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History of Tribeca Buildings
In the News: The “scion” of Meadow Lane
THE SCION OF MEADOW LANE
The Times has a feature on Sammy Nussdorf, the owner of Meadow Lane (above, next to the Cheerios mural) and the son of one of the 150 richest families in America. He discusses his ketamine addiction, his passion for flower arranging, the secret to his success, and his wealth. “My family and I, we never talked about money,” Sammy told The Times. “We’ve never discussed inheritance, assets, values, anything. I have no idea. I can guesstimate, if I wanted to, but I don’t really care.”
NEW HOME FOR THE ARCHIVE OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
In case you were wondering what happened to ARC, the Archive of Contemporary Music that was on White Street for decades until it closed in 2020, the New Haven Register has the update: by 2028, it will have a new home in Ridgefield, CT, in a two-story, 18,000-square-foot commercial building at 650 Danbury Road. The building will also house Afropop Worldwide, a public radio program and multimedia platform.
THE FUNDRAISING POWER OF LOCAL PTAS
UPDATE — THERE WERE A LOT OF ERRORS IN THIS STORY — and I have update the answers below. The Broadsheet has a story on newly released data from the Department of Education that runs through the fundraising of 10 Lower Manhattan public schools: “The Spruce Street School (in the Seaport neighborhood) raised $849,000, $402,880 trailed by P.S. 89 (in Battery Park City), with $750,000. P.S. 150 (Financial District) took in $625,000, while P.S. 234 (Tribeca) netted $588,000. The Lower Manhattan Community Middle School (the Financial District) raised $157,000, and Millennium High School (also in FiDi) secured $117,346 in donations. I.S. 289 (Battery Park City) took in $78,000, and the Peck Slip School (in the Seaport) received $53,000. $238,006.55
A SPOTLIGHT ON FOLEY SQUARE
This is old, but worth noting here because I totally agree: The Post has a story on the poor condition of Foley Square, the triangle between Centre, Lafayette, Worth and Reade. “We are aware of the needed upgrades in this park and are seeking solutions to upgrade and restore this site,” a rep for the city Parks Department told The Post. Right behind it in terms of neglect, IMO: Collect Pond Park…
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I still can’t get over the fact that Meadow Lane has a tip screen when you check out with your overpriced groceries.
Some may find it surprising to note that Collect Pond Park is in a serious flood zone which begins at the Hudson River between North Moore and Spring Streets and extends all the way east to that park. I would guess that flooding will worsen with the flood abatement project which only extends northward to N. Moore. Something to keep in mind with any redesign.
The history of Collect Pond clarifies why this topography exists as a flood zone. The 1865 Viele topographical map of Manhattan (still in use today by engineers) shows the originally marshy land that had existed generally west of what is now West Broadway in Tribeca, and fed by a “sluggish stream” emanating from Collect Pond and travelling west along what is now Canal Street.
See map detail here: https://imgur.com/a/j1fgTsQ
In the early 19th century Collect Pond became completely polluted with sewage and industrial run-off. The pond fed swamps and marshes to the north, obstructing the uptown expansion of the city. The City ordered that the pond be drained to the Hudson River via an existing “sluggish stream” that traveled west along the path of what is now Canal Street. This redirected the underground springs which watered the swamps and the pond was drained by 1815.
The drain was then expanded into a canal, 40 feet wide and 8 feet deep, to carry off the underground water permanently ditch, which would continue carrying off the excess water. With insufficient flow, it became an open sewer than the City covered by 1820 and built Canal Street on top.
It is great that Sammy Nussdorf was able to overcome addiction. I hope he’ll provide support for people who are in need in NYC.
…”I really don’t care”. Spoken as a person who with trillions of dollars of family wealth who decides to open a ridiculously overpriced & hyped grocery store in Tribeca. Why do we glorify people like this? How about opening a grocery store with low prices that you supplement in a poor neighborhood?
Please stop with the ‘blame the rich’ ideological nonsense. It is not private businesses responsibility to subsidize failed govt policies. The whole reason we have businesses in this city is because someone sees the possibility of profit and so they take a chance. In spite of the governmental red tape he had to overcome for over a year (while the rent is due every month) he opened this business and he deserves every dollar he has made. His parents wealth is not really the point. If you don’t like it you are free to shop elsewhere, but lets not pretend its his job to feed the poor because his parents have money. Just ridiculous.
That red tape includes landmarks, zoning, building code enforcement and provision of electric and gas. All of this is made much harder by the Department of Buildings and Con Edison, staffed and managed by people with no incentive to promote development and every incentive to protect their pensions by avoiding trouble, which is easier to do by saying no instead of yes
I’m not really a fan of Meadow Lane, primarily because of the outrageous prices, but also because of the “vibe” that exists. I get it. Many people don’t think the prices are outrageous and many others comment favorably on the same vibe that I dislike. They even go to the extend of offering their take on the fact that the vibe is “the vibe of Tribeca.” It might seem that way for people who come into this community just to work or to shop or to grab dinner, but for those of us living here (especially for longtime Tribeca residents) it’s not about a vibe that openly and proudly promotes bougieness and/or pretentiousness. So TikTokers, Yelpers, Instagramers, and even NY Times writers, PLEASE STOP. And as far as Meadow Lane is concerned, just continue to do what you do as long as you truly believe you’re doing the right thing, but please remember that food insecurity is a major issue throughout the city and if you can do anything to help feed the less fortunate wherever they may be located, it would be much appreciated…and would probably deliver some good karma in return.