••• “Michelle Obama fired up the stars in Tribeca Monday night for her hubby’s reelection bid. An A-list crowd—Beyoncé and her mother Tina Knowles, ‘The View’ host Whoopi Goldberg, Star Jones [Star Jones is A-list?], actors Ben Stiller, Angela Bassett and Alfre Woodard, and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and his fashion designer wife [unnamed?! Burn!]—turned out for the Obama cash bash. The fund-raiser was hosted by Robert De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower, at Locanda Verde.” —New York Daily News, although now that I look a little further, Capital New York has a better report

••• “A press release that just landed in the Curbed inbox offers a few more details on what’s to become of 5 Beekman Street, the decayed urban treasure that was briefly in contract to Andre Balazs before selling to a joint venture that includes the owner of the Ace Hotel. The new owner is planning a ‘297-room luxury boutique hotel with 90 residences.’ It might be sacrilege to say so, but 5 Beekman with condos might be even better than 5 Beekman redone by Andre Balazs.” But then HotelChatter says it’ll be a Thompson Hotel (like the Smyth, 60 Thompson, etc.).

••• “[Jacob] Morris, head of the Harlem Historical Society, has long been fascinated by the many historical sites related to the abolition movement that are sprinkled throughout Lower Manhattan [….] To draw attention to these little-known sites, Morris is launching a campaign to link them in a ‘Freedom Trail,’ similar to the one in Boston that focuses on the Revolutionary War. ‘Tribeca was basically New York City’s Harlem before the Civil War,’ Morris said. ‘Downtown Manhattan was honeycombed with Underground Railroad locations, and there were residences and businesses of abolitionists.'” —DNAinfo

••• “The creative team at Studio MDA, apparently fans of Rubik’s Cube, recently posted a vid on YouTube showing their design process for the facade concept, giving a modern twist to the historical face planned for 137 Franklin.” Also: “There’s no word yet on pricing of the units at 137 Franklin, but potential buyers might be interested to know that the new building sits on a plot controlled by a 150-year ground lease.” —Curbed

••• The New York Times revisits the Butterfly, this time focusing on bartender Eben Freeman. “With The Butterfly, Mr. White intends to evoke the supper clubs of his native Wisconsin. (The name comes from The Butterfly Club, a restaurant Mr. White worked at in Beloit, Wis.) The regular cocktail list is still in development. But, even at this early stage, it is certain to bear a couple of Badger State touches. Mr. Freeman has been collaborating with the owners of Lakefront Brewery, a Milwaukee-based craft brewer. Their first creation, Birra Morini—a light lager made with herbs, including oregano, instead of hops—is already being poured at Mr. White’s Osteria Morini. The debut of a second brew, called Fernet Stout, will most likely coincide with the opening of The Butterfly. […] And, of course, the menu will boast a brandy old-fashioned, the brandy spin on the classic cocktail that is peculiar to Wisconsin and all but the state’s official drink.” Gee, there’s no Wisconsin about the place at all….

••• “Closely watched talks for men’s shirtmaker law firm Chadbourne & Parke to move to 1 World Trade Center cratered yesterday, leaving followers of both downtown and the legal landscape scratching their heads.” —New York Post

••• “The ongoing battle about who is responsible for some of the construction costs at the Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum has cost subcontractors roughly $50 million, according to the head of a trade group.” —Crain’s

••• WWD has a photo of the interior of Atera.