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How Urban Design Deters the Homeless

For a native New Yorker, there is a combination of nostalgic elation that comes along with a stroll through the blocks of 14 street. Whether you are a native or a tourist, you cannot help but notice that New York City’s 14 street is filled with vendors bagging fruits, people running to catch the M14d bus and tipsy people exiting bars.

In the midst of all this, it’s easy to move through space without noticing the panhandlers and homeless people in the area. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, there were 62,692 homeless people on January 2017 in New York City. In response to the visible amount of homelessness on 14th street, homeless deterrence infrastructure were installed. The architectural products are intended to discourage homeless people from sleeping in the area. There are spikes on the edges of some buildings, including the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, the Vitamin Shoppe and even I-HOP. Bus benches have divisions on the seats, hindering people from sleeping on them. The caged trash bins prevent people from digging inside for food scraps.

These designs were intentional and understanding of processes of urbanization, their conditions and consequences are essential in deconstructing the problem. Henri Lefebvre argues that architecture is tied up with the practices of everyday life, capital, and power. Urban analysis begins as a process where we observe the design and structures of space. We need to critically think about the function and the purpose of the design the contemporary city. Who designed it? Why is it shaped in this way? Why is it located here? Etc.

Next time you find yourself on 14 street (or anywhere in the modern city), take a look around. Chances are there is homeless-deterrent technology all around you. The technology could even be viewed as a form of state-sanctioned violence to render homeless people less than humans- to invisibilize them. The ability to impose these sentiments through design reflects the interests of the city. Homelessness is shameful for a city. In order to enact “desirability” and “respectability”, spikes exist. Profit and the aesthetics of wealth overshadow the issue of people suffering due to poverty.

The average person would be oblivious to the power relations at work in their surrounding environment. The first step would be conscious about the designs of infrastructure and then be proactive about organizing against it. This is a public concern and we need to have better approaches to unpack and dismantle oppressive urban structures.

Forgotten History of 14th Street

Manhattan’s 14th Street is an eclectic mix of old and new, thrift and luxury. A heavily populated street during the day, and still lively at night, 14th Street offers food, entertainment and transportation. People from all walks of life cross paths, more often than not speed walking with their heads down to their next destination. It may come as a surprise that around the 1870s, 14th Street and Broadway was New York’s Theater District. All trace of the theaters has relocated uptown, but small remembrances of the era still grace the area. What follows are a series of “then and now” pictures, along with current pictures that document historical details. They show how the old resides within the new and are often overlooked during the chaotic bustle of everyday life.

140 E 14th St.

©Courtesy of the NYPL archives (c. 1919)

The Academy of Music was an opera house that opened in 1854 on the corner of 14th Street and Irving Place (where the current Raymour and Flanigan Furniture store is). It was demolished in 1926 and a movie theater with the same name was opened across the street in 1927 by William Fox. It became a rock concert venue in the 1960s and was renamed to Palladium. Today, the NYU dorm of the same name stands in the old Palladium’s place.

“I’ve heard a lot about how NYU bought, gentrified, and changed a lot of the Village, but this is one of the most dramatic examples I’ve seen. NYU dorms don’t add anything to the community like an iconic, historic music hall.” — Zoi Rosado, 21

133 E 14th St.

©Courtesy of the NYPL archives (c. 1914)

Tammany Hall was a political institution founded in 1789. The Tammany Society, who met there, was an anti-Federalist group. The group played a major role in NY politics and in controlling the Democratic Party vote starting in the 1790s. The group is known for bringing charges of corruption against William M. “Boss” Tweed, who was convicted for embezzling millions of dollars from the city’s government. The building was demolished in 1926 (along with the Academy of Music) and replaced with the Consolidated Edison building. It is now the Raymour and Flanigan Furniture store.

“Even as a New York Democrat, I had no idea that this building was so important in the general elections for such a long time.” — Seth Loftis, 22

231 E 14th St.

The Italian Labor Center was built in 1919 and served as the headquarters for the Italian Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. Around this time, this area of the city was a little Little Italy. The relief carvings are thought to be done by poet and sculptor Onorio Ruotolo. The address now serves as the location of Beauty Bar, which has a dual function as beauty parlor and bar. The newer establishment still has the old Italian Labor Center facade.

“I heard about Beauty Bar through a BuzzFeed video, but it did not talk about the history of the building.” —Seth Loftis, 22

233 E 14th St.

This building, now the Blind Pig tavern, was home to the Edelstein Bros Pawn shop from 1945-1981. Isaac and Max Edelstein inherited the shop from their father, Simon Edelstein. The only sign of the original store is the banner at the very top of the building. It is almost impossible to see from the same side of the street.

334 E 14th St.

This building has a long religious history. It was built from 1866-1869 as the First German Baptist Center. In 1926 it became the Ukranian Orthodox Church. It is now the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue. The Landmarks Preservation Commission awarded it city landmark status in 2014.

14th Street and 2nd Avenue

©Courtesy of the NYPL archives (c. 1900-1910)

The apartment house on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 14th Street was home to New York Senator William Maxwell Evarts in the 1800s. The building is one of the older styles on the block, and its entrance is inscribed with “NY Senate” and “WM Evarts” above the doorways.

When the New Keeps the Old Around

“Say goodbye to Union Square’s old P.C. Richard & Son, and hello to the city’s next big epicenter for tech companies,” Curbed NY predicted earlier this year. The opening line sounds all too familiar. As gentrification sweeps its way through downtown Manhattan, stories pile up about the new “improvements” knocking down New York’s classic establishments. But Curbed got it wrong. P.C. Richard & Son is defying the gentrification stereotype. It’s here to stay.

Michael Castro, an employee at P.C. Richard & Son, had new contradicting information on the store’s alleged closing. “A lot of people think we are leaving.” He continued, “But we just got the word that the store will actually stay at the base of this new huge building.”

P.C. Richard & Son, located on 14th Street hunkered between New York University’s massive Palladium dorm and a Best Buy superstore, will just be the base of the new Union Square Tech Hub, which will soon go under construction in 2018. The new massive contemporary building will cost 250 million dollars to construct but will create 600 jobs in the tech industry and employ 800 construction workers to build it. Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced plans for the 250,000- square foot tech masterpiece in December. The new building will allow space for tech start-ups and training center for tech professionals, according to a story by Techcrunch.

During the construction period, P.C. Richard & Son will shut down for two years as construction is set to finish in 2020. But the current employees at P.C. Richard & Son will not go temporarily without a job. Castro, who has worked there for over seven months, said, “We will be relocated to other stores while they build the new tech hub and then come back.“

Loyal customers might experience a bigger hit than the current employees during these two years. Castro noted, “We have been getting a lot of complaints that people are not comfortable with us even closing during the renovation. The closest one to us is 23rd and 6th, so that store will probably see an increase in customers soon.”

So who are these loyal customers? When I walked around the store on a typical Monday night, I saw employees hug incoming customers and shake hands with new ones. Castro explained, “A lot of neighborhood people come here. Born and raised around here. It’s almost like a family of customers. It’s going to be very difficult for them not to come around when this is under construction.” He continued, “I see a lot of the same people all the time. A lot of consistent customers.”

At P.C Richard & Son it’s not just about selling the appliances or pushing products on new college students trying to buy their first air conditioner. “For a lot of customers, it’s really like family here. They come in and just give us high fives, hugs and a nice ‘how are you?’ We catch up a lot of times. Just regular life stuff. People don’t just come here to buy something. They come here to actually have conversation,” said Castro.

In the midst of great change on 14th street, and new people crossing the transit-heavy street every day, P.C Richard & Son is all about making old customers feel continued appreciation and showing that same sense of community to a new frantic NYU student with her parents coming in just trying to buy her first household appliance.

Castro smiled when talking about his customers. He said, “When I left for a couple of months, a gentleman came in here everyday and asked for me.” He paused, and his smile grew wider. He continued, “A couple days ago, he came in while I was on break, and my manager called me down. He was so excited I was back, and I was too. That’s what we make here. Friends.”

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Jason makes preventing scurvy look like the easiest job in the world.

4/11/2017 – MIDTOWN; When most New Yorkers hear 14th Street mentioned, their minds quickly drift to Union Square Park, that tiny respite of nature asynchronously plopped down in the middle of the much-too-busy sidewalks. But Union Square isn’t the only place to catch a glimpse of the natural world along 14th street. There’s another option, and this one is as healthy as it is tasty.

The aptly named “Sidewalk Fruit Stand,” perched at the intersection of 14th Street with 3rd Avenue, is as unassuming as it is convenient. The cornucopia of apples, bananas, pineapples, and other seasonal fruits that sits atop the stand’s single table is restocked daily. This seems to be a little known gem, but its single Yelp review praises it as the perfect place to go – especially if it’s one in the morning, and even though you have a quarter in your pocket, you’d rather have a banana in your hand. Freegans of midtown, rejoice! Gone are your days of dumpster diving. Now, you can get fruit cheaply from a local business in the “big apple” without supporting the oppressive and socially irresponsible Big Apple industry.

I stopped one man as he was walking away from the stand with an apple that he had just purchased, and I asked him why he chose to shop at this particular fruit stand. “I wanted an apple,” he replied irately before whisking away and forever cementing my long-held suspicion that most New Yorkers really are dicks.

Even so, the man behind the stand refused to be brought down. He seemed less annoyed with me, bearing the type of grin usually reserved for the city’s drunk or delusional. I asked him what he was doing selling fruit on a sidewalk, wondering what had brought him to this point:

“What are you doing?” I asked abruptly.

“I’m selling delicious fruit, want some?” The man replied and asked.

“I’m ok.” I said before whisking away.

I’ll admit, there’s not much that’s exciting about this stand. It’s a small shop that has ripe fruit for cheap prices. But that is unique and pleasant in its own right; if you want exciting, pick up a bat salad at Walmart – but if you want healthy and simple, this is the place for you.

So the next time you hop off the R train at Union Square or the L train at 3rd Ave, think about stocking up on some Vitamin C before you seal yourself back inside of that mobile Petri dish.

And stay away from Big Salad. It just may save your life.

The Gentrification of Fried Chicken

Just steps away from the Kentucky Fried Chicken that sits on the corner of 14th Street and 2nd Avenue is The Nugget Spot, a gourmet design-your-own fried chicken restaurant.

The Nugget Spot opened its doors in 2013 while KFC has been in the East Village for over a decade. With the intention of being trendy and hip, The Nugget Spot switches its nugget flavors each month and maintains active social media accounts in an attempt to stay relevant. In order to appeal to their “stoner crowd,” The Nugget Spot offered all-you-can-eat nuggets for four minutes on “4/20.”

“I’ll admit you get more food for your money at KFC but our quality is just better.”

“We have to appeal to the changing neighborhood,” said Andy, a cashier at The Nugget Spot. The restaurant offers a variety of different types of nuggets, including two vegetarian and gluten-free options. But the versatility of the fried chicken comes with a price. Six nuggets sell for $6.50 and 10 for $10. “I’ll admit you get more food for your money at KFC but our quality is just better,” Andy said. In comparison, KFC sells an entire meal consisting of two drumsticks, mashed potatoes, a biscuit, a cookie and a drink for $6.

Michael Webb, 20, a patron of KFC, has no plans to try The Nugget Spot. “I’ve heard good things about The Nugget Spot but KFC is just so much cheaper,” Webb said. The decorum seems to agree. The stench of grease and chicken overpowers KFC and the surrounding block, and the tiled floor and bright lights give off a clinical feeling. The Nugget Spot’s exposed brick and dim lighting provide a cozier feel. The walls are lined with paintings and dollar bills decorated by former patrons.

While KFC is filled with families and construction workers on a Saturday afternoon, The Nugget Spot, attracts a “hipper” crowd. “During the day we get high school students, the bar-goers at night, and we also attract a stoner crowd,” Andy said. “There’s really no competition,” she said in reference to the KFC just two doors down. “We are drawing in the newer crowd.”