Biting the hand…
It seems that being the majority stakeholder in a media company doesn’t always earn you good reviews. James Russell, the architecture critic for Bloomberg News, published a scathing review of the World Trade Center Museum and Memorial on June 1.
Russell maligned the design process as secretive and called the design itself conceptually foggy and mawkish — probably not the sort of adjectives that Memorial Foundation Chairperson Michael Bloomberg would like to see in the news service he founded.
Russell issued a further dig at the memorial, which Bloomberg helped redesign before raising millions for its construction. He said that the official museum may be superfluous given the “modest but extraordinarily powerful Tribute Center that already serves visitors.” Score one for the free press.
Despite the occasional bad review, the Memorial Foundation has been racking up the cash since Bloomberg took it over. A big reason why? In addition to giving the Foundation access to his deep-pocketed business and political connections, Bloomberg, who collects one dollar a year for being mayor, has been more than willing to lead the fundraising effort by example.
A list of memorial donors, released June 1, had Bloomberg tied for second place with $15 million, behind only the Starr Foundation ($25 million). Financial firms Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch each gave $10 million. W.T.C. developer Larry Silverstein clocked in at $5 million, a figure matched by several development companies.
As for other local politicians, they couldn’t hold a philanthropic candle to Bloomberg. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, also an independently wealthy businessman, came the closest at $2 million. Bernard and Anne Spitzer, parents of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, donated $2 million. The former mayor, Rudy Guiliani, and the former governor, George Pataki, each gave in the $10,000-$99,000 bracket.
200 Chambers move-in
Though some nearby residents view it as an office-tower-like eyesore, 200 Chambers St. has apparently attracted plenty of new residents since it opened its doors this winter. The building, which was developed by Scott Resnick, has sold more than 80 condo units since the new year, according to city property records.
The top sale was a combo purchase of apartments 4B and 4C (not to be confused with 5C, the development site’s alias) for $3.4 million. The residential tower’s ground floor retail spaces, however, remain empty for the time being. A community center and school annex within the property are scheduled to open this fall.
So long Eckerd
So long Eckerd, hello Rite Aid. Downtowners who fill their prescriptions at the Eckerd pharmacies in Battery Park City and Soho will soon be getting pills from a Rite Aid instead. The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that it had approved Rite Aid’s move to buy the Eckerd and Brooks pharmacy chains, provided that Rite Aid sells off 23 of its stores nationwide to smaller chains like Kinney.
Rite Aid embraced the sale immediately, merging its Web site with Eckerd.com. Soon, each of New York City’s Eckerd stores will become a Rite Aid. The acquisition will put Rite Aid on par with Duane Reade for having the most stores in the New York City market.
