Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
1) History Lessons: wherein we explore our city's past, from Bronx to Battery.
This weekend, Christopher Gray takes us inside the mid-century preservation battle over the former Jefferson Market Courthouse in the Greenwich Village. Built in 1877, the courthouse formally closed in 1945. At a time when no landmarks laws backed up the preservation effort (the Landmarks Preservation Commission was created in 1965), activists led by Village resident Margot Gayle sought to save the Victorian Gothic building from demolition, mounting a ten-year battle that ended in 1969, when the courthouse (by then converted into a branch of the New York Public Library) was granted formal designation under the 1965 LPC law. ["The Courthouse That Escaped the Gavel"; photo via Joe Desiderio/Curbed Photo Pool]
2) Every "The Hunt" column begins with the Hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunters: a renter looking for a pied-à-terre
Price
Dream: $6,000/month
Reality: $5,550/month
Neighborhood
Dream: N/A
Reality: Long Island City
Amenities
Dream: 2BR, new building, view, spacious
Reality: 2BR, new building, view
Summary
This week's Hunter is Renee McAdams, who was looking to rent a pied-à-terre in the city. Despite having spent her grad school years in New York, Ms. McAdams moved to Pittsburgh in the 90s and always hoped to return, jumping on the opportunity when faced with an empty nest and a second divorce (like Eat Pray Love). And so began Ms. McAdams' big adventure, eventually finding a reasonable two-bedroom with a nice view in Long Island City for $5,500/month. She now spends part of every week in New York and is maybe rediscovering herself. [The Hunt/"New Digs in Long Island City"]
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