Saluting the impending demolition of the Hewitt Building near Astor Place, the kids at Cooper Union have emblazoned the building with an "I Miss The Old NY" banner (above). More fitting artwork for Tom Wolfe's op-ed in yesterday's NYT—which, taking the the proposed Norman Foster glass tower at 980 Madison as a starting point, traces a history of landmarks degredation from Bryant Park in the 1980s to 2 Columbus Circle earlier this decade then, most recently, the Dakota Stable debacle on the Upper West Side—one could not find.
Wolfe's conclusion: "Landmarking no longer exists in New York City, not even as a principle — or not above the level of the occasional parish house in Staten Island or rusticated old stone archway in eastern Queens." The (lengthy) piece is worth the read.
· The (Naked) City and the Undead [NYTimes]
· I Miss the Old New York [RazorApple, photo above]
BONUS: New architecture blog Horizonr calls out NYT architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff regarding Foster's 980 Madison. Meow! [Horizonr]
BONUS II: Hey, who says landmarking is dead? Two ugly Upper East Side buildings on East 64th/65th just earned landmarks designation! [CityRealty]