Grateful for a Lush Spring. This year New Yorkers were blessed with a lush spring. The tulips in the tree wells exceeded expectations again this year and lasted quite a while thanks to the weather gods. The trees burst into big puffs of green leaves quickly providing welcome shade for the upcoming summer.
Tree Care. March and April we worked with Urban Arborists on tree care. Work began with an on-site consultation with Urban Arborist founder, president and lead arborist Bill Logan. Thank you to block residents Larry Condon and George Vellonakis for meeting with Bill and surveying the trees. A proposal for the work recommended followed, with Urban Arborists filing for the required permits to work on the trees. The work, which included pruning, reducing crowns, removing any dead or unsafe branches and soil amendments to select trees, was done the end of April.
Given the importance of trees in our lives: creating shade, absorbing sunlight, increasing property values, promoting health and well being and fighting climate change, the East 11th Street Block Association views tree care as a wise and worthy investment. Urban Arborists do maintenance and soil amendments two times a year and are available for other tree care as needed.
Annuals Delivered and Planted. With spring bulb flowering over, annuals were delivered and planted in the tree wells in May.
Summer Tree Watering. Summer begins on June 24, we are ready to water trees and plants as needed over the summer.
A Big Thank You for Our Tidy Block. A thank you to Socorro who works on behalf of the Block Association to benefit all neighbors by picking up and cleaning the block five days a week. Look for her every week day morning picking up after litterbugs. Your donations enable us to continue Socorro’s work from year to year.
All this to thank our donors and volunteers and let neighbors know that your Block Association is at work for you.
We note with sadness the passing of James F. Balsley, New York City Landscape Architect and Urban Planner on May 7. James was a good neighbor and supporter of the Block Association over many years. Our condolences to the Balsley family.
East 11th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place. How lucky we are to reside in a block with some of the finest Greek Revival townhouses in the Village. Mostly built in the 1840s, some still retain their stoops and iron work that gives us an idea of their original appearance. Three fine Greek Revival townhouses on the north side of the street, numbers 23 to 27 were built in the early 1840s with stoops, handsome doorways, transoms and cornices and form a row even though built between 1842 and 1845 for different owners. Number 29 was built in the late 1800s or 1900, but the four homes have such similarity that they form a handsome row.
Currently three townhouses of the row are under renovation. At 25 East 11th, the exterior should be back to normal by next spring. At #27, outside renovations may be completed by fall or year end 2024. Exterior protections will be in place for most of that time. We appreciate that care has be taken to protect the trees during construction.
West 11th Street. Good news for neighbors in the block just west of us (5th Ave to 6th Ave.). We understand that they are reactivating their Block Association which has been dormant for some time as some participants left the block.
Our Logo. Time flies...in a newsletter from January 2000, more than 24 years ago, we proudly introduced our logo art, a drawing of the row of five townhouses on the north side of 11th Street (#21 through 29). The drawing was donated by renowned New York City artist Jill Gill. Her portfolio is awe-inspiring. In the 1950s, she began capturing buildings and streetscapes of the city — in many cases documenting those lost to urban renewal. We are forever grateful to Jill for her beautiful work and generosity.