Seen & Heard: Rumors of a New School

••• I heard that 53 Beach Street could be becoming a school (again). Anyone know any more about the rumor? UPDATE: “I heard 53 Beach is going to be a WeWork,” commented Tribecan. “Rumor has it they scooped up the lease for a premium over the Montessori of Manhattan and that’s why Montessori lost the lease. Unverified—but have heard this from a number of people in real estate.” Interesting….

••• S. sends word about Soho Pediatric Group, which he says many Tribeca families use: “Long story short, this doctor’s office just closed down unexpectedly, without notice, and not returning any calls or emails. Maybe post this closure on your website because apparently this was so sudden many people were either blindsided or are still uninformed.” UPDATE: See the comments.

••• Ocean’s 8, the all-women installment in the Ocean’s 11 series, is shooting—or more likely, reshooting—in the N. Moore/Varick area today.

••• Press release: “New York Law School’s CityLaw Breakfast Series continues with New York City Department of Education Chancellor Carmen Fariña speaking on ‘Setting the Priorities: Equity and Excellence for All.'” The event is “free and open to the public; however, donations are welcome. An audience Q&A follows each speaker’s remarks.” RSVP here.

••• One does hope that Frito-Lay is paying Distilled a lot of money.

••• A group show, Pearls, opens August 20 at Lubov; the artists are Maya Bartlett, Grace Hazel, Lula Hyers, Sofiyah McCormack, Grace Milk, Karina Padilla, and Natalie Yang. Below: from Hyers’s “Sirens” series.

 

6 Comments

  1. Here is the text of an email that went out last week:

    A Letter From Dr. Keith

    Dear Patients,

    At the end of June we presented this information regarding the closing of our practice on our website, Facebook and in our office at the time of patient encounters. Although it seemed that everyone knew within a day, clearly not all of you received the news. I apologize for this error. I am not practiced in the art of closing a medical office.

    June 27, 2017

    My Dear Friends and adopted Families,

    This is a very difficult letter to write that fills me with deep anguish.

    My best friends and fellow physicians have informed me that at the end of July, they all be leaving Manhattan and seeking new positions and future options elsewhere.

    The departure of this talented, conscientious, and dedicated group of pediatricians will make it impossible for me to provide the high level of superior care for which Soho Pediatric Group has been recognized for almost forty years.

    A huge increase in the New York City commercial real estate tax, and a significant increase in our rent, and an unprecedented reduction in our insurance reimbursements, make it impossible to bridge the gap of hiring and training new physicians in any sort of timely manner.

    We are already operating at a financial loss from last year that now will be impossible to make up. So it is with profound and heartfelt sadness that I must announce the closing of Soho Pediatric Group on July 28, 2017.

    This is much more that a closing of a business to me. It is the end of a career that allowed me to love you and your children as though you were my own family. For me, you were my family. This filled me with a joy and delight that will no longer brighten my day and sustain me in these gloomy times.

    Hopefully these several weeks left will allow you to find new medical care in the ever shrinking arena of child health in Manhattan. We will try to honor all existing appointments.

    Medical records will be copied and provided to you for an across the board administrative fee of $25 or $50, depending on number of pages. Please make arrangements with the front desk to pick them up before we close our doors at the end of August.

    I am so sorry. This is devastating for me. Thank you all, from the very bottom of my heart.

    Sincerely,

    Marie B. Keith, MD
    Copyright © 2017 Soho Pediatrics, All rights reserved.
    Our mailing address is:
    sohopedgroup@gmail.com

    • This email was not sent to patients. I only received it after finding out from a friend of the office’s closing and calling them to request my son’s medical records (which I have not received).

  2. Very unfair to say that Soho Pediatric Group closed with notice. We got several notices, including the above letter, and were given plenty of time to retrieve records, etc.

  3. I heard 53 Beach is going to be a WeWork. Rumor has it they scooped up the lease for a premium over the Montessori of Manhattan and that’s why Montessori lost the lease. Unverified – but have heard this from a number of people in real estate.

  4. Sad day when real estate is too expensive for a long standing medical practice….and yes we were patients and got notices but kids are totally crushed, we loved our practice.

  5. Soho Pediatric FYI – An Update on Office Closure

    Dear Patients,

    Due to the high volume of requests for patient records and forms, we are extending the office hours from Tues Sept 5 – Fri Sept 8th. Hours 9 – 4 pm
    Due to the high volume of requests for medical records and forms we have extended the hours.

    If you have not filled out a medical release form. Please visit sohopediatricgroup.com/ to download and fill out the medical release form before you arrive at the office. You may put all of your children’s names on one form.

    (Please do not email release form!)

    We are doing our best to meet the thousands of requests and extended the days to pick up files for families who have been away and unable to pick up their records.

    We will print your records when you bring your form into the office. There will be a short wait so you might want to have a cup of coffee or just plan on waiting for a moment.

    This closing was unexpected and to say the least a surprise for everyone involved. Please understand we are working hard to meet everyone’s needs during this unplanned transition.

    Please share with friends who may not be on FaceBook or received an email.

    Sincerely,

    Marie B. Keith,MD
    Copyright © 2017 Soho Pediatrics, All rights reserved.

    Our mailing address is:
    sohopedgroup@gmail.com

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