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Sunday, December 19, 2004
Uptown Bigdorm - Where's the Controversy? As readers of Curbed know, even a smaller, revised version of a proposed dormitory at the former CHARAS site on Avenue B is causing a tremendous amount of controversy, even causing people to protest against the architect. But uptown, a big dormitory is rising without even a whimper from the community, as far as I can tell.  Here is a building that replaces an early 20th century apartment house at 352 West 110th Street and a large vacant lot at the northwest corner of 109th and Manhattan. It is to be called Cathedral Gardens, and will be a Barnard College residence hall, according to an article in the Columbia Spectator. In 2000, HPD issued a press release that describe a location: "Cathedral Parkway and West 109th Street, at Manhattan Avenue," a developer: "Artimus Construction / Columbia University," and a use: "25 condominium units; 87 faculty / graduate student apartments; 9,500 sq. ft. of community space." The New York Beacon carried a paragraph about this site on July 7, 2002: Cathedral Gardens - to be located at 109th Street and Manhattan Avenue. A joint venture of Artimus Construction and Columbia University. Developers offered the city $5.2 million for the site to build faculty/student housing for Columbia University, in addition to affordable cooperatives and open space for the public. Additionally, developers offered space within the building free of charge to any non-profit community-based organization willing to operate adaycare center.During a 2003 keynote speech at an alumnae event, Judith Shapiro, the president of the Barnard Leadership Council, said: [O]ne of our major projects that we are undertaking is for the first new piece of real estate that the college has acquired in many, many years, in a very nice location at the corner catty-cornered from St. John the Divine at 110th and Manhattan Avenue, that will have in it 25 faculty apartments and 91 student beds. …So the project, which is currently called Cathedral Gardens, although who knows what name it may one day bear, is - [laughter, applause] - is very, very much in progress.There you have the sum total of everything I could learn about this project. A notable quietude for such a large building. So far, not even a reference on Columbia's usually encyclopedic neighbors website. And nobody in the community seems to be complaining about the construction and addition of all college students to the area. Where's the anger? Where's the rage?- Posted at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 | Post a Comment | The building seems to be in scale with its surroundings, and the neighborhood may benefit from the addition of students, so I see this as a positive development...but, as an onlooker, it's easy for me to say. By akd, at 12/19/2004 8:48 PM |
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