Comments Archive

Our website is a digital space for collaboration about physical space. We invite you to participate  in the creation of knowledge designed to secure greater public use of New York City’s 525 or so POPS, those zoning-created plazas, arcades, and other outdoor and indoor privately owned public spaces. Here is an archive of comments from visitors like you.

Luke Szabados on 825 Seventh Avenue:
A restaurant at the northeast corner of 7th and 53rd has since removed its planters which had previously sectioned off a portion of the space for private enterprise (according to this website). 825 Seventh is undergoing a renovation,and scaffolding dominates this plaza strip
Luke Szabados on 1700 Broadway:
The space is well marked as open for the public With a vacant retail lot at the southeastern corner of 1700 Broadway, the plaza at the corner of 53rd and 7th accumulates broken cafe umbrellas, their concrete slabs lay scattered thoughoit, alongside a collection of miscellaneous pipes. The planters in this area contain lifeless trees, scrubs that have yellowed after apparently being left unwatered. An Abandoned wall of vine decays. Do the dead trees count towards the 15 required? If one does there are only 14 provided.
Luke on 810 Seventh Avenue:
o longer are there any planters or placards. In fact at the southeast corner of Broadway and 53rd, there remain holes in the wall where a placard one was. The cafe that lost its certification in 1997 is now a bank. The public space has regressed and is again a barren plaza.
Luke on 135 West 52nd Street:
Posted hours are longer than MAS requirement. No planting beds. Plenty of seating both fixed wooden benches iN good condition and neatly arranged metal chairs/tables. Water fountain not functional. Recessed cavities along east side of through block connection remain restricted from public access by means of caution tape. Appears to have lattice wall for vines. Remains unused, evidently there is a security concern with the cavernous space which is difficult to monitor. 2 litter receptacles on site
Ben on 835 Sixth Avenue:
Most of this plaza was closed earlier today for the "media event" portion of a Dairy Queen promotion that would be giving out free ice cream later in the day. The media portion of the event was scheduled for something like 11-5, and people from Dairy Queen were actively preventing people from entering the space. Is this allowed for a POPS? Was the owner illegally renting it out to DQ for private hours?
Luke Szabados on 151 West 54th Street:
Photo attached of graffitied sign and cracking wall
Luke Szabados on 156 West 56th Street:
This Through Block Connection has been enhanced up with large posters dangling from the ceiling. It allows the viewer to enjoy the scale of the space while also getting a sense of place in the periphery of the City Center. Be on the lookout for joggers! While writing this, a man and a leashed pet in a dead sprint nearly collided with me, proving that this is certainly a public space intended for traffic flow. However, one can’t help but slow down to thoroughly enjoy a quiet stroll through this through block connection enclosed from the outside’s blaring horns and ubiquitous scent of garbage. This space is clean and regal. If only it had seats...
Luke Szabados on 151 West 54th Street:
Garden beds in need of TLC
Luke Szabados on 151 West 54th Street:
Although required to remain open from 8am to 7pm, both the placards at the site’s northern and southern ends at the site lists it’s hours as 7am to 11pm . While the lighting is pleasant and there is a distinct delight to walk along what is called 6 1/2 Avenue, the entire site seems to be under-maintained. Rusting columns, weathered skylights, weedy gardenbeds...and an odd placement of 3 seemingly forgotten planters filled with plastic vines and hedges. It’s giant metal doors are a redeeming feature.
Luke Szabados on 888 Seventh Avenue:
This placard (placed on a granite wall of the northern plaza) indicates that the site is closed from 1am to 6am however the required hours of access are 24 hours
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