Watch-Blog
You Never Know When You’ll Need to Pawn
By Claudie Benjamin What is the coolest thing you’ve ever brokered?” That’s a question pawnbroker Daniel Kalter is often asked. He said the answer has got to be “a vintage Rolls Royce.” Daniel kept the vehicle in his home garage until the owner, having paid his debt,...
Renewed hope for Metro Theater
By LANDMARK WEST! The Metro Theater’s recent acquisition signals the long-awaited revival of an UWS staple. But little is known about how long renovations will take to allow the public in once again, or what the renovated...
Faith-based housing bill could override local landmark laws
By LANDMARK WEST! A State-level bill titled the "Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act" has the potential to override local landmark laws protecting the architectural and cultural integrity of historic religious structures. This legislation would clear the way for...
Another building on Broadway slated for demolition
By LANDMARK WEST! Slated for demolition. Another non-landmarked building on Broadway is facing demolition after permits were recently filed to tear down 2160 Broadway by Brooklyn based developer Aleksandr Finkelshteyn....
How US Military Brought Latin to Jazz
By Claudie Benjamin Latin Music and its infusion into early Jazz arrived in New York City by design rather than by chance. Several well-documented migrations of Puerto Ricans to the Upper West Side’s San Juan Hill, and other blocks mainly occurred after WWII, in the...
NYS Preservation Organizations Speak Out
LW! and our colleagues speak out agains revisionist history in a letter initiated by the Preservation League of New York State. Full letter HERE. On February 13, the National Park Service removed all instances of the words Transgender and Queer from the Stonewall...
Salute to Firefighters
By Claudie Benjamin Even an eternal optimist has likely been shaken by the volatilities of the city, nation, and turmoil characterizing world affairs as 2025 begins. Pick your poison, and all the variables of slashing and other violence are lurking behind the...
West 72nd Block Association Cupid Crawl
The West 72nd Street Block Association is planning its first annual ‘Cupid Crawl’ - a neighborhood event featuring wine tastings, Valentine’s treats and freebies, and other sales and promotions from businesses on West 72nd Street. The goal is to foster community and...
Where is Manhattan Square?
By LANDMARK WEST! Asking many New Yorkers for directions to Manhattan Square may illicit blank stares, but most Upper West Siders know that it is nestled between West 77th Street and West 81st Streets, and runs from Columbus Avenue to Central Park West. At 17.58...
Refined Pastry Evoked Pre-WWII Europe
By Claudie Benjamin Little known or expected, the fine pastries served in First Class on Pan Am, TWA, Air France, KLM, and others in the 1960s and 70s were made by the Eclair Bakery at 141 West 72nd Street. The Éclair prided itself on elegant, refined pastries that...
