••• “As the last remaining gas station in Lower Manhattan [Houston and Lafayette] prepares to close within the coming weeks to make way for office and retail development, residents and local community organizations fear the loss could jeopardize resiliency efforts in the event of a disaster similar to Superstorm Sandy.” —DNAinfo

••• A look back at “New York’s first great downtown hotel, The Astor House, which opened in 1836 and occupied a full block of Broadway between Vesey and Barclay Streets.” It was “conceived and built by John Jacob Astor.” —Tribeca Trib

••• The New York Times obituary for “Peter Stanford, who turned a boyhood obsession with boats into a commitment to preserve the South Street Seaport and commemorate New York City’s maritime history with a museum and a parade of tall ships celebrating the nation’s bicentennial.” He also founded the South Street Seaport Museum with his wife, Nancy.

••• The New York Economic Develop Corporation made what sounds like a sweetheart deal with Stoneleigh Capital to take over the hotel project at the Battery Maritime Building. (Below: A rendering by Rogers Partners Architects.) —Broadsheet