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History of Tribeca Buildings
More Shabby Than Chic
Curbed recently called 372 Broadway (above) “Tribeca’s most forlorn” building. It is derelict, for sure (and said to be home to an eight-foot-tall mountain of trash). But when I hear “forlorn,” I first think of 502 Canal (a.k.a. 480 Greenwich). Last December, DNAinfo ran an article about how the Ponte family had promised the Landmarks Preservation Commission that they’d fix it up.
Maybe tomorrow! Anyway, the diminutive size of the building always reminds me of the derelict building I’d love to renovate, 35 Walker:
Am I right? Perfect for a single-pug household. Another less-than-loved building that has caught my eye is 175 Franklin. Maybe people live in the upper floors (if so, sorry!), but the ratty storefront and the plywood in the second-floor window are cries for help:
Finally, there’s 48 Warren. I don’t think it’s forlorn so much as mysterious. Two days ago, I walked by right as someone went in, and I’m still kicking myself for not asking him who’s locked up what’s going on in there. (I’m not quite as ballsy as I am nosy.) Someone please tell me! All tips—whether on 48 Warren or some other matter—are welcome and anonymous: tribecacitizen@gmail.com.
12 Comments
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Yes Jimmy,believe it or not there actually might be people living in these so called “derelict buildings” like there used to be before the types like yourselves moved into “the new Tony Tribeca”. Oh it was so much more funky at that time!
Do you think that was a comment from the 8 ft. mountain of trash that has an internet connection? It’s got to be FIos because Time Warner would NEVER make that connection. “Funky” – do you mean the smell? Excuse me, my distilled water order has just arrived. Au revoir.
OMG – You mean there are actually STILL buildsings in Tribeca that don’t house multi-million dollar homes????? How disgraceful – maybe Bloomy can take them over by eminent domain and turn them over to his developer friends – like he did with every other property in Tribeca.
Yeah, Bloomy!! Just like all of those developers that originally built those pre-war buildings everyone is still living in….oh wait, that ruins my “the good old days” argument. Yeah, but I hate how Tribeca has changed just like America changed when Columbus landed and when Lewis & Clark ventured West and who wanted indoor plumbing and electricity anyways? And COLOR TV?!! Come on, B&W was just fine. Progress sucks!
Wait, is this that “class warfare” I’ve heard so much about? How exciting! #OccupyTriBeCa
Yeah! #OccupyTribeca – meet up in Duane Park for free yoga & pilates, and apparently free weed on Staple St.!!!!! Leave your strollers at the intersection of Duane & Greenwich, they will act as speed bumps! Remember to remove your children first.
Class warfare Tribeca style: the haves vs the haves way more. Ready set, go! And don’t even thinking about occupying Duane Park. There are rules in these parts.
To paraphrase Milton, “they also serve who grandfather their hovels and quietly do their not-at-all-profitable thing”.
WOWZA! Such strong feelings!! Some of remember when Washington Market (THEY call it Tribeca now, how trendy) was a really sweet, liberal, arty neighborhood of real neighbors!
When we owned Towers {now the Odeon} it was a fun neighborhood with kids who had so much energy No money but always full of idears I will always remember them we looked forward to seeing them each morning having there cup of coffee Many we helped get through hard times .When i go to Tribeca now its to rich for me
WOWZA. Can’t believe what strong feelings the original hipsters of TriBeCa have, excuse me, Washington Market (how original, not trendy). Wait, wasn’t it the original residents/artists that lived in “Washington Market” who came up with the name “TriBeCa?”
Anyways, I too remember back then when the area was filled with real people that drank “real” coffee and had “really” sweet children (angels), not like the “real” people that think they’re real now, but are really the same real as the people who thought they were real back then but are just as real as any of people could be real, but not being sooo real that they become unreal. Remember too when little Bobby DeNiro just owned one building and then Robert DeNiro bull-dozed in and owned several buildings and restaurants and then built a “gorgeous” hotel over that sweet and innocent parking lot that my children use to play “kill-the-man-with-the-ball” and then ran across to the meadow and ate fresh ice cream that grew on the trees every Spring.
Jim Smithers, you are hilarious and hit your targets like a laser. Some of the comments make it sound like if we moved here within the last 5 years, we must not be ” sweet, liberal, arty” (do you meet “artsy”) or “real neighbors”! We kinda thought we were all these things (yeah, and maybe even “funky” too); that’s probably why we love this neighborhood so much! Don’t hate us just because it took us a while to get it!