Seen & Heard: The Name of the New Kids’ Store

••• I think N.’s comment about the “Fearless Girl” statue is worth highlighting:

I (a woman) worked on the Street during the “Boom Boom Room” era and still see [the statue] as an all too glib and easy, virtue signaling bit of advertising that totally changes the meaning of the original work. The raging bull doesn’t represent Wall Street (the market is both bulls and bears, ya know), it represents a rising stock market and thus prosperity. So the girl is standing athwart prosperity? Makes no sense at all as a positive message for State Street to be sending.

Even in the context that State Street and the artist meant the pair to be seen, it’s actually ridiculous—they are subtly reinforcing the idea that it’s ok for Wall Street men to refer to and treat women in their workplace as little girls there to ruin the fun.

••• We had heard that a children’s clothing store is opening in the former Dean’s pizzeria space at 349 Greenwich, and judging from this sign, I’d wager it’s called Ever After. (Nothing relevant online yet.) I had the sense earlier that it was only taking the southern half of the space, because there were no signs of life in the northern half—but yesterday lights were on inside. So who knows….

••• I rarely walk on the block of Leonard between Church and W. Broadway because of the 56 Leonard construction and the relative lack of retail activity on that block. But I did the other day, and I noticed that 55 Leonard is being renovated and the commercial space is being converted to residential. Of note: This drawing of the new first-floor façade. Those wouldn’t be glass bricks, would they?

••• And I guess I never walk on the east side of Greenwich above Canal, because I don’t remember realizing that 484 Greenwich was in the middle of a comprehensive residential conversion. The Schedule A form on the Department of Buildings site says floors 2-5 are “one-fifth residential.” Does that mean a fifth of each floor is residential (and the rest is commercial?), or each of the five floors represents 1/5 of the total residences? James, any thoughts? P.S. Great tree.

••• First time I’ve come across this option on OpenTable. Mixed emotions…. It could be handy, but if I walked in and was told an empty bar stool was reserved, I’d be pissy about it.

••• Opening March 30 at Patrick Parrish: “Hard Round, Soft Baroque’s first solo exhibition in the United States. A continuation from the Wood Worm collection first presented at the last edition of Design Miami, Hard Round is a new series of sculptural furniture works constructed from lines derived from the Photoshop ‘hard round’ brush toolThe worms are converted from a digital sketch into a substantial timber, marble or aluminum object, connected by hidden joinery. They reference the clumsy expediency of digital image production in contrast to 20th century craft movements. An object language that is stuck between the persistent values about the natural and the growing dominance of computer generated aesthetics.” I want the object below.

 

5 Comments

  1. 484 upstairs is going to be a single residential unit comprising floors 2-5, i.e., “each of the five floors represents 1/5 of the total” 1 unit. The proposed occupancy classification is “R-3 – RESIDENTIAL: 1 & 2 FAMILY HOUSES.”

  2. I don’t really “get” the Fearless Girl statue. I think it mostly just isn’t a very good statue. She looks kind of bratty to me. And N is right – the symbolism with her facing down the bull symbolizing business success is at best confused. If FiDi wants to create a statue honoring women, I’m all for it. But this isn’t that statue.

  3. The Fearless Girl should be melted down and recast as a statue of Ivanka Trump, a woman who truly represents every girl’s struggle with the need for timely hair-coloring and using Chinese labor.

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