While more non-descript than the Sheffields Farms Stables, we always admired the couple of low buildings off of West 125th Street, a block west of Broadway. The low-rise nature of the neighborhood will officially be removed in the next couple of weeks with the Sheffield Stable in the process of being disassembled and now these two 19th century veterans facing demolition. The lower photo shows the scaffolding coming up on the buildings as of this past Friday. By the weekend, the crew had completely covered both buildings. We always thought that this area could really be a great historic link to the city's manufacturing past and develop into Harlem's own version of downtown's Meat Packing District. Does anyone know what is the status of the remaining lawsuits against Columbia? With the demolition of buildings in process, it would be a really sad situation if the university had to stop their plans and then the neighborhood would be left with barren lots for many years to come.
I think it's basically a forgone conclusion at this point that the project will proceed. All of the approvals from the state have been received, and Columbia has started construction. The only pending item I am aware of is Nick Sprayregen's lawsuit regarding eminent domain -- which I think is probably a longshot on the merits and is intended mostly to leverage a more favorable settlement with CU.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I haven't been able to find anything definitive or recent on the status of the case -- if anyone has an update beyond the above, it would be appreciated.
The most additional information I'm able to find is the legal appeal itself:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/full/11054880?access_key=key-182skk9iuz7ruzzsi6qn
If anyone is feeling particularly enterprising, you could try calling the plaintiff's attorney listed at the end of the document to see if there is a timetable for a ruling.