1) Is Jackson Avenue's rising Vere 26 the shining light in the Robert Scarano oeuvre? The architects putting together the new AIA Guide to New York City (1,100 pages on 6,000 buildings) were so smitten with the blue-glass building while driving through LIC that they had to include it?and Scarano, by extension?in the book. Yep, Scar will be studied. ['The Grand Cornice-and-Pediment Tour']
2) Franck Ruimy is in the midst of a $250-$300 million real estate shopping spree that has already seen the London-based investment manager snap up condos in buildings such as the Laurel, 40 Mercer and One Madison Park. His plan is to rent the units out in the short term and then cash-in by selling in 10-15 years. Nice work if you can get it. [Big Deal/'A Contrarian Shops']
3) The Upper West Side's reaction to the Harmonia proposal?in which a landmark townhouse would be converted to a high-end timeshare with stays costing up to $60k/week?is drawing guffaws from neighbors. Says one: "The statement that this is for families that want to live like an Upper West Sider, and yet they come with chefs and chauffeurs. We don't live like that on the West Side." [The City/'Living Large in the Land of Zabar’s']
4) Architect Henry Smith-Miller's bizarre rock-like two-story addition to 78-80 Leonard Street in Tribeca may have been approved by the LPC, but unfortunately it's not much closer to actually getting done. The developer's investor has backed out of funding the wire, tin and corrugated metal addition. [Posting/'Rising From the Rooftop: The Rock of TriBeCa']
5) A Queens community board approved the renaming of a stretch of Liverpool Street in Jamaica to "Sean Bell Way," and the vote will now move on to the City Council. Not surprisingly, the proposal is stirring up emotions on both sides. "U2 Way" certainly didn't see this much controversy. ['Reliving the Sean Bell Case by Renaming a Street']
6) Long Island City's 5 Pointz is this year's 475 Kent, with a bunch of artists suddenly booted from their studios due to building code violations (following a stairway collapse that injured one) and a return date unclear. ['One Artist Is Hurt, and 200 Others Are Feeling the Pain']
7) Rich people, and some who maybe aren't so rich, are afraid to bring up real estate in conversation for fear of rubbing salt in the wounds of those less fortunate. ['Don't Even Say the Words']
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