Has hotelier Sam Chang completely gone mad with power? As his McSam Hotel Group spreads its reign of dryvit terror to roughly 30,000 new ugly buildings around town (like this and this and this), Chang is now going after that holy sacred of sacreds: the Pussycat Lounge?the best/worst strip club in town. Chang bought the PL-housing 96 Greenwich Street in 2005, so the situation is nothing new. In fact, club owner Robert Kremer is trying to get the building landmarked. But what we didn't know before were the plans. The Observer's Chris Shott reports that Chang?who is building three large hotels around 96 Greenwich including a 300-room one right next door?and his architect hitman Gene Kaufman want to flatten the Pussycat Lounge and turn it into a driveway. Wow, if that's not rubbing it in (worse than making it a bank?), we don't know what is. The landmarking proposal is still on LPC boss Robert Tierner's desk, but it's not looking good Wall Streeters who like getting their jollies near work.
· Fussy Pussycat to Hungry Hotelier: Hands Off Old New York! Me-OW! [NYO]
· McSam-O-Rama Mania in Midtown West [Curbed]
· More McSamming Down at 50 Trinity Place [Curbed]
· Sam Chang's City Takeover Continues Unabated [Curbed]
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