UNION SQUARE COMMUNITY COALITION

Spring 2004

USCCs New "Friends of the Square" Award: Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, Councilwoman Margarita Lopez & Karen Shaw of Union Square Partnership

January 21st, at NYU's Palladium Hall, USCC honored these three dynamic women with USCC's first Friends of the Square award. They have all pushed for a renewal of the North End of the Square: Karen Shaw with commissioning a plan and getting community input, Margarita Lopez for her longstanding support of a new playground and large budget allocation toward that, and C. Virginia Fields for her support of USCC and financial support of a new playground.

Here are some excerpts from Ms. Fields' remarks: "...Gail and Susan are to be congratulated in particular for establishing a renewed and productive relationship with the Union Square Partnership. Congratulations also on their hard work in having over 500 families in your organization. Your organization saved Union Square, and in so doing, saved an heirloom.

And now, we are working together on the new plan for the North End. Your message to the Parks Department, the MTA, the DOT and others is Involve us, we live here, let's do this together.I support your desire to be at the table each step with the Parks Department in realizing a plan for the North End. ...Nothing is more important than neighbors gathering together and being involved, stepping up to the plate.

Union Square you saved it, you use it, you live here, and your voices must be heard."

USCC members and community leaders helped to fete these women, including Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney, Kyle Merker and Kathy Kinsella of Community Board 5, Honi Klein of the Village Alliance, District Leader Keen Berger, Michelle Houle of the Vineyard Theatre, Chelsea Piers Bill Abramson, Peter Sarantos of Commerce Bank and Coffee Shops Eric Petterson.

A special thank-you to Gary Parker of NYU Community Affairs as well as Mecca Scott for arranging the use of their beautiful room at NYU Palladium Hall. Thanks to City Bakery, Marquet Patisserie and Union Square Wines & Spirits for catering deliciously.

USCC Receives Generous Grant

Thanks to Co-Chair Gail Fox's diligent work, USCC is the proud recipient of a significant grant given to us anonymously through the New York Community Trust's subsidiary, the Windie Knowe Fund. We have a few projects in the works which will be moved forward because of this generosity. Thank-you to our "secret admirer." We must be doing something right!

New Park Manager & Gardener

Welcome to Christian Paro, Parks & Recreation Manager for Districts 4, 5, Washington Square Park and now Union Square Park. From manager at Washington Square Park, he has now been promoted to District Manager. New gardener Yamila Fournier, who worked with Christian at Washington Square Park, will now be assigned to Union Square Park as well. We look forward to working with them and seeing what new ideas sprout.

Landmarks Position Paper & Report

A meeting was held in February with Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney. USCC board members Jack Taylor, Aubrey Lees and Leo Blackman felt Mr. Tierney was sympathetic and guardedly encouraging. We look forward to some more landmark successes soon. As always, your individual letters to the Commission are integral to preserving the Union Square area.


USCC Historic Preservation Committee Position Paper We recommended Union Square as a historic district almost 20 years ago, but the Commission declined to designate because of what it called "too many gaps" -historic buildings had been demolished or altered inappropriately. We want to save the important remaining integrity of the Union Square area. Hence the following designations are currently under consideration and are endorsed by USCC, the Historic Districts Council, Municipal Art Society, and elected officials. Write to indicate your support: Hon. Robert B. Tierney, Chair, Landmarks Preservation Commission, Municipal Building, 1 Centre Street, 9th floor north, New York, NY 10007 (and copy USCC, P.O. Box 71, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276) or on the web: Landmarks Preservation Commission is www.nyc.gov/html/lpc. Enter and print your separate requests as follows: USCC supports landmarking of several buildings in our area:

• the former Tammany Hall at Union Square East at East 17th Street
• the former Guardian Life Annex (the low-rise modern structure in midblock on East 17th Street, east of the landmarked W Union Square Hotel)
• the former Baumann Brothers store (a masterpiece of 19th century cast iron) on the south side of 14th Street west of University Place at 22-26 East 14th Street.

Also on our radar are 10 West 14th Street, and 58 West 14th Street, the former Macys. USCC also supports an extension to the Ladies Mile Historic District-the rear and annex of the former Simpson, Crawford & Simpson department store whose address is 641 Avenue of the Americas. The two parts of this building were inadvertently left out of the Ladies Mile Historic District when it was designated in 1989. The rear and annex suffered an explosion and fire in 2002 and may soon be repaired. These repairs should be under the supervision of the Commission.

Jack Taylor, USCC's Chair, Historic Preservation Committee, noted,"If these buildings are designated they will be added to the nine in the Union Square area that USCC can take credit for getting landmarked." Your effort will mean a lot to USCC, which has worked hard for historic preservation and landmarking in our area for many years.

Leo Lionized

Congratulations to USCC's Leo Blackman, architect, who will receive a Grassroots Preservation Award from the Historic Districts Council for his historically complementary work on the West 10th Street Village Community School addition. The event is Thursday, May 13th, at 6 p.m. at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, East 10th Street and Second Avenue. For tickets, contact HDC at 212-614-9107.

Dog Run Entry Paved

The dog run has a newly paved entryway, thanks to Parks Department Chief of Operations for Manhattan, Namshik Yoon, and his crew. A new surface for the dog run is in the works, according to run Co-chairs Nicole Barth and David Kim. Their website is www.uniondog.org. Dog owners can e nicolebarth@hotmail.com to volunteer and contribute donations or e us at unionsquarepark@yahoo.com.

Welcome the Elf of Union Square

Renowned children's book author and USP playground advocate Jan Carr has written a new children's novel called "The Elf of Union Square." The centerpiece of this funny and charming book is Union Square Park. Some of its quirkier inhabitants may seem quite familiar. Thanks to Jan for mentioning USCC in the acknowledgments. Signed copies are available at Books of Wonder on 18th Street and Barnes & Noble on 17th Street.

Next Big USCC Event: Carnival!

Sunday, September 12th, is USCC's free annual Children's Carnival. We'd love to have some volunteers to help us set up, tear down and run the cotton-candy machine. If you know of a child-friendly neighborhood business which would be a good sponsor, please tell us.

Labyrinth Artist touching up

Thanks to One Shot Corporation of Gary, Indiana, a subsidiary of Spraylat Corporation, for donating its special outdoor paint to USCC for the North Plazas labyrinths. The labyrinths were created by artist Diana Carulli, a USCC member. Diana will do the annual repainting with volunteers. Take time for a relaxing walk of one of them.

Help us Plant The Park

Join us in our annual Plant the Park Day, Saturday, May 15th, from 10 to 2. Bring your gloves, garden tools and green thumbs. We'll meet by the dog run, or just look for the volunteers and the new Park gardener. The USCC-provided flowers and compost are from the Greenmarket.

Sandbox Safe?

Julia Cowing, a photographer and mother of a baby girl, frequents Union Square and Washington Square playgrounds. She has researched the safety and cleanliness of sandboxes and has posted her position and a petition at www.indigoforest.com/sandboxes. USCC's position is that we would like to see the Parks Department clean and change the sand more frequently. You can weigh in.

Your Membership Counts
USCC's programs depend on your membership dues. So send in your check for us to continue our good work. We can't do it without you! Membership levels are: Household $40; Individual $25; Business/Organization $75; Patron $250; and Student or Senior $10. USCC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is eligible for corporate matching gifts. Membership fees and contributions are tax-deductible as the law allows.

USCC's programs depend on your membership dues. Please send in your check for us to continue our good work. We can't do it without you! Please see application below for different membership levels. USCC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is eligible for corporate matching gifts. Thank you.
USCC, a non-profit group founded in 1980, advocates for sound planning and preservation for Union Square Park and its environs. Last year USCC sponsored a community forum, a free children's carnival and contributed to Park maintenance and beautification.

This year USCC will be working with the 14th St. BID and Parks Dept. toward improving the north end of the Park which now includes the playgrounds, Greenmarket space and restaurant. Please join us in making Union Square Park meet the needs of our community. Make your check payable to USCC and return it with this application to: USCC, P.O. Box 71, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276 Our e-mail address is: unionsquarepark@yahoo.com Name

_____________________________________________________ Address Apt. #

_____________________________________________________ City, State Zip

_____________________________________________________Telephone

_____________________________________________________E-mail

____Individual ($25) ____Student and Senior Citizen ($10) ____Household ($40) ____Business, Organization, Institution ($75) ____Sponsor $100 ____Patron ($250) ____Benefactor ($500) ______Company matching grant

I am interested in helping with the following (check as many as you wish):
____Activities and Events ____Clerical Work ____Dog Run ____Fundraising ____Greenmarket ____Historic Preservation and Landmarking ____Membership Development ____Park Design ____Playgrounds ____Public Relations ____Transportation ____Zoning and Planning ____Other