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SOS For Our Neighborhood Library Lutece Has Closed: On Valentine’s Day, 2004, Lutece, 249 East 50th Street, closed its doors for good. Andrew Soltner, head chef and owner, opened the restaurant in 1961 and it swiftly became the par excellence definition of superb four-star French cuisine. For decades, U. S, Presidents, foreign heads of state, and other celebrities dined there along with Turtle Bay residents. What happened? Soltner retired in 1994; Lutece was sold to Ark Restaurants. The cuisine changed from traditional French to something more contemporary and, as often is the case, never lived up to its distinguished predecessor. Finally, September 11, 2001, and the recession were events from which Lutece never recovered. Another Lutece, however, lives on, albeit in different form and function, within the Venetian Hotel in that uniquely American city – Las Vegas! Second Avenue Subway Passes Crucial Test: The U. S. Department of Transportation is recommending that Congress allocate federal funding for the full-length Second Avenue subway. This does not mean the massive $16.8 billion project is guaranteed its money; that is up to Congress. Construction in Turtle Bay will be tunneling rather than the disruptive cut and cover method (which involves digging from street level down and planking over the excavation so traffic continues). Cut and cover, however, is necessary for the 42nd and 55th street stations. No date has been announced for this work as yet. However, assuming the money is there, it probably will begin several years from now and continue well into the next decade. President Bush Offers United Nations A $1,200,000,000 Redevelopment Loan. Moses Park Architect Picked: UN plans to rebuild its deteriorating, obsolete Turtle Bay headquarters took a giant step forward when President Bush offered to lend it, at interest, $1,200,000,000. The UN had optimistically expected the funds would be granted interest-free. In any event, approval by both the UN and Congress is necessary. The New York State Legislature must approve demapping part of Robert Moses Park for the UN expansion building. None of these actions can be deemed a “done deal”. The community, including Turtle Bay, remains committed to its demands that, before the UN puts a shovel in the ground at Moses Park, its equivalent in form and function in the immediate vicinity is open and ready for use. United Nations Development Corporation offered in compensation a waterfront esplanade, which, being a walkway/bikeway, fails that criteria and, is years away. Furthermore, all the UN has offered is $10,000,000. If it were private property, the value of the coveted Robert Moses would be $50,000,000! Talk about short-changing the neighborhood, not to mention the City of New York! What Are Those Big Cranes Doing At The FDR Drive? They are building a new East River bridge parallel to the Drive, from 51st to 61st streets. When that is done, the three northbound FDR lanes will be shifted onto it and reconstruction of their portion of the Drive will commence. When that phase is completed, the southbound lanes will be switched and repaired. Without the span, substantial traffic would have been dumped onto Sutton Place and First and Second Avenues. When the Drive reconstruction is finished, the multi-million dollar new bridge will be dismantled! Why not save it for a waterfront park?
The Turtle Bay Association is a nonprofit (501c3) community organization.
224 East 47th Street, New York City 10017 |
