PERMANENT COLLECTION
Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience
By Jerold S. Kayden et al. John
Wiley and Sons. This long-overdue collaborative effort among
urban planning professor Jerold Kayden, New York City's Department
of Planning, and the Municipal Art Society (with special reference
to the work of the late William H. Whyte, a champion of the city
pedestrian), and involving dozens of researchers, is one of the
most important books to be published about New York City in years.
New York City pioneered the concept of privately owned public
spaces, such as plazas, arcades, and atriums, in 1961, when it
began offering floor-area bonuses and other incentives to private
developers who agreed to provide publicly accessible spaces that
adhered to certain design regulations. The city's intentions
were to bring more light and air to the street level and to introduce
usable public space, but it quickly developed that plazas and
arcades were the predominant types of public space being built,
and many of these areas were virtually unusable by the public.
Mr. Kayden notes that "no single problem attached to every
space," but common problems were vast, windswept sprawls
of concrete; random strips of sidewalk that served no purpose;
areas illegally used as loading docks and driveways; areas obstructed
by barriers or trash receptacles; and illegally locked or gated
areas.
The book provides exhaustive detail on the subsequent modifications
to the 1961 zoning resolution (the 1968 elevated plaza, the 1969
through-block arcade, the 1970 covered pedestrian space, the
1971 sunken plaza, and the 1973 open-air concourse); the plaza
reforms of 1975 and 1977, which promoted the construction of
specifically residential plazas; and post-1977 adjustments, which
restricted areas in which even residential plazas could be located,
and eliminated bonuses for through-block gallerias, open-air
concourses, and sidewalk widenings.
But the book's greatest value is its surveys of the 503 spaces
themselves; each is photographed, with a complete description
of what is legally required and permitted, and an incisive critique
of the existing space and whether it fulfills its side of the
partnership bargain or not. If you live in Manhattan or visit
it regularly, take a copy of this book and start walking. The
chances are that you've passed spaces every day that you thought
were restricted to people who live or work within them. Well,
they aren't. You're paying for them, so go inside and use them.
(And if your access is blocked or limited in some way, this book
has probably already documented that, too.)
To select just a few examples for discussion, many people's favorite
Manhattan gathering place is 590 Madison Avenue, the former IBM
Building, known for the lush sophistication of its glass-enclosed
bamboo garden. Mr. Kayden's team details the history of this
once-stunning public space and its partial modification in the
mid-1990s after IBM sold the building and moved out. Many of
its users, including me, feel that no changes whatsoever should
have been permitted at this location.
Another favorite is in an area--East Midtown--that probably has
more than its share of above-average public spaces, is the very
large multi-element project known for most of its existence as
the Citicorp (now Citigroup) Center. People have forgotten how
momentous this development seemed when it opened, and New York
City had very little of the new construction it now possesses.
This space owes its success to its hybrid purpose: it is partially
a retail space but also a meeting place and concourse, with constant
motion and a changing mix of uses throughout the day and evening.
Although the unenclosed Paley Park, commonly viewed as a model
of a peerless open-air public space, does not fit the legal definition
of the spaces discussed in the book (because its builder neither
sought nor received zoning concessions), it is profiled anyway,
as an example of a "private owner's sense of civic philanthropy,
interest in urban design, and understanding of wise stewardship."
(Private funds are earmarked for maintenance and staff.) The
author cites numerous examples of Paley Park's influence of other
urban outdoor spaces, both in New York City and beyond.
At the time of publication, a proposal called the Unified Bulk
Program was under consideration by the city, which would severely
limit the provision of privately owned public space by developers;
prohibit residential plazas even in residential zoning districts;
and generally encourage the construction of buildings somewhat
lower in height that line up uniformly with the street wall.
In conclusion, one can appreciate the expansive sense of public
responsibility of the 1960s and 1970s that shaped the creation
of these public-space incentives, even though they did not always
turn out as planned--whether through appropriation by homeless
people, blocked access by building owners, unnecessary disruption
of the sidewalk grid, or changing tenancy or use patterns over
the years (as has happened to 1991 Broadway on the Upper West
Side, formerly a favorite of mine when it was occupied by the
Cafe Bel Canto). Along the same lines, in today's publishing
environment, most commercial trade publishers would not likely
be interested, and too many high-quality, general-interest, New
York City-related titles must vie for the limited resources of
a few university presses or very small publishing houses that
do not have the resources to take on this kind of project--congratulations
to John Wiley for publishing this book.
Glory in Gotham: Manhattan's Houses of
Worship
By David W. Dunlap and Joseph J. Vecchione.
City & Company. David W. Dunlap is one of my favorite writers
on New York City topics, as regular readers of Bradley Beach
Books know (see the About New York--Classic Backlist section),
and City & Company is one of the best publishers on New York
City subjects, so I've eagerly awaited this small volume. Mr.
Dunlap and Joseph J. Vecchione, a longtime New York Times reporter
and editor, respectively, have surveyed Manhattan's houses of
worship, both past and present, and have documented an ecumenical
selection of them, with photos by Mr. Dunlap. According to the
introduction, this survey--a similar one was last attempted in
1846, the authors note--is a prelude to a more complete, scholarly
study, From Abyssinian to Zion, to be published in 2002
by Columbia University Press. (Although I'm glad to learn that
this book is forthcoming, in general there are now too few trade
publishers willing to bring out this type of work. David Dunlap
has a distinctive and subtle voice; I hope it fares well in a
university-press format.)
In keeping with the authors' status as veteran newspapermen,
Glory in Gotham has an up-to-the-minute, journalistic
feel. The larger, most well-known churches and synagogues are
all here (my own favorites in the shadowy, brooding, awe-inspiring
category are Congregation Emanu-El and the Cathedral of St. John
the Divine), but how many readers were previously aware of the
Sung Tak Buddhist Association on the Lower East Side (a former
Orthodox synagogue with stairs climbing to a second-floor entrance)
or the Angel Orensanz Foundation (also a former Lower East Side
synagogue, in some disrepair, now a private artists' studio and
gallery)?
Did you know that the Times Square branch of the classic John's
Pizzeria was originally the Gospel Tabernacle, and came equipped
with an octagonal stained-glass skylight divided into sections
like pizza wedges? Or why the First Baptist Church at 79th and
Broadway has one incomplete tower? (While you're in that neighborhood,
walk by Christ and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, a nineteenth-century
country chapel in the shadow of large apartment buildings; and
look at the intricate Gothic design and rose window of the Roman
Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament, blooming from a tight
mid-block setting.)
Thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Vecchione,
whose love for their city is obvious, Glory in Gotham
is an excellent companion for any Manhattan walk (and may these
authors produce a related volume for the many unique houses of
worship in Brooklyn).
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