New Look for a Historic Bed-Stuy Plaza
Changes to Restoration Plaza, a CITY reporter got stuck in an elevator, and AMERICAN GOTHIC!!!
#29
Restoration Plaza was born out of a public-private partnership, community engagement, and Sen. Robert Kennedy in the 1960s. In the decades since, it’s been home to government offices, dance studios, an amphitheater, and of course the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the first community development organization in the country.
The organization announced renovation plans in 2019, and this week they released the scoping documents and more details on what they plan on building. Notably, the plan calls for 16 and 13-story commercial towers and a 4-story building for its arts organizations. When I spoke with Blondel Pinnock, the president and CEO, she said they have to go that high to maintain their open space on Fulton Street, bounded by Brooklyn and New York avenues.
The project will take at least 8 years to be completed, and Pinnock knows there will be some growing pains as offices and organizations are temporarily displaced and moved. Their focus is making sure the Foodtown supermarket always stays open; that the offices move elsewhere so services aren’t disrupted. The height, in a mostly low-density neighborhood, will also be jarring to some neighbors, she said. But she hoped it would all be worth it.
“People have grown up coming to Restoration Plaza. They’ve been coming here for, in many cases, most of their lives, so they know the state of the buildings and the real estate that we have here today,” she said.
“And for many people they’re like, yeah, it’s about time. We deserve something new and something beautiful.”
Other interesting stories this week:
The City Council wants to rein-in post-government employment by expanding restrictions on when former staffers can lobby city agencies and officials [POLITICO]
Randazzo’s still slaps [EATER]
The MTA’s fancy new elevators still stink [THE CITY]
A fantastic deep dive into Steve Cohen’s casino dreams in the Citi Field parking lot – including details on the money his staffers have donated to the politicians who could make it happen [THE CITY]
I visited Chicago for the first time last week and flew there armed with a map and list of all the places I had to try, crowd-sourced by friends who lived and grew up there. As these things usually go, I couldn’t hit all of the spots, but I did know I had to try the greatest hits – the deep-dish pizza, the Chicago hot dog, and the Italian beef. I somehow ended up eating all three in one day, going full Guy Fieri on a Sunday (to be fair, the hot dog was technically eaten at 1 a.m. the next day after a night out.)
I’ll go with the highlight here: the Italian beef. I was told this place called Johnnie’s Beef in Elmwood Park outside of the city had the best one, but for practical purposes I just walked to my closest one, which happened to be a branch of the chain Portillo’s. It opened at 10 a.m. that Sunday so I made it breakfast.
I expected to be the only person there, but there were plenty of other gavones on line with me to eat a sandwich or hot dog before 11 a.m.. I got it in the gravy and with the peppers, and opened it up inside the two-story restaurant filled with old photos and memorabilia.
The sandwich exceeded my expectations, and made me wish New York City’s famous beef spots – to me, it’s Roll N Roaster and Brennan & Carr – offered to top their heroes with a bunch of peppers and Giardiniera. I guess I can always bring my own.
Does anybody know where there’s a good spot for a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich in the tri-state area?
Bonus Chicago content: The Art Institute is fucking siiiiiiick. I loved this museum so much, I went back a second time just to spend a few hours in the expansive photography floor and through the religious art and to see “Nighthawks” again.
Thanks for reading!