Details below:

Sunday, February 5, 2012
1:15 – 3:30 pm
Seward Park Cooperative Community Room
264 East Broadway (at Montgomery Street)
Free and Open to the Public

Distinguished panelists will discuss:

• The origins of the Bialystoker Home for the Aged, 228 East Broadway
• Its vital role in caring for the elderly and infirm of the community for 80 years
• The neighborhood, NYC and the nation during the Great Depression
• Its unique architectural character reflecting the Jewish heritage of the Lower East Side
• The recent vacating of its residents and proposed sale, ongoing efforts to preserve the building through landmark designation, and possible scenarios for its redevelopment

Welcome: Linda Jones, founding member, Seward Park Preservation & History Club and Friends of the Bialystoker Home; member, Community Board 3

Introduction: Laurie Tobias Cohen, Executive Director, Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy

Moderator: Joyce Mendelsohn, author of “The Lower East Side Remembered and Revisited”; founding member, Friends of the Bialystoker Home.

Panelists (in formation):

Rebecca Kobrin, author of “Jewish Bialystok and Its Diaspora”; Assistant Professor of Jewish History at Columbia University

Suzanne Wasserman, filmmaker; Director, Gotham Center for NYC History/CUNY Graduate Center

Elissa Sampson, Ph.D candidate in Urban Geography, UNC; long‑time resident of the Lower East Side

Mitchell Grubler, founding member, Friends of the Bialystoker Home, VP Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance

“Big City” columnist at the New York Times, Ginia Bellafante, introduced Carpenter.  Once at the helm, we learned of the painstaking processes in compiling the diaries for inclusion.  It meant digging through analog and digital archives, dealing with estates, and learning the ins and outs of copyright law.  She read numerous entries from her tome, some of which even related to current events (e.g. Wall Street greed).

Carpenter reminisced about how the idea for the compilation was on the back-burner pretty much until 9/11.  After that day, the “fragility of human memory” was inspiration enough to return her attention to the task.  What began as a project to track the “footprints on New York City” within a three-year goal period ultimately morphed into a seven-year expedition.

Most interesting was hearing about the cycles of diary writing and how little has changed in the last few centuries. Themes become prevalent.  For instance, during the spring season, writers tend to be at their most innovative, seeking to create new ideas; mid-summer seems to harbor a sense of menace and/or war. Lastly, each generation proclaims a certain event as “the worst catastrophe to befall New York.” Yet we always rebound…

Ultimately, Carpenter intended New York Diaries as a fun and enjoyable read, and not necessarily something overly “academic.” Let us know what you thought of the book!

The idea itself traces back to San Francisco-based artist and writer Joshua Heineman, who for years has been creating GIFs from the NYPL collection.  His ideas were embraced by the library, and eventually led to the “Stereogranimator,” which went live yesterday afternoon. Literally hours of entertainment!

[Broadway on a Rainy Day, circa 1860]

Stereograph photos were a 19th century format in which two pictures were placed side-by-side to create the illusion of three dimensions.  In order to view, they required a special device called a stereoscope. Think of it as an old-school Viewmaster.

[Niagra Falls, late 1800's]

[via Mashable]

Months of activity at 343 Grand Street culminates later today with the opening of the first Papa John’s below Delancey (store #4091). At least according to the franchise owner on hand last night. Obviously those initial reports of an early December launch were way off.

Looking at the most recent tally, we now have Papa John’s and Subway within a one-block radius. And since terrible news oftentimes occurs in threes, our only worry is what the third fast food chain might be on this small stretch of Grand Street. Let’s hope no more.

[Photo Credit: 1000 Bars and Beyond]

Rather than wax nostalgic, we’ll get right to the point. Shame on you New York City; shame on you greedy landlords. These are the dark days of the evil empire. Where’s Luke when you need him…

The urban legend around here is that the Holiday Cocktail Lounge actually inspired Madonna’s 1983 hit “Holiday.” The song was actually written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens. Her producer Jellybean Benitez discovered the composition and proposed that Madonna sing it.

And as a refresher, the proposal calls for 28 LED-equipped “WM” highway-style poles along this stretch, matching similar intentions for both Allen and East Houston. The more outdated stockpile of Bishop’s Crooks would then be redistributed to “contextually appropriate locations” on Norfolk, Suffolk, Stanton, and Rivington.

WM Light Pole

Welcome to the Essex Street Thruway; don’t forget the tolls.

Anyway, there’s much more to this story than meets the eye. We are hearing whispers that there are in fact much bigger plans in play regarding the alleged relaunch. An eagle-eyed Boogie tipster sent along the following Shepard Fairey-inspired bill which advertises a CBGB music festival this summer (July 3 -7). “CBGB Is Coming.” Shouldn’t it be phrased as “returning”?

Further details on the mysterious event are not available at the moment, but we understand that it’ll play an integral role in re-establishing the brand.

Although discernibly morbid, the Live! (I See Dead People) Tumblr is at once brilliant. By photoshopping deceased band members from famous album covers, we are reminded that even though our most favorite rock stars have an expiration date, their music will indeed live forever.

Additional examples: