July News Roundup

July’s updates revolve around NYC DOT’s Open Streets: Restaurants program and recovery efforts of Flatiron & NoMad restaurants, ground-floor businesses, and real estate. Stay up-to-date with the latest Flatiron District News.

Restaurants & Bars

• Australian restaurant and cafe, Hole in the Wall, which has locations in the Financial District and Murray Hill, opened its third location in NYC at Hotel Henri (37 West 24th Street) and offers seating for 40 people (via Off the MRKT).
• NBC New York interviewed The Smith and La Pecora Bianca and discussed the Open Streets: Restaurants program (via NBC New York as seen on News4).
• Dominique Ansel and partner Amy Ma are permanently shutting down Dominique Ansel Kitchen in the West Village and moving operations to a much bigger location in Flatiron, near Madison Square Park (via Eater NY).
• Philippe Massoud, owner of ilili Restaurant, shared the struggles of relying on takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining sales with the setback of indoor dining delays (via CBS New York).
• La Pecora Bianca was also featured on “Broadway’s best food, drink and architecture” list (via New York Post).
• Danny Meyer, whose Union Square Hospitality Group owns some of New York City’s most prestigious dining rooms, including Gramercy Tavern, has turned three establishments—Marta, plus Intersect and Union Square Events—into kitchens that are creating meals for people in need in the South Bronx (via Washington Post).
• Restaurants including Hill Country Barbeque have started to sell meal kits through Baldor Foods (via Fox 5 News).
• Get your picnic blanket out and check out Madison Square Park with nearby Italian eatery, Eataly (via Broadway World).
• Cote is highlighted on Eater New York’s list of “20 Michelin-Starred NYC Restaurants Open for Outdoor Dining” (via Eater New York).
• The Nomad Hotel shared its version of a cocktail cherry (via Wine Enthusiast).
• Undercote, a luxe terrarium bunker tucked beneath Korean steakhouse Cote, made Esquire’s 2020 list of “Best Bars in America” (via Esquire). 
• Tommy Tardie, owner and operator of The Flatiron Room, discussed the new Johnnie Walker paper bottles set to be sold in 2021 (via Yahoo News).

District Businesses

• Due to the announcement that NYC’s Phase 4 plan will not include the reopening of Indoor Arts & Entertainment Venues, Fotografiska New York’s reopening has been postponed (via Time Out). 
• Rizzoli Bookstore is included on Elle’s “Five Must-Visit Store Openings Of Summer 2020″ list (via Elle).
• After just 10 days of being shuttered, The Jazz Gallery, a 75-seater in the Flatiron District, launched Happy Hour Hang sessions and later the Lockdown Sessions, attracting 400 to 500 viewers per show (via Pollstar).
• HFN interviewed Kristi Forbes, Director & Senior Vice President at Forty One Madison, and also a member of the Partnership’s Board of Directors (via HFN).

Real Estate & Commercial Office Space

• COOKFOX designed the first WELL Platinum-certified office for the International WELL Building Institute, situated on the 8th floor of 220 5th Avenue, a 1912 neo-Gothic structure opposite Madison Square Park (via Archpaper).
• Charles Schwab leased 24,000 square feet of office space via two new leases in the Flatiron District and Midtown (via Crain’s New York).
• Hill Country BBQ renewed their lease for 12 years for 10,990 square feet at 30 West 26th Street, located between Broadway and Sixth Avenue (via Commercial Observer).
• According to RentHop, in the second quarter of 2020, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Flatiron District dropped 10% to $4,293 (via amNY).
• Richard Hodos and his colleagues were honored for securing a home for the first Harry Potter Wizarding World Store in the United States at 935 Broadway / 161 Fifth Avenue, the former Restoration Hardware outlet. “The general ambiance and architecture in Flatiron provided the elevated experience that we were looking for,” said Michael Remer (via Real Estate Weekly).

Around the Neighborhood 

• The Flatiron District and NoMad were included on 6sqft’s list of “10 Iconic Streets and Spots in NYC Open for Outdoor Dining” (via 6sqft).
• Broadway, from 25th Street to 28th Street, is one of 22 open streets open from 5 pm to 11 pm on Friday nights, and noon to 11 pm on Saturdays and Sundays throughout July and August for weekend outdoor dining (via Gothamist).
• Mayor Bill de Blasio announced 40 more open streets for the city’s Open Restaurants program including West 22nd Street from 5th Avenue to 6th Avenue, and also announced that the Open Restaurants initiative will be extended through October 31st (via Gothamist).
• July 4th protest attendees gathered in Madison Square Park and proceeded to march downtown and across the Brooklyn Bridge while listening to the voices and stories of emerging leaders and communities pushing for social change (via W Magazine).

Header & Thumbnail Photo Credit:Frommer’s of Rizzoli Bookstore