In the News: The Best Look So Far at 91 Leonard

••• I don’t really look at roundups like Curbed‘s “New NYC Apartments Hitting the Market: Fall 2017” one from last week, but when I was searching for renderings of 91 Leonard, the 20-story building going up on Broadway between Franklin and Leonard, I came across one from that roundup. Click on it to see it larger: This is the best look so far at the building, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. There must be other renderings, of course, so I emailed the PR rep for developer Toll Brothers City Living, but I haven’t heard back.

••• I missed the Q&A that the Broadsheet ran about city council candidate Aaron Foldenauer. His answer regarding the main issue facing Tribeca (he chose not to address the neighborhood specifically): “Two big issues in all of these neighborhoods are school shortages and the closure of small businesses. There is an urgent need for more than 625 [additional] school seats in Lower Manhattan. Stunningly, despite this shortage, Lower Manhattan is not scheduled to get any new school seats until the fall of 2022. This is a basic planning failure by our elected leaders. The inability of a child to attend his or her local school has dramatic impacts not only on families but also on the community as a whole. Secondly, over the last decade, I have seen small businesses close and our communities become even more corporatized. Lower Manhattan is the most historic area in all of New York City, and we must stand up for our small businesses before New York City becomes yet another suburban Mall of America.”

••• Curbed got a hard-hat tour inside the St. Nicholas National Shrine at Liberty Park.

••• A Fast Company article about how “Silicon Valley veterans are ditching fast-track careers and going all-in with their time and money as they reimagine education for their children” includes a lot about Portfolio School on N. Moore.

••• The restaurant formerly known as Ichimura is now being called Shoji at 69 Leonard Street—maybe we can just call it 69?—and it’s “helmed by New York-native Derek Wilcox, who will plate a kappo-style menu, featuring 16 to 18 courses built of both kaiseki and Edomae sushi (which includes steamed, fried, simmered, raw, and grilled preparations). The $210 menu is down from Ichimura’s $300 price.” —Eater

••• A profile of restaurateur Drew Nieporent. —New York Times

••• The new artwork on Franklin Street between Varick and W. Broadway is by Imani Shanklin Roberts and sponsored by South African Tourism. Photo below by Eric Townsend. —Curbed

••• “On Saturday, September 16, Citi Bike and South African Tourism will co-host a South Africa-themed Block Party adjacent to the art installation, where riders will be able to take a rest from their blue bikes to enjoy South African food like Boerewors Rolls. The party will include a pop-up food truck, face painting and music. Travel ambassadors will also be on site to share information about the South African vacation package. This event is open to the public from 12-3 p.m. that day.” —The Drum

 

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