A SMYTH IN CHICAGO IS THREATENED BY OURS
Eater reports that a fine dining restaurant in Chicago called Smyth filed a federal trademark lawsuit against Smyth Tavern, John McDonald’s restaurant in the Smyth hotel. From Eater: “They say in their filing that Tribeca’s Smyth Tavern’s use of the name creates confusion and improperly trades on the reputation of the Michelin-starred restaurant… ‘While I understand the desire to expand a successful brand,’ McDonald told Eater, ‘chef Preston Clark and our dedicated team have spent years building what Smyth Tavern has become in Tribeca. Congratulations to the Chicago restaurant on their well-deserved recognition.'”

ATHENA CALDERONE’S LUXE SPREAD AT 110 HUDSON
Architectural Digest has a feature and a ton of shots of designer Athena Calderone’s spread at 110 Hudson. “On seeing this apartment for the first time, Athena told Victor, ‘It felt like Gotham City, not Manhattan.’ They made an offer later that day. Their new place, a full floor in an august Tribeca building dating to the early 1900s, was originally the executive suite of the Borden condensed milk company, its prestige distilled in herringbone floors, 13-foot ceilings, and oak-paneled walls the color of chocolate syrup. After a residential conversion in the 1980s, it was acquired by the charismatic French architect Thierry Despont.”

EX-DISNEY CHAIR BUYS IN JENGA BUILDING
Crain’s reports that Kareem Daniel, a former chairman at Disney, purchased a 1,700-square-foot unit at 56 Leonard for $4.9 million, closing on Feb. 13 in an all-cash deal.

SAMIA HALABY’S STUDIO IN TRIBECA
I gleaned from a Gothamist story on painter Samia Halaby that her studio is in Tribeca. Cruz was raised in Harlem and the Bronx and is the youngest artist in the show. Halaby, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem and raised in Lebanon who came to the United States in the 1960s, is the oldest artist in the Whitney Biennial. Gothamist interviewed her along with Taína Cruz, the youngest artist in the show, a painter fresh out of grad school. The two artists were born six decades apart.