd, 2010

Good morning. My name is Wally Rubin and I am the District Manager for Community Board Five. Thank you for the privilege of addressing you today on the topic of 15 Penn Plaza, one of the most important development projects our Board has faced in years.
Community Board Five and its Land Use & Zoning Committee spent considerable time meeting with the applicant and reviewing every available document before we voted 36 to 1 to deny this application.
Obviously, our Board felt very strongly about this application and here are the reasons why:
First, we think that the transportation improvements Vornado has proposed are inadequate. Many of the improvements are ultimately either self-serving or mandated and wholly insufficient for the 474,000 square feet Vornado will receive in exchange. Indeed, as one of our Board members put it, they are akin to Vornado cleaning up its own basement.
Second, Community Board Five is deeply troubled by this applicant's request for a midblock up-zoning, adding yet another 266,000 square feet to a tower that is utterly lacking confirmed details, including building size, height, tenancy, construction timetable or financing plan. The applicant conceded to us that it could be many years – years - before any development scenario might move forward, which entirely demolishes the argument that we should approve this project now as a salve for our current economic troubles.
If the up-zoning were to be granted now, it would remain with the zoning lot permanently, regardless of future development plans or even if the lot is eventually sold. It is ill-advised from a proper planning perspective to approve such an up-zoning without a clear rationale for its request. This up-zoning, just blocks from the Empire State Building, will allow Vornado, or whoever might eventually own this site, to build a building that will change the iconic skyline of New York City forevermore. Such a change must be deeply considered and well thought out, both in terms of its design and, more broadly, its impact on future land use decisions in the immediate area.
Community Board Five is not opposed to development and we recognize that this site is appropriate for a large commercial building. We value the job creation that will result not only during construction but also after the proposed building is complete. But we are also acutely aware of how the area
surrounding Penn Station is poised to undergo enormous development, growth, and change in the coming decade. This means that each individual land use decision will cumulatively contribute to its transformation.
Therefore, we hope that the ladies and gentlemen on this committee and the Council as a whole will join us in asking Vornado to return to the table with their request for a permanent up-zoning when they have a rationale and a final, financed plan in place. Until such time, we urge the Council to join with City Planning, the Moynihan Station Community Advisory Committee and Community Boards Four and Five to begin to outline a Moynihan Station subdistrict zoning plan and a future for this area that is both well-considered and comprehensive.
Thank you for your time.

The PDF version of this can be found here.

NYC Council

2010-09-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I was lucky enough to capture a recording of the NYC Council on Zoning meeting for 15 Penn Plaza on the NYC Gov TV Channel. Over the next few days I will be attempting to make an audio transcript of the meeting (minus the commercials). Please be patient with me as I do this. We have also reached out to CB5 for a copy of the speech that Mr. Wally Rubin gave that day, if we get it from CB5 will will gladly post it here.

A letter to Mr. Roth and Mr. Greenbaum

2010-09-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

I opened up my mailbox today and found this wonderful letter from Mr. Marco Zanaletti, who just happens to live in Italy. the letter is listed below and reads:

Da: Marco <marcoz88@alice.it>
Data: 18 settembre 2010 16.26.07 GMT+02.00
A: dgreenbaum@vno.com
Cc: sroth@vno.com
Oggetto: Pennsylvania Hotel

Dear Sirs,

From what it was once a beautiful and unique Country - Italy - I am begging you not to demolish the Pennsylvania Hotel. An awfully lot of money can be made more easily and smartly out of history than out of cheap consumerism. If we had preserved our country and our landscape, we would today be much richer, not only in our pockets, but in our hearts too. New York has lost already many landmarks, last but not least due to terrorism.
So please, let the Penn hotel survive, as a piece of the America which changed the world for the better and that we learned to love and respect.

Yours truly,

Marco Zanaletti

Via Ticino 88
20081 Abbiategrasso (Milano)

Italy

Thank you Marco, let us hope your letter does not fall on deaf ears.

Atlantic Yards Report: "Stealing the common from the goose": Henry Stern's compelling case against 15 Penn Plaza (and the glaring Atlantic Yards blind spot)

2010-09-08T06:40:00.000-04:00

An interesting blog that I came across. He makes a valid point, and just for those who are wondering, it's not over, yet.

Atlantic Yards Report: "Stealing the common from the goose": Henry Stern's compelling case against 15 Penn Plaza (and the glaring Atlantic Yards blind spot)

Letters from CB5 to the CPC and City Council

2010-09-02T15:12:00.001-04:00

A few posts ago I wrote about a letter that was sent from CB5 to the CPC admonishing them about their decision to approve the 15 Penn Plaza Project. And to my surprise CB5 also sent a letter to the City Council telling them how they felt. Is it me or is the community the only sane people left in NY?

Below are a copy of those letters:

"The Board does not oppose this project per se. However, we have serious concerns about the building's proposed size, possible only through the granting of special permits, in an application that offers few public benefits in exchange.

First, in exchange for a 20% transit bonus, the applicant's proposal includes the restoration and reopening of the Gimbel's Passageway plus various other access and egress improvements, all of which we applaud. But as we note in our resolution, some of these improvements are either self-serving or mandated, and thus not sufficient for the 474,000 square feet received in exchange.

Second, Community Board Five is deeply troubled by this application's request for midblock up-zoning (from a C6-4.5 to a C6-6) adding another 266,000 square feet to an application that lacks many confirmed details, including building size, height, tenancy, construction timetable or financing plans. The applicant conceded to us that it could be many years before any development scenario might move forward. Yet if granted, the upzoining would be permanent and remain with the zoning lot regardless of future development plans or even if the lot were to be sold.

Third, we ask that the Commission evaluate this application from the perspective of consistency. The Commission recently considered the Jean Nouvel/MoMA building, and despite noting the proposed building's exemplary design and the lasting benefits that this project would generate for landmarks and cultural institutions, it voted to reduce its size due to its impacts on the city skyline and the surrounding neighborhood.

In comparison, the 15 Penn Plaza application wholly lacks the MoMA project's distinguished architectural features, produces no benefits for landmark preservation or cultural access, would have similarly detrimental impacts on neighborhood density and traffic, and would notably diminish, not enhance, the skyline position of its iconic neighbor, the Empire State Building.

Indeed, the proposed buildings would directly obstruct the view of the Empire State Building from the west, thereby fundamentally altering and diminishing New York City's skyline in a way few projects have in decades. Should 15 Penn Plaza not be held to the same standards and criteria as Nouvel/MoMA? "

__________________________________________________________

Letter sent by CB5's Chair Vikki Barbero:

"The ULURP process has ended and the Council has made its final determination. We remain distressed and dismayed, however, by the level of discussion and debate both in the media and at the Council.

The issue before the Council was not principally about women and minority employment, as important as this issue continues to be in all job areas. Yet, if you were present for the Council debate you would have thought it was at the heart of the matter being voted on. The issue before the Council was not about a battle between two major real estate developers, as many press reports made it out.
The issue before the Council was not about the need to foster jobs during this bad economic climate, for even the developer admits they won't be building for years to come. Yet, a number of our political leaders used that bogus argument as an excuse to support the project.
And the issue before the Council was certainly not about sticking it to the Empire State Building because it failed to light up for Mother Teresa.
The issue before the City and the Council was, in fact, about far more than just one project on one block of midtown Manhattan. It was about giving strategic and prudent oversight to a section of our city - the area around Penn Station - that is about to undergo significant change.
The City has created the Moynihan Station sub-district precisely because this area of midtown is poised for major development -- and the City has a responsibility to prepare for it, to be thoughtful about it, and to set the parameters for it.
One development should not be permitted to set a bad precedent for the next, as we believe this one does by upzoning an entire block without a rationale and with limited resultant public benefit. A city as dense as ours, with so many competing interests, needs to thoughtfully and inclusively plan for its future and not let one wealthy and powerful developer override that process.
That was the debate that was entirely missing this week both in most of the media and, even worse, at the City Council. We were disheartened and discouraged by its absence."

Credit to Huffington Post for publishing these letters.

Another letter to Christine Quinn

2010-09-01T19:31:00.002-04:00

Congratulations! Thanks to you and the other members of the NYC Council, you have caused nearly 1000 people in Manhattan lose their jobs. And to what benefit? The demolition of a building you know was landmark worthy? The destruction of the NYC skyline? Was it the "donation" from Vornado? It always comes down to selfishness and money. The demolition of Penn Station was a huge mistake, and I bet you agree! Thank you for making the same mistake again with Hotel Pennsylvania. Congratulations Ms. Quinn. A job well done. We will remember this when you are up for re-election. Thank you for your contribution to the history of New York. You have failed.

With Love,
Steven Lepore

A letter to Christine Quinn

2010-09-01T19:09:00.000-04:00

Ms. Quinn:

I would personally like to thank you on behalf of the all the employee's of the Hotel Pennsylvania. Because of your vote, and the votes of other members of the NYC Council you have effectively put them out of work, and increased the unemployment of NYC. All for a few campaign contributions from Vornado. Fantastic job Ms. Quinn, we will be sure to remember this next time we go to the polls on election day to vote for you.

Gregory Jones
Save The Hotel Pennsylvania Foundation

Response from Vornado regarding obtaining pieces of the Hotel

2010-08-30T14:57:00.002-04:00

This is the quite comical response I got from Barry Langer of Vornado:

Steven,
We have noted your request and when the hotel is eventually demolished we will get back to you.

Barry Langer | Vornado Realty Trust
888 Seventh Avenue, 44th Floor, New York, New York 10019
212.894.7911 | 212.894.7949 F

Email them

2010-08-29T07:19:00.000-04:00

If you wish to express your feeling to Vornado personally, and tell them how you feel about the "15 Penn Plaza" office tower (that no one wants). Feel free to email the President of the New York Office.

David R. Greenbaum (dgreenbaum@vno.com), or if you prefer to go straight to the top and ask the boss himself, contact Steve Roth (sroth@vno.com).

If you would like to send him a letter via snail mail, or perhaps some other gift you can do so by sending it to this address:

Vornado Realty Trust
888 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10106-4498

Be sure to put it to the attention of whomever you are sending it too so we make sure the parcels get to the correct location.

Last ditch effort

2010-08-28T09:26:00.000-04:00

Despite meeting with Christine Quinn's office (and getting outnumbered 7 to 1), and meeting with Jessica Lapin's office (and her not even bothering to show up for the final land use and council meeting), despite getting support from Assemblyman Gottfried, and having him make a plea to the NYS assembly. Despite all of that, we still lost the battle. But the war is not over, yet. We still have one last tactic that we can deploy that unfortunately I cannot get into the details of the plan, but I guarantee it will cause enough media attention to get recognized, and with luck get the legal support that we so desperately need.

This project when the time comes will require the support of everyone involved. More details will follow later but for now, we will be keeping an eye on Vornado and making sure they stick to the rules, and follow through to the promises that they made.

Its over and we lost. :-(

2010-08-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

The city council voted this morning, 8 in favor, 2 abstained, 1 absent in favor of the destruction of the hotel. Vornado has won, we lost. Read the decision here. http://bit.ly/aowiRi and here http://bit.ly/aB2WX4

More Tower Blues

2010-08-23T19:23:00.002-04:00

Anthony Malkin, the owner of the Empire State building took out a full page add in the New York Times on Monday, about the proposed tower replacing Hotel Pennsylvania. Marklin's ad asked the City Council to amend or reject the 15 Penn Plaza tower proposal. The height of the tower is certainly causing an uproar due to the fact of it "destroying" the Manhattan skyline.

City Council Vote

2010-08-23T14:36:00.001-04:00

The City Council meeting is over. Among some of the speakers were Empire State Building's Anthony Malkin, and Vornado's David Greenbaum. The vote won't be posted until the council finishes it's deliberations. As soon as we have more info we will post it.

We have learned the the Council will make its vote on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010.

Public Meeting for Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise

2010-08-13T10:56:00.001-04:00

I contacted the Land Use Committee and inquired how you can go about speaking at this meeting. Have your speech ready and sign in to speak when you show up, your name will be called and you will be allowed a finite amount of minutes to talk. You may speak on behalf of those who cannot show up, but be sure to sign that person’s name when you register as well. Remember this is the absolute last shot at saving the hotel. If you want to be heard make sure you or someone representing you shows up on time, and in the right place.

The meeting will be held at:

250 Broadway - Hearing Room, 16th Fl.
New York, NY 10007
Monday August 23, 2010 @ 9:30AM

Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise

2010-08-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise has posted the agenda for the meeting on August 23rd. the link to it can be found at their website listed below: Remember this may be our only chance to speak out against this.

http://legistar.council.nyc.gov

MBPO accepts donations from Vornado and other REIT's.

2010-08-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

The NY Observer reported that Scott Stringer (currently Manhattan Borough President) in his bid for the Mayor’s office has amassed a sum of $655,163 in campaign contributions. From that, $195,000 came from Vornado, and other Real Estate Companies Executives, their families, and related organizations. As you know, Vornado currently has a ULURP application, on file with (now) the City Council.

"To name a few donors who maxed out: CB Richard Ellis top broker Steve Siegel; RFR Holdings' Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs; and Sherwood Equities' Jeff Katz." reports Elliot Brown of the NY Observer.

There is a law that dictates the campaign limits by which numerous developers that have projects on file with the city, cannot give more than the limited amount to candidates of $400. Vornado's Steve Roth, who is in the process of a rezoning of the Hotel Penn, (who also received approval from the MBPO), gave $1,000 to Mr. Stringer on July 2 of this year. Mr. Roth was able to do this due to a provision in the law that does not require subsidiary LLCs to list the owners of their parent companies. Because the Hotel Penn is listed as "401 Hotel REIT, LLC", Mr. Roth was able to use this provision to his favor to "donate" more than the allowed amount by normal regulations. A Vornado spokesman said the donation was a "mistake", and Mr. Stringer's campaign claimed the contribution had been "refunded".

It’s amazing how the politicians of NYC, can be bought so inexpensively.

http://www.observer.com/2010/real-estate/stringer-eye-2013-big-real-estate-money

City Council Meetings

2010-07-30T07:35:00.001-04:00

We need to be careful in the next month. With all of the City's rules and regulations that Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise are going to pass on the meeting for the Hotel to the Land Use Committee. The following are the meeting schedules for the Hotel. As things change I will keep everyone posted.

8/24/2010 10:00 AM 250 Broadway - Hearing Room, 16th Fl.
8/23/2010 9:30 AM 250 Broadway - Hearing Room, 16th Fl.

City Council Public Meeting

2010-07-27T09:35:00.000-04:00

The City council subcommittee on zoning and franchise will hold a meeting on (or about) Aug 23rd at 9:30am @ 250 Broadway 16th floor. I will keep you up to date as the day grows closer. Now that we know for sure what subcommittee will be reviewing it, we can keep an eye on their calendar.

DCP decisions.

2010-07-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

The following are a list of the decisions handed down by the DCP for the various ULURP filed for 15 Penn Plaza. A copy of each has been sent to MBPO and Christine Quinn.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/100237.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/100050.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/100048.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/100047.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/cpc/100049.pdf

CB5 admonishes MBPO and DCP

2010-07-20T07:44:00.001-04:00

Sources tell us that CB5 is very unhappy with the decision handed down by the MBPO and DCP and told them so. CB5 states "No such letter was sent. At least not from Community Board Five."

However, CB5 made no secret to their unhappiness during the start of the public hearings of this ULURP project. with a nearly unanimous vote declining the project.

WPIX-TV

2010-07-16T18:58:00.000-04:00

We sent a letter to WPIX-TV (Ch 11 in NY) to ask them to do a story on the preservation efforts. We hope to hear back from them soon. In the mean time if you are attending "the next hope" please ask to sign the petition to help us save the Hotel Pennsylvania!

Petition

2010-07-16T16:38:00.001-04:00

If you are attending HOPE at the Hotel Penn this weekend, please be sure to sign the Petition to help save the Hotel from being demolished!

DCP votes "Yes" to demolition

2010-07-14T16:48:00.001-04:00

The DCP has voted unanimously to approve the 15 Penn Plaza project. We will post more information when it becomes available.

DCP Public Hearing Closed!

2010-07-02T11:31:00.003-04:00

Apparently the DCP pulled a fast one on us and already held the public hearing on the Hotel Penn back in May!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/luproc/rs_dispo/2010-05-24rs.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/luproc/dispo/2010-05-26cal.pdf

A quote from Steve Roth

2010-06-26T10:09:00.000-04:00

Back in March Steve Roth gave speech at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. The Observer quoted the following:

Mr. Roth, who bought Alexander's in large part for its real estate holdings, offered his take on his reticence to build, and why he let the site sit empty for so long:
The New York newspapers, he complained, said "I couldn't make a decision; I didn't know what I wanted to do.
"Bullshit. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted the price to go up. A lot. And I was willing to wait because I had almost no basis in the land."
There was another plus to waiting, he noted, offering a refreshingly candid developer's take on one way to pursue government subsidies:
"My mother called me and said [of the site], 'It's dirty. There are bums sleeping in the sidewalks of this now closed, decrepit building. They're urinating in the corners. It's terrible. You have to fix it.'
"And what did I do? Nothing.
"Why did I do nothing? Because I was thinking in my own awkward way, that the more the building was a blight, the more the governments would want this to be redeveloped; the more help they would give us when the time came.
"And they did."

The city is obviously being played for a fool, and yet they still play into his hands.

Pennsylvania Station 100th Anniversary Lighting Facebook

2010-06-23T17:04:00.009-04:00

Please join our Facebook group supporting the Empire State Building's potential lighting of Pennsylvania Station for it's 100th Anniversary.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Light-the-Empire-State-Building-for-NYCs-Penn-Stations-100th-Anniversary/121121067930931?ref=ts

L Magazine Article

2010-06-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

In an article posted on L magazines website Henry Stewart quotes Colum McCann as saying "It was a city uninterested in history. Strange things occurred precisely because there was no necessary regard for the past. The city lived in a sort of everyday present. It had no need to believe in itself as London, or an Athens, or even a signifier of the New World, like a Sydney, or a Los Angeles. No, the city couldn't care less about where it stood. He had seen a T-shirt once that said: NEW YORK FUCKIN' CITY. As if it were the only place that ever existed and the only one that ever would.
New York kept going forward precisely because it didn't give a good goddamn about what it had left behind. It was like the city that Lot left, and it would dissolve if it ever began looking backward over its own shoulder...He had said to his wife many times that the past disappeared in the city. It was why there weren't many monuments around."

To Mr Stewart I say "Thank you!" You have said what we have been trying to tell people for years!

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer Announces Conditional Approval For Proposed Redevelopment Of 15 Penn Plaza

2010-06-21T15:48:00.000-04:00

The full approval document of President Stringers office can be found here:

http://mbpo.org/uploads/15pennFINALpdf.pdf

City Council Meeting Final

2010-06-21T14:52:00.000-04:00

We had our meeting with the City Council Member Jessica Lapin's Chief of Staff, Jane Swanson. The meeting was informative. We learned that Ms Lapin, no longer with the subcommittee on landmark but is still on the Land use committee They seemed surprisingly unaware of the current plight of the Hotel, (but we fixed that.)

We didn't take away much from this except that the only public hearing there will be on this will be held by the subcommittee on land use and zoning. After that no more public hearings will be held.

Special thanks to those of you that showed up to join us.

City Planning Commission Review

2010-06-20T19:59:00.001-04:00

The City Planning Commission final review has been pushed to July 19th 2010. Apparently the commissioner has recused the proposal.

http://bit.ly/aGYxu1

Jessica Lapin meeting update

2010-06-18T15:48:00.000-04:00

Our meeting with Jessica Lapin's Chief of Staff Jane Swanson @ 1pm on Monday has been moved to 250 Broadway, 17th Floor. If you plan on attending please be sure to bring valid photo ID.

NYC Council pt 2

2010-06-15T17:40:00.002-04:00

We have a meeting with Jessica Lapin's chief of staff Jane Swanson @ 1pm on Monday @
330 E 63rd st. Suite 1K

Meeting with NYC Council Pt 2

2010-06-09T10:05:00.000-04:00

We successfully made contact with NYC Council member Lappin's office, we have a meeting set for Mid July.

Meeting with NYC Council

2010-06-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

We have requested a meeting with NYC Council member Jessica Lappin. She currently heads up the Landmark Committee as well as being a council member of Manhattan Borough.

Protest!!

2010-06-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

We are planning to protest the city council 6/30/2010 @ 1:30 PM in front of city hall!

We hope to get as much media as possible, spread the word. Lets show the city council we mean business and refuse to let them tear down this Hotel!

CPC hearing on 15 Penn Plaza

2010-06-04T12:02:00.000-04:00

The final review hearing on the 15 Penn Plaza Project is set for July 14th at 1PM. See the link below for more information:

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dcp/pdf/luproc/reviewsession.pdf?r=0607

CPC deadline looms closer

2010-06-04T11:08:00.000-04:00

Reminder that you only have until Monday June 7th to cast your vote against the building of the !5 Penn Plaza Tower, with the CPC office.

Contact the CPC @
CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Calendar Information Office -
Room 2E 22 Reade Street, New York, N.Y. 10007
Or fax to: (212)720-3219
Please include the following pieces of information:
• Your name
• Your address
• The organization which you represent, and your position, if any
• Subject and ULURP or CEQR Application #
• Borough. Comments will be reviewed until June 7th, 2010 Full details on the EIS is available from:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/env_review/15_penn_plaza.shtml

15 Penn Plaza Tower

2010-06-03T19:26:00.001-04:00

Bad news on the hotel front, looks like the tide is turning in favor of Vornado. According to the recent study the occupancy rate of offices has risen dramatically. Reuters reports, "Manhattan office tenants leased 2.6 million square feet in May, the largest since 2006." This gives Vornado the leverage they need to build the tower at the site of the Hotel Penn. The article can be found below.

http://www.reuters.com

Twitter

2010-06-01T07:27:00.000-04:00

Apparently 2600 Magazine has started their own twitter account, for saving the Hotel Pennsylvania, we tried to reach them to inform them, that the official one already exists at http://twitter.com/savethehotel but we got no responce from them.

A few weeks ago they were contacted to have a representative sit down with us to speak with Christine Quinn's office, but pulled a no show instead.

We will continue our efforts to save the hotel, and keep everyone informed.

CPC leans heavly twoard OK of Vornado building

2010-05-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

http://blog.tstc.org/2010/05/27/midtown-pedestrian-tunnel-inches-closer-to-reality/

Yesterdays hearings on the fate of the Hotel Penn loomed even darker as the CPC gave an unofficial nod of approval for the development of the site.

Hotel Penn Demolition Review

2010-05-26T12:31:00.001-04:00

Although the CPC hearing is over you can still register your comments before the final decision by the CPC is made.

Contact the CPC @

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
Calendar Information Office - Room 2E
22 Reade Street, New York, N.Y. 10007

Or fax to:
(212)720-3219

Please include the following pieces of information:
• Your name;
• Your address;
• The organization which you represent, and your position, if any;
• Subject and ULURP or CEQR Application #;
• Borough.

Comments will be reviewed until June 7th, 2010

Full details on the EIS is available from:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/env_review/15_penn_plaza.shtml

PUBLIC HEARINGS OF THE FOLLOWING MATTERS TO BE SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010

2010-05-25T15:39:00.002-04:00

NOTICE

On Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., in Spector Hall, at the Department of City Planning, 22 Reade Street, in Lower Manhattan, a public hearing is being held by the City Planning Commission in conjunction with the above ULURP hearing to receive comments related to the 15 Penn Plaza Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) concerning Amendments to the Zoning Map and the text of the Zoning Resolution (ZR); easement acquisitions; various special permits modifying mandatory District Plan elements as well as height and setback regulations within the Special Midtown District, a floor area bonus in exchange for Subway Station and Rail Mass Transit Facility Improvements, and other related actions, to facilitate the construction of a new commercial office building (known as “15 Penn Plaza”) on the block bounded by Seventh Avenue on the west, Avenue of the Americas on the east, West 33rd Street on the north, and West 32nd and Street on the south (Block 808, Lots 1001 and 1002), located in Manhattan Community District 5.

MBPO Votes Yes to 15 Penn Plaza redevelopment

2010-05-20T08:18:00.000-04:00

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer Announces Conditional Approval For Proposed Redevelopment Of 15 Penn Plaza

The full document is available for download here.

New York, May 19, 2010 – Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer announced today his conditional approval of proposed zoning changes that would facilitate the redevelopment of the current Hotel Pennsylvania site on Seventh Avenue between West 32nd and West 33rd Streets as a commercial office building and make significant improvements to mass transit.
Borough President Stringer’s favorable recommendation rests on a judgment that the applicant, Vornado, follows through on commitments secured by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. These conditions for approval relate to:

Increasing access to open space by:

Working with the City Planning and Parks and Recreations Departments to determine the appropriate form of mitigation for open space impacts; and
Providing accessible open space on the proposed building’s podium to reduce impacts on nearby public open spaces;

Managing traffic by:

Implementing the new off-street truck loading plan for the Multi-Tenant Building that will allow trucks to enter and exit head first;
Creating a black car management plan for the Single-Tenant Building;
Hiring a dock master to coordinate loading and unloading activities; and
Updating traffic studies to reflect new traffic initiatives in Midtown;

Reducing pedestrian impacts by:

Working with the Department of Transportation to widen crosswalks and other pedestrian elements; and
Working with the 34th Street Partnership to relocate any planters which may serve as an obstruction to pedestrian movement;

Mitigating construction by:

Implementing path controls to address construction noise issues;
Studying additional measures that may be undertaken to reduce noise impacts;
Establishing a construction taskforce to address and respond to construction impacts and issues, which meets regularly as required by the phasing and nature of construction and includes representatives from the community board, local council member and other local stakeholders; and
Having a single point of contact during construction to resolve any community concerns;

Improving sidewalk conditions by:

Working with Community Board 5 and the Parks Department to determine appropriate locations for the 56 street trees that cannot be planted at the perimeter of the development site; and
Incorporating street wall design elements to the West 32nd Street façade of the Single-Tenant Building to enliven the pedestrian experience.

Borough President Stringer said, “I’m pleased that the applicant has agreed to mitigate the impacts relating to open space, traffic, pedestrian access, construction, and sidewalk conditions in addition to making the significant, positive mass transit improvements already associated with this development. 15 Penn Plaza lies in one of the few remaining areas of Midtown that offers both major development potential and access to multiple mass transit options, making it an excellent location for high density commercial growth. I look forward to working with the community to address concerns relating to the development and construction of this project.”
The project site consists of the entire city block bounded by West 32nd and West 33rd Streets, and Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The proposed office building would be constructed at the western end of the project site where the Hotel Pennsylvania currently stands. The remainder of the project site is occupied by the Manhattan Mall, a 14-story office and retail building. Vornado plans to merge the development site and the Manhattan Mall site into a single zoning lot.
The two proposed development scenarios – a Single-Tenant Building and a Multi-Tenant Building – incorporate the maintenance of the Manhattan Mall and demolition of Hotel Pennsylvania. Either of the proposed office buildings will have, at minimum, a LEED Silver rating. The applicant proposes the same mass transit improvements for each development scenario.
Borough President Stringer made his advisory recommendation on the project as part of his Charter role in the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The proposed project must also be approved by the City Planning Commission, which will hold its hearing on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at its offices at 22 Reade Street. The project must also be approved by the City Council.

15 Penn Plaza

2010-05-19T15:28:00.000-04:00

The City council are a bunch of narrow minded money hungry SOB's. They only give a shit about what they think is best for them and not what the community thinks. I brought up the finical instability of Vornado, and the "Hole in the Ground" that is Filenes basement in Boston, and the almost $500 million in loans that Vornado has defaulted on in the past few months. Doesn't matter to them, they are only interested in rolling the HP into the Moynihan station and west side development projects with MSG and getting paid off on it. Never mind that it will take 4 1/2 years to build (if they build at all) and all the environmental hazards that a project of this size comes with (noise and air pollution and ground transportation) nope, none of that matters to them, if they feel the FAR is worth the opening of the Gimbels passageway then so be it they will get the approval to build.

Bottom line this project is going to get approved one way or another. So with that I say thanks to all who DIDN'T SHOW UP to help.

Meeting with Christine Quinn's Staff

2010-05-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

The meeting has been set for 5/19 1:00 PM

A letter to Brian Footer requesting a meeting with Ms. Quinn

2010-05-03T15:14:00.003-04:00

I sent a letter to Mr Footer requesting a meeting with Ms. Quinn, lets see what happens now. In the mean time I suggest that anyone wanting to go, contact me and let me know what their schedule is going to be like before we book it so we can organize as many people as possible.

Mr. Footer,

I was directed to you to request a face to face meeting with Council Woman Quinn and my colleges, in regards to the 15 Penn Plaza Project. If possible please contact me at either this email or the phone number below to discuss a time. Thank you.

Gregory Jones
Save The Hotel Pennsylvania Foundation

New York, NY 10001

gregory.jones@savehotelpenn.org
http://www.savehotelpenn.org

CB5 Zoning review resolution

2010-04-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.cb5.org/cb5/resolutions/april_/#15_penn_plaza

Here is the full CB% resolution denying the request to allow the rezoning. As we know CB5 like most of the groups int he ULURP are only advisory and do not have the final say. That is left to the NYC Council.

Responce from Mary Beth Betts (LPC)

2010-04-22T14:32:00.003-04:00

Mary Beth Betts replied to my request for evaluation of the Cafè Rouge. Here's what she wrote:

April 19, 2010

Re: Café Rouge, Manhattan

Dear Mr. Lepore,

Thank you for submitting a request for evaluation. Staff will review the material and keep you informed of the process. We appreciate your interest in historic preservation and in the work of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Sincerely,

Mary Beth Betts

Hotel Penn Forever? Community Board Scoffs at Giant Vornado Tower

2010-04-16T11:32:00.002-04:00

http://www.observer.com/2010/real-estate/hotel-penn-forever-community-board-scoffs-giant-vornado-tower

CB5 says NO to re-zoning!

2010-04-15T21:00:00.002-04:00

Cb5 final vote to deny Vornado the rezoning, main reason was the greed, of Vornado, they are trying to "sell" the package as the next wave of the transportation hub, however the people are no fools, the supposed upgrade of the MTA is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, turns out Vornado has to upgrade the entrances to the subways anyway with or with out the rezoning, and they were attempting to get a huge re-zoning variance with a 20% bump in the area that they are re-zoning on top of it. To quote a CB5 member "what they are asking for is way more then what they are offering". One huge IMO issue that killed it was the fact that they have no tenants slotted for this disaster they call a project, that would even give a reason to ask for all this space.

The vote was 21-0-0-1.

Additional information on the meeting last night. Below is a list of the companies that were in favor of the proposed plan.

Tri state transportation trust
NYC transit council
34 st partnership
The Penn group
Stonehenge partners
Madison Square Garden Corp
Building trade unions association
Utility union
Real estate board of NY
Newman real estate institute
Chief planner of NJ Transit
Macy's
Columbia university real estate
Durst Residential

Land Use & Zoning

2010-04-08T06:10:00.000-04:00

Land Use & Zoning

Kevin Finnegan, Chair
Matthew Schneid, Vice Chair
MEETING CANCELED!!

Reminder for RE-ZONING Review!

2010-04-02T18:35:00.001-04:00

The rezoning review board of CB5 for the Hotel Penn, was rescheduled to the April meeting. There is still time to get your speeches together and tell them what you think.

The meeting of the Land Use & Zoning is scheduled for:

WEDNESDAY
April 7, 2010
at 6:00 pm

LOCATION:

Flatiron BID
27 West 24th
Suite 800

Following that there will be a Full Board meeting to approve or disapprove:

THURSDAY
April 15, 2010
at 6:00 pm

LOCATION:

First Alliance Church
127 West 26th St.
buzzer #3003

Request for Evaluation

2010-03-25T23:19:00.001-04:00

I sent out a Request for Evaluation form pertaining to the Cafe Rouge. If the building itself can't be saved, maybe the Cafe Rouge can.

List of Subsidiarys owned by Vorndao.

2010-03-18T19:34:00.004-04:00

 VORNADO REALTY L.P.
SUBSIDIARIES OF THE REGISTRANT

 Name of Subsidiary                                  State

14 West 64th Street Corp.                           New York                    
150 East 58th Street L.L.C.                         New York                    
1740 Broadway Associates L.P.                       Delaware                    
20 Broad Lender L.L.C.                              New York                    
201 East 66th Street Corp.                          New York                    
201 East 66th Street L.L.C.                         New York                    
314 West 40th Street L.L.C.                         New York                    
330 Madison Company L.L.C.                          New York                    
350 North Orleans L.L.C.                            Delaware                    
40 East 14 Realty Associates L.L.C.                 New York                    
40 Fulton Street L.L.C.                             New York                    
401 Commercial Son, L.L.C.                          Delaware                    
401 Commercial, L.P.                                Delaware                    
401 General Partner, L.L.C.                         Delaware                    
401 Hotel General Partner, L.L.C.                   Delaware                    
401 Hotel, L.P.                                     Delaware                    
527 West Kinzie L.L.C.                              Delaware                    
570 Lexington Associates, L.P.                      New York                    
570 Lexington Company, L.P.                         New York                    
689 5th Avenue L.L.C.                               Delaware                    
770 Broadway Company L.L.C.                         New York                    
825 Seventh Avenue Holding L.L.C.                   New York                    
866 U.N. Plaza Associates L.L.C.                    New York                    
888 Seventh Avenue L.L.C.                           New York                    
909 Third Avenue Assignee L.L.C.                    New York                    
AmeriCold Corporation                               Oregon                      
AmeriCold Logistics II L.L.C.                       Delaware                    
AmeriCold Logistics L.L.C                           Delaware                    
AmeriCold Real Estate, L.P.                         Delaware                    
AmeriCold Realty, Inc.                              Delaware                    
Americold Services Corporation                      Delaware                    
Amherst Holding L.L.C.                              New York                    
Amherst Industries L.L.C.                           New York                    
Arbor Property, L.P.                                Delaware                    
Atlanta Parent, Inc.                                Delaware                    
Atlantic City Holding L.L.C.                        New Jersey                  
B&B Park Avenue L.P.                            Delaware                    
BBE GP Corporation                                  Delaware                    
Bensalem Holding Company L.L.C.                     Pennsylvania                
Bensalem Holding Company L.P.                       Pennsylvania                
Bethlehem Holding Company L.L.C.                    Pennsylvania                
Bethlehem Holding Company L.P.                      Pennsylvania                
Bethlehem Properties Holding Company L.L.C.         Pennsylvania                
Bethlehem Properties Holding Company L.P.           Pennsylvania

Bordentown Holding L.L.C.                           New Jersey

Brentwood Development L.L.C.                        New York                    
Bridgeland Warehouses L.L.C.                        New Jersey                  
Camden Holding L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Carmar Freezers Russellville, L.L.C.                Missouri                    
Carmar Group, Inc.                                  Missouri                    
Carmar Industries, L.L.C.                           Missouri                    
Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty L.P.             Delaware                    
Chicopee Holding L.L.C.                             Massachusetts               
Clementon Holding L.L.C.                            New Jersey                  
Cumberland Holding L.L.C.                           New Jersey                  
Darby Development Corp.                             Florida                     
Delran Holding L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Design Center Owner (D.C.) L.L.C.                   Delaware                    
Dover Holding L.L.C.                                New Jersey                  
DSAC L.L.C.                                         Texas                       
DUN L.L.C.                                          Maryland                    
Durham Leasing L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
EH L.L.C.                                           Maryland                    
Eleven Penn Plaza L.L.C.                            New York                    
Evesham Holding L.L.C.                              New Jersey                  
Gallery Market Holding Company L.L.C.               Pennsylvania                
Gallery Market Holding Company L.P.                 Pennsylvania                
Gallery Market Properties Holding Company L.L.C.    Pennsylvania                
Gallery Market Properties Holding Company L.P.      Pennsylvania                
GBSPI L.L.C.                                        Maryland                    
Graybar Building L.L.C.                             New York                    
Green Acres Mall, L.L.C.                            Delaware                    
Hackbridge L.L.C.                                   New Jersey                  
Hanover Conran's Plaza L.L.C.                       New Jersey                  
Hanover Holding L.L.C.                              New Jersey                  
Hanover Industries L.L.C.                           New Jersey                  
Hanover Leasing L.L.C.                              New Jersey                  
Hanover Public Warehousing L.L.C.                   New Jersey                  
Henrietta Holding L.L.C.                            New York                    
HHC L.L.C.                                          Maryland                    
Jersey City Leasing L.L.C.                          New Jersey                  
Kearny Holding L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Kearny Leasing L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Lancaster Leasing Company L.L.C.                    Pennsylvania                
Lancaster Leasing Company L.P.                      Pennsylvania                
Landthorp Enterprises L.L.C.                        Delaware                    
Lawnside Holding L.L.C.                             New Jersey                  
Lawnwhite Holding L.L.C.                            New Jersey                  
Lewisville Centre L.P.                              Texas                       
Lewisville TC L.L.C.                                Texas                       
Littleton Holding L.L.C.                            New Jersey                  
Lodi Industries L.L.C.                              New Jersey                  
Lodi Leasing L.L.C.                                 New Jersey                  
M 330 Associates, L.P.                              New York                    
M 393 Associates L.L.C.                             New York                    
Manalapan Industries L.L.C.                         New Jersey                  
Market Square L.L.C.                                Illinois                    
Marple Holding Company L.L.C.                       Pennsylvania                
Marple Holding Company L.P.                         Pennsylvania                
Mart Franchise Center, Inc.                         Delaware 
Mart Franchise Venture, L.L.C.                      Delaware

Menands Holding L.L.C.                              New York                    
Mendik Management Company Inc.                      New York                    
Merchandise Mart Enterprises, Inc.                  Delaware                    
Merchandise Mart L.L.C.                             Delaware                    
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.                   Delaware                    
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (DE)              Delaware                    
Mesquite - Texas Crossing L.P.                      Texas                       
Mesquite TC L.L.C.                                  Texas                       
Middletown Holding L.L.C.                           New Jersey                  
Montclair Holding L.L.C.                            New Jersey                  
Morris Plains Leasing L.L.C.                        New Jersey                  
MRC Management L.L.C.                               New York                    
National Hydrant L.L.C.                             New York                    
New Hanover L.L.C.                                  New Jersey                  
New Woodbridge L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Newington Connecticut Holding L.L.C.                Connecticut                 
Ninety Park Lender LLC                              New York                    
Ninety Park Manager LLC                             New York                    
Ninety Park Option LLC                              New York                    
Ninety Park Property LLC                            New York                    
North Bergen Stores L.L.C.                          New Jersey                  
North Plainfield Holding L.L.C.                     New Jersey                  
Office Center Owner (D.C.) L.L.C.                   Delaware                    
One Penn Plaza LLC                                  New York                    
Philadelphia Holding Company L.L.C.                 Pennsylvania                
Philadelphia Holding Company L.P.                   Pennsylvania                
Phillipsburg Holding L.L.C.                         New Jersey                  
Pike Holding Company L.L.C.                         Pennsylvania                
Pike Holding Company L.P.                           Pennsylvania                
Portland Parent, Inc.                               Delaware                    
Rahway Leasing L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Rochester Holding L.L.C.                            New York                    
Russia Fund, L.L.C.                                 Delaware                    
Skillman Abrams Crossing L.P.                       Texas                       
South Capital L.L.C.                                Delaware                    
Springfield Holding L.L.C.                          Massachusetts               
Star Universal L.L.C.                               New Jersey                  
Stardial GP Corporation                             Delaware                    
T.G. Hanover L.L.C.                                 New Jersey                  
T53 Condominium L.L.C.                              New York                    
TGSI L.L.C.                                         Maryland                    
The Second Lawnside L.L.C.                          New Jersey                  
The Second Rochester Holding L.L.C.                 New York                    
Turnersville Holding L.L.C.                         New Jersey                  
Two Guys From Harrison Holding Co. L.P.             Pennsylvania                
Two Guys From Harrison Holding Co. LLC              Pennsylvania                
Two Guys From Harrison L.L.C.                       New Jersey                  
Two Guys From Harrison N.Y. L.L.C.                  New York                    
Two Guys Mass. L.L.C.                               Massachusetts               
Two Guys-Connecticut Holding L.L.C.                 Connecticut                 
Two Park Company                                    New York                    
Two Penn Plaza REIT, Inc.                           New York                    
Unado L.L.C.                                        New Jersey                  
Unifreeze Services Partnership                      Delaware                    
Upper Moreland Holding Company L.L.C.               Pennsylvania 
Upper Moreland Holding Company L.P.                 Pennsylvania

URS Logistics, Inc.                                 Delaware                    
URS Real Estate, L.P.                               Delaware                    
URS Realty, Inc.                                    Delaware                    
VC Carthage, L.L.C.                                 Delaware                    
VC Freezer Amarillo, L.P.                           Delaware                    
VC Freezer Fremont, L.L.C.                          Delaware                    
VC Freezer Garden City, L.L.C.                      Delaware                    
VC Freezer Omaha Amarillo, L.L.C.                   Delaware                    
VC Freezer Phoenix, L.L.C.                          Delaware                    
VC Freezer Russelville, L.L.C.                      Delaware                    
VC Freezer Sioux Falls, L.L.C.                      Delaware                    
VC Freezer Springdale, L.L.C.                       Delaware                    
VC Logistics, L.L.C.                                Delaware                    
VC Missouri Holdings, L.L.C.                        Delaware                    
VC Missouri Real Estate Holding, L.L.C.             Delaware                    
VC Omaha Holdings, L.L.C.                           Delaware                    
VC Omaha Real Estate Holdings, L.L.C.               Delaware                    
VC Omaha Texas, L.L.C.                              Delaware                    
VC Superior, L.L.C.                                 Delaware                    
VC Texas, L.P.                                      Delaware                    
VFC Connecticut Holding L.L.C.                      Delaware                    
VFC Massachusetts Holding L.L.C.                    Delaware                    
VFC New Jersey Holding L.L.C.                       Delaware                    
VNK Corp                                            Massachusetts               
Vornado - Westport L.L.C.                           Connecticut                 
Vornado 1740 Broadway L.L.C.                        New York                    
Vornado 330 West 34th Street L.L.C.                 Delaware                    
Vornado 401 Commercial L.L.C.                       New York                    
Vornado 401 Commercial Son L.L.C.                   New York                    
Vornado 401 Hotel, Inc.                             New York                    
Vornado 550/600 Mamoroneck L.P.                     Delaware                    
Vornado 570 Lexington L.L.C.                        New York                    
Vornado 63rd Street, Inc.                           New York                    
Vornado 640 Fifth Avenue L.L.C.                     New York                    
Vornado 90 Park Avenue L.L.C.                       New York                    
Vornado B&B L.L.C.                              New York                    
Vornado CAPI L.L.C.                                 Delaware                    
Vornado Catalinas GP Inc.                           Delaware                    
Vornado Center Building L.L.C.                      New York                    
Vornado CESCR II L.L.C.                             Delaware                    
Vornado CESCR L.L.C.                                Delaware                    
Vornado Crescent Atlanta Partnership                Delaware                    
Vornado Crescent Holding L.P.                       Delaware                    
Vornado Crescent Logistics Operating Partnership    Delaware                    
Vornado Crescent Omaha Partnership                  Delaware                    
Vornado Crescent Portland Partnership               Delaware                    
Vornado Deer Park L.L.C.                            New York                    
Vornado Finance GP L.L.C.                           Delaware                    
Vornado Finance L.P.                                Delaware                    
Vornado Green Acres Acquisition L.L.C.              Delaware                    
Vornado Green Acres Delaware L.L.C.                 Delaware                    
Vornado Green Acres Funding L.L.C.                  Delaware                    
Vornado Green Acres Holdings L.L.C.                 Delaware                    
Vornado Investments L.L.C.                          Delaware                    
Vornado Lending L.L.C.                              New Jersey 
Vornado M 330 L.L.C.                                New York

Vornado M 393 L.L.C.                                New York                    
Vornado M/H L.L.C.                                  Delaware                    
Vornado Mamaroneck L.L.C.                           Delaware                    
Vornado Management Corp.                            New Jersey                  
Vornado Montehiedra Acquisition L.L.C.              Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra Acquisition L.P.                Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra Holding II L.P.                 Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra Holding L.L.C.                  Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra Holding L.P.                    Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra Inc.                            Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra OP L.L.C.                       Delaware                    
Vornado Montehiedra OP L.P.                         Delaware                    
Vornado New York RR One L.L.C.                      New York                    
Vornado Newkirk L.L.C.                              Massachusetts               
Vornado NK Loan L.L.C.                              Massachusetts               
Vornado Omaha Holdings, Inc.                        Delaware                    
Vornado Realty L.L.C.                               Delaware                    
Vornado RR Midtown L.L.C.                           New York                    
Vornado Two Park Holdings L.L.C.                    Delaware                    
Vornado Two Penn Plaza L.L.C.                       New York                    
Vornado/Team Room L.L.C.                            New York                    
VR Retail Holdings LLC                              New York                    
VRT Massachusetts Holding L.L.C.                    Delaware                    
VRT New Jersey Holding L.L.C.                       Delaware                    
Washington Design Center L.L.C.                     Delaware                    
Washington Office Center L.L.C.                     Delaware                    
Watchung Holding L.L.C.                             New Jersey                  
West Windsor Holding L.L.C.                         New Jersey                  
Whitehorse Lawnside L.L.C.                          New Jersey                  
York Holding Company L.L.C.                         Pennsylvania                
York Holding Company L.P.                           Pennsylvania

ULURP Review Process

2010-03-10T20:45:00.000-05:00

Below is the step needed for Vornado to rezone and ultimately demolish the hotel. Since this now goes before the CB5, we are at step 3.

ULURP Review Process

Filing of Application. An applicant must file a standardized Land Use Review Application and all required accompanying documentation with the Department of City Planning (DCP). Copies of all applications and accompanying material are sent to the affected Borough President, Community Board and the City Council within five business days of receipt. If the application involves land in more than one community district it is also sent to the appropriate borough board. The Borough Board is comprised of the Borough President, all Community Board chairs and City Council members within the affected borough.

Certification. DCP is responsible for certifying that the application is complete, and ready for public review through the ULURP process.

An application cannot be certified until DCP determines that the application includes all forms, plans and supporting documents that are necessary to address all issues related to the application. If the particular application is subject to environmental review, a negative declaration or a conditional negative declaration or a notice of completion of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement must be issued before an application can be certified. There is no mandated time by which this pre-certification review must be completed. The Charter permits applicants or the affected Borough President to appeal to CPC for certification after six months from the date of application submission.
Certified applications are sent within nine days to the affected Community Board, Borough President and the City Council and if appropriate, to the Borough Board.

Community Board Review. Within sixty (60) days of receiving the certified application, the Community Board is required to hold a public hearing and adopt and submit a written recommendation to CPC, the applicant, the Borough President and when appropriate, the Borough Board. The ULURP rules include provisions relating to the notice and conduct of a Community Board public hearing. ULURP provisions also govern the quorum, vote and content for a Community Board recommendation. If a Community Board fails to act within its time limit or waives its right to act, the application proceeds to the next level of review.

Borough President Review. Within thirty (30) days of receipt of a Community Board recommendation, or if the Community Board fails to act, within thirty (30) days of the expiration of the Community Board's review period, the Borough President shall submit a written recommendation to the City Planning Commission. If an application involves land in more than one community district, the Borough Board may (within the Borough President's review period) also review and submit a recommendation to CPC. If the Borough President fails to act within the time limit, the application proceeds to CPC.

City Planning Commission Review. CPC must hold a public hearing and approve, approve with modifications or disapprove the application within 60 days of the expiration of the Borough President's review period. City Planning Commission hearings are generally held twice a month on Wednesdays in Spector Hall at 22 Reade Street. Adoption of a CPC report approving, modifying or disapproving an application requires an affirmative vote of seven commissioners. If the Borough President has recommended against an application for site selection, disposition of city owned property or acquisition and has recommended an alternative site pursuant to the fair share provisions of the Charter (section 204), then nine affirmative votes are required. CPC then files copies of its decision with the City Council. In most cases, disapproval of an application by CPC is final and terminates ULURP. Disapproved applications for urban renewal plans are subject to Council review. In addition, disapproved applications for special permits, zoning text changes and zoning map changes that the Mayor has certified as necessary are subject to review by the City Council. (Note: No "certificate of necessity" has been issued by any mayor since ULURP went into effect).

City Council Review. The City Council does not automatically review all ULURP actions that are approved by CPC. The Charter requires the Council to review certain actions, some only under special circumstances, and makes provision for the Council to elect to review other actions.

The City Council automatically reviews (Mandatory Review):

zoning map changes;
zoning text changes (not subject to ULURP but subject to Charter section 200 and 201);
housing and urban renewal plans;
disposition of residential buildings, except to non-profit companies for low-income housing

The Council may elect to review the following by voting to take jurisdiction within 20 days after CPC files its report (Council "call-up"):

- City Map changes;

- maps of subdivisions or plattings;

- zoning special permits;

- revocable consents, franchise RFP’s, and major concessions;

- non-City public improvements;

- sanitary and waterfront landfills;

- disposition of commercial or vacant property;

- disposition of residential buildings to nonprofit companies for low-income housing;

- acquisition of real property; and

- site selection.

Applications disapproved by the Community Board and Borough President (Triple no):

An application which is subject to elective review by the Council, will be reviewed if that application was disapproved by the Community Board and Borough President, was approved or approved with modifications by the City Planning Commission, and the Borough President files an objection to CPC approval with the Council and CPC within 5 days of receipt of CPC's approval.

Within 50 days of receipt of the CPC report on an application that is either subject to mandatory review, is "called-up" by the Council, or is a "triple no" application, the Council must hold a public hearing, and approve, approve with modifications or disapprove the decision of the City Planning Commission.
If, during the course of its 50-day review period, the Council decides it wants to approve an application with a modification, it can do so only by referring the proposed modification back to CPC. CPC must then determine if the modification is of such significance that additional environmental review is necessary or that additional review pursuant to ULURP is required. If CPC determines that additional review is needed, the Council may not adopt the modification. If no additional review is needed, the Council can adopt the application with the modification. When the Council proposes a modification, CPC has 15 days to make its determination and during that period the City Council's 50-day clock is stopped.

A City Council action approving, approving with modifications or disapproving most CPC actions, requires a majority vote of the Council. Urban Renewal Plans that have been disapproved by CPC can only be approved by a 3/4 vote of the Council.

If the Council fails to act within its review period, the Council shall be deemed to have approved the decision of the City Planning Commission.

Mayoral Review. Mayoral approval is not required. A decision by the City Council to approve or disapprove a land use application is considered to be final unless the Mayor elects to veto a Council action within 5 days of the vote. The Council, by a 2/3 vote, can override a Mayor's veto of its decision within 10 days of the veto.

Applications approved by CPC that the Council did not assume jurisdiction or act on within its 50 day review can also be vetoed by the Mayor within 5 days of the expired Council time period. The Council , by a 2/3 vote, can override a Mayor's veto of the CPC decision within ten days of the veto.

ULURP graphic:
The ULURP process is graphically shown in a diagram in PDF format (22K).
To view and print the graphic file, you will need the most recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The pdf file has been optimized for Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 to save significantly on file size and download time. Earlier versions of the Reader will not view these files correctly. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for free downloading.

CB5 Zoning review

2010-03-10T16:30:00.003-05:00

WEDNESDAY
April 7, 2010
at 6:00 pm

LOCATION:
Flatiron BID
27 West 24th
Suite 800

Following that there will be a Full Board meeting to approve or disapprove:

THURSDAY
April 15, 2010
at 6:00 pm

LOCATION:
First Alliance Church
127 West 26th St.
buzzer #3003

State and National Registers of Historic Places

2010-03-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your interest in seeking State and National Registers of Historic Places status for the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. In 2003 our office determined that the hotel met the criteria for listing to the National Register. If any state or federal funds or permits are being used by the developer in the redevelopment of the property, the state or federal agency involved with the project must consult with our agency. As far as listing is concerned, a building cannot be listed to the National Register if the owner does not support the nomination.

Sincerely,

Kathleen A. Howe
Historic Preservation Program Analyst
NYS OPRHP
P.O. Box 189
Peebles Island
Waterford, NY 12188
518-237-8643, extension 3266
kathy.howe@oprhp.state.ny.us

2009 EOY Report

2010-02-23T14:23:00.000-05:00

EOY earnings report are in for Vornado and the Hotel Pennsylvania: Hotel made $15,108,000 for the year ending 09. This is down again from the previous year of $42,269,000. With numbers like this, Vornado will have no concerns about ripping it down. Earnings can be found here:

http://www.secinfo.com/dRej6.rb.htm#1stPage

HDC Conference is Two Weeks Away! Last Chance for Groups to Participate in Friday Reception

2010-02-19T20:58:00.001-05:00

Registration is Now Open for HDC’s Sixteenth Annual Preservation Conference, Preservation in New York: The Next Generation

This year the conference will examine the future of preservation in New York City as a movement, both in terms of the types of buildings we should be preserving and the audiences we must engage in order to be successful. What will be the landmarks for the next generation and who will be fighting to preserve them? The Conference will focus on specific types of architecture, including modern, cultural and vernacular, that have been less appreciated in the past but are now increasingly seen as significant. We will examine the reasons these buildings are important and the future of their preservation.

Although preservation is a populist movement, preservationists have not been successful in involving a wider citizenry in our campaigns. In order to be effective, a broader base must be engaged in our efforts to protect New York’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. Speakers will address ways to involve diverse populations, including low-income communities, new immigrants, and youth, in successful neighborhood preservation initiatives. A distinguished group of preservationists, educators and community advocates from across New York City’s five boroughs will address these issues. The Conference consists of two panel discussions, “New Landmarks: Modern, Vernacular and Cultural Sites” and “New Audiences: Identifying and Partnering with Diverse Populations.” Each panel will be immediately followed by a breakout session where Conference attendees will be able to have a discussion with individual panelists in a more focused, roundtable format.

Preservation in New York: The Next Generation

MEET PEOPLE!

March 5: Opening Night Reception

We’re almost out of exhibit space – if you want a table, you must contact ftolbert@hdc.org immediately.

This year the Opening Reception will be held in the LGBT Community Center, housed in an historic 19^th-century school. As with last year’s event, in addition to refreshments and good preservation-minded conversation, this festive kick-off event will feature presentations on proposed historic districts and preservation campaigns across the city. Come meet fellow neighborhood advocates and learn about their preservation efforts.

Friday, March 5, 6:00pm, at The LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street between Seventh and Greenwich Avenues. Tickets for this event are $35/person, $30 for Friends of HDC, seniors and students. Reservations required. Please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.

LEARN THINGS!

March 6: “The Next Generation” Conference Panels

This year’s Conference Panels will bring together a distinguished group of preservationists, educators, community activists and non-profit leaders from New York City’s five boroughs to present their views in a series of panel discussions: “New Landmarks: Modern, Vernacular and Cultural Sites” and “New Audiences: Identifying and Partnering with Diverse Populations” and a keynote address delivered by Fran Leadon, architect, professor, and co-author of the forthcoming AIA Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition. In a change to our usual program, following each panel discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to join breakout sessions to learn more about the specific topics that interest them most.

Saturday, March 6, 8:30am-4:30pm, at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street between Court and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn. Full day admission is $45/person, $35/person for Friends of HDC and seniors. Fee includes continental breakfast, box lunch, and afternoon snack. Entrance fee will be waved for students with valid university ID (meals are not included). For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.

SEE STUFF!

March 7: Walking Tours

TOURS ARE SELLING OUT, SO RESERVE NOW!

The final day of HDC’s Preservation Conference features six walking tours of neighborhoods throughout New York City:

v The Grand Concourse: Ain’t It Grand! ~ 11am-1pm

v A Walk Through Norwegian Brooklyn: Lapskaus Boulevard ~ 11am-1pm

v Chelsea and Lamartine Place: A Cultural History ~ 10am-1pm

v Modern in Midtown: Landmarks of the Recent Past ~ 11am-1pm

v Parkchester: A City Within a City ~ 11am-1pm

v West End Avenue: Way Out West ~ 11am-1pm

Sunday, March 7. Space is limited, so reserve early. Directions and meeting locations will be provided upon registration. To register via PayPal, please visit our website or call (212) 614-9107. You may also access a mail-in registration form here.

WANT MORE?

Attend a FREE pre-conference program at the Neighborhood Preservation Center.

Wednesday, February 24: PLACE, RACE, AND STORY: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation

Monday, March 1: MONDAY MORNING COFFEE TALK: FAQ’s About Business Improvement Districts and Commercial Improvement Programs

Tuesday, March 2: Jazz Greats, Sports Stars, Politicians and More:

Addisleigh Park Cultural Resource Survey Presentation

All three events are free – but space is limited and RSVPS are necessary.

1929

2010-02-18T11:25:00.003-05:00

In 1929 another famous hotel that was designed by McKim Mead, and White, was demolished to make way for another skyscraper. The building known as that Empire State Building now stands on the corner of 5th ave and 34th st. Although the Waldorf was rebuilt further uptown, it does go to show that our McKim Mead and White hotel is looking at the same fate.

The New Fate of the Hotel

2010-02-09T22:35:00.004-05:00

I got this via a Google alert.

http://www.observer.com/2010/real-estate/city%E2%80%99s-new-third-tallest-tower

Happy Birthday Hotel Pennsylvania!

2010-01-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here's to another 91 years!

List of Famous People That Stayed at the Hotel Penn

2010-01-22T18:15:00.002-05:00

Got a list of famous people that stayed at the Hotel Penn? List them here. Below is our list so far.

Alan Greenspan

The age of turbulence: adventures in a new world
By Alan Greenspan pg 23

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin and his times
By Kenneth Schuyler Lynn pg 422

Tramp: the life of Charlie Chaplin
By Joyce Milton pg 403

Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller and his orchestra
By George Thomas Simon pg 33

Swingin' the dream: big band jazz and the rebirth of American culture
By Lewis A. Erenberg pg 147

The tombstone tourist: musicians
By Scott Stanton pg 170

The age of turbulence: adventures in a new world
By Alan Greenspan pg 23

Tommy Dorsey

Billboard Oct 10, 1942 (Tommy Dorsey) pg 20

The Architectural review, Volume 8 pg xii

Calvin Collage

General report. by Stevenson Society of America, Inc.
pg 16 Letter signed by Calvin Collage

http://tinyurl.com/ygl55ex

Amherst graduates' quarterly, Volume 10
By Amherst College. Alumni Council pg 110

Franklin D Roosevelt

Yearbook
By Music Educators National Conference (U.S.) 1936 pg 425
(Mrs. Roosevelt)

F.D.R., columnist: the uncollected columns of Franklin D. Roosevelt - Page 10

The publishers weekly, Volume 133
By R.R. Bowker Company, Publishers' Board of Trade (U.S.), Book Trade Association of Philadelphia, Am. Book Trade Association, American Book
Trade Union - Page 1679 (Mrs. Rosevelt)

Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way
By Peter J. Levinson Pg 91 (FDR, JR.)

Saturday review of literature, Volume 17 - 1937 pg 21 (Mrs. FDR)

Year book, Volume 40
By National Probation Association (U.S.) 1931 pg 271

Benny Goodman

How to lie about your age
By Sona Holman, Lillian Friedman Pg 94

George Bush

City planning, Volumes 1-2
By American Institute of Planners Pg 62

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-24T12:02:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Hotel Pennsylvania!

Statler and Waldorf

2009-12-21T15:43:00.002-05:00

Do you remember the two Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf? Well, Statler was actually named after Hotel Pennsylvania (which was renamed Hotel Statler in the 1940's) and Waldorf was named after the Waldorf Astoria. Just an interesting fact you might want to know.

Preservation Act of 1966

2009-12-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

I stumbled upon the Preservation Act of 1966 which was actually used to save Michigan Central Station from demolition a few weeks before it was scheduled. We are currently looking into the preservation act to see if it pertains to us. More information will be on the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T13:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Hotel Pennsylvania! And same to all of you who are helping to save the hotel! Have a safe and happy Holiday!

Steven Lepore
Editor of The Save The Hotel
Pennsylvania Foundation
http://savethehotelpenn.blogspot.com/

New Advertisement

2009-11-14T19:03:00.003-05:00

Here's the advertisment! Property of Steven Lepore

NY Post says save the Hotel!

2009-11-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

Amazing what ou find when you look for it. This post published almost a year ago to the day shows no mater how bad people make things look, eventually they see the light and come over to our side of the fence.

A link to the NY Post.

Hotel Pennsylvania 3Q Review

2009-11-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

Vornado announced their third quarters earnings report today, The Hotel Pennsylvania made $3.59M this Quarter, down from last year at this time of $11.9M. So far the hotel as made a total of $7.8M down from last years high of $29.7M.

Needless to say the Hotel is not doing all that well. Which will give Vornado all the more reason to get rid of it. A full copy of the SEC filing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/354aa6e.

Save Hotel Pennsylvania

Happy Birthday!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the preservation of the Grand Central Terminal

Yahoo Answers

Archives

Vornado considers renovating Hotel Pennsylvania instead of erecting massive skyscraper

I came across two very interesting articles today, that I really hope happen.

Vornado considers renovating Hotel Pennsylvania instead of erecting massive skyscraper

Time-out seen in skyline war

Time-out seen in skyline war

15 Penn Plaza to be complete in 2014

3rd Quarter Results for Vornado.

Live and learn

Where is my closest landmark?

135 Bowery

Hotel Pennsylvania 2nd Q reports

Message to the Chair, Landmarks Preservation Commission

LPC response letters for the Cafe Rouge

Follow the money from Vornado to Washington.

Do you think 15 Penn Plaza will do good or bad things to New York?

Hotel Pennsylvania 1st Q reports

Land's End - Gatsby Mansion Torn Down

2012 HOPE Conference

Follow us on Foursquare!

Gimbels Passageway

Gimbels Passageway Simulator

Happy 92nd Birthday!

Getting a Lawyer

Merry Christmas Hotel Penn

New York Times Ad

Final letter from the LPC

FM/TV signals could be in trouble because of 15 Penn Plaza Tower.

Testimony of Wally Rubin for Community Board Five at the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, Monday, August 23rd, 2010

NYC Council

A letter to Mr. Roth and Mr. Greenbaum

Atlantic Yards Report: "Stealing the common from the goose": Henry Stern's compelling case against 15 Penn Plaza (and the glaring Atlantic Yards blind spot)

Letters from CB5 to the CPC and City Council

Another letter to Christine Quinn

A letter to Christine Quinn

Response from Vornado regarding obtaining pieces of the Hotel

Email them

Last ditch effort

Its over and we lost. :-(

More Tower Blues

City Council Vote

Public Meeting for Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise

Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchise

MBPO accepts donations from Vornado and other REIT's.

City Council Meetings

City Council Public Meeting

DCP decisions.

CB5 admonishes MBPO and DCP

WPIX-TV

Petition

DCP votes "Yes" to demolition

DCP Public Hearing Closed!

A quote from Steve Roth

Pennsylvania Station 100th Anniversary Lighting Facebook

L Magazine Article

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer Announces Conditional Approval For Proposed Redevelopment Of 15 Penn Plaza

City Council Meeting Final

City Planning Commission Review

Jessica Lapin meeting update

NYC Council pt 2

Meeting with NYC Council Pt 2

Meeting with NYC Council

Protest!!

CPC hearing on 15 Penn Plaza

CPC deadline looms closer

15 Penn Plaza Tower

Twitter

CPC leans heavly twoard OK of Vornado building

Hotel Penn Demolition Review

PUBLIC HEARINGS OF THE FOLLOWING MATTERS TO BE SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010

MBPO Votes Yes to 15 Penn Plaza redevelopment

15 Penn Plaza

Meeting with Christine Quinn's Staff

A letter to Brian Footer requesting a meeting with Ms. Quinn

CB5 Zoning review resolution

Responce from Mary Beth Betts (LPC)