BOASTING MORE THAN 20 RETAIL DEPARTMENTS OFFERING everything from antipasti to zuppa, and eateries ranging from a pizza counter to a white-tablecloth steakhouse, Eataly -- a 50,000-square-foot Italian food hall -- has landed in the Flatiron district, creating the neighborhood's biggest culinary splash in years.

Eataly officially opened at 4 p.m. on August 31 and the lines began forming 45 minutes before that, but earlier in the day a delegation of dignitaries headed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg helped get things started. Also on hand: Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh, whose agency helped place New Yorkers in Eataly's 300 permanent jobs through its NYC Business Solutions recruitment program; Jennifer Brown, Executive Director of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership; and Debbie Landau, President of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. They were joined by a number of civic leaders from Italy: Claudio Burlando, President of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the mayors of Turin, Alba, Barolo and Bra.

Thursday, September 16:
Speaker Series: District Safety and Security
As part of the BID's ongoing Speaker Series, Deputy Inspector Ted W. Berntsen, the new Commanding Officer of the 13thPrecinct -- whose area of responsibility includes the Flatiron district -- will talk about current crime trends in the neighborhood and his plans to address the various quality-of-life issues that arise within his jurisdiction. In addition, representatives of the New York City Office of Emergency Management's Public/Private Initiatives Unit will discuss several programs designed to help small businesses prepare for and recover from emergencies.

The event will be at the TD Bank branch at Park Avenue South and 21st Street, from 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. Area business and property owners, managers and residents are asked to RSVP by Monday, September 13, by e-mail to events@flatironbid.org or by calling (212) 741-2323.

October:
Celebrate Flatiron Partnerships
The fifth annual Celebrate Flatiron Partnerships event will reach for the sky this year, with a cocktail party slated for the Rooftop Garden Bar atop 230 Fifth Avenue, at 27th Street. Further details will be announced as they develop.

WORK HAS BEGUN ON A SET
of streetscape changes along Broadway from 24th Street to Union Square that is expected to result in improved traffic conditions, expanded public space, more safety measures, additional greenery and public plazas, and buffered bike paths. The project, an initiative of the Department of Transportation, is slated to be completed by the end of September and is planned as an extension of improvements that were made to Broadway between Columbus Circle and the Flatiron district in 2008 and 2009. Although most of the changes affect the Union Square area, here are the parts that directly involve the BID:

• The bike lane now on the east side of Broadway and 24th Street adjacent to Madison Square Park and extending south will move to the west side of the street. The bike lane south of 23rd Street will also be on the west side of Broadway down to Union Square.
• A new public space will appear between 21st and 22nd Streets, along the west side of Broadway. The BID will maintain new planters and benches that will be installed in that space. The planters will match the color and design of those on the BID's existing Public Plazas. The silver-hued backless benches will match the current furniture on the Public Plazas.
• New median islands, similar to those on Broadway north of 26th Street, will be installed between 20th and 21st Streets on the west side of Broadway, protecting the bike lane that is adjacent to the sidewalk. "Floating" parking spaces will be located between the medians.
• Two bus stops have been moved to nearby locations. The one at the south end of the South Plaza at 22nd Street, used by the X-1, X-7, X-9 and X-12 buses to Staten Island, has shifted to 23rd Street between Broadway and Madison Avenue. The X-10 bus to Staten Island, which had also stopped at the South Plaza, as well as the Gray Line tour bus, which had stopped on Broadway between 21st and 22nd Streets, can now be accessed at a bus stop on Park Avenue South and 21st Street.
• To improve traffic flow and safety conditions, left turns from Park Avenue South onto 23rd Street by cars heading north will be restricted. To better accommodate downtown traffic, right-turn lanes will be added to the eastbound approaches to Park Avenue South on 20th, 22nd and 23rd Streets.

WITH THE FALL SHOPPING SEASON NOW under way, this is an ideal time for local merchants working on new promotions to check out the Flatiron Partnership's District Deals page.

The page appears on the BID's website, which has been averaging more than 4,800 visitors a month. Since its launch in April 2009, it has provided listings for more than 50 sales or services, ranging from restaurant specials to gym discounts to dog-walking deals. Updated twice a month, the District Deals page is available at no cost to all BID businesses and organizations, as well as participants in the BID's Friends of the Flatiron Marketing Affiliate Program.

For additional information or to submit a deal, click here.

BACK IN THE 19TH CENTURY, SAMUEL ADAMS WENT TO
Colorado to dig for silver. Then he came to the Flatiron district and found gold.

Adams, who was born in Canada in 1849, arrived in the United States as a young man and dabbled in the dry goods business in New York. He eventually settled in Colorado, where he headed a silver-mining concern and was later elected a state senator. Not long after, he returned to New York and in 1885 opened a small dry goods store at the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and 22nd Street. Within a few years, his business ballooned and by 1899 he occupied all the buildings fronting on Sixth Avenue, down to 21st Street. Realizing that his thriving enterprise required a proper setting, Adams hired Theodore W. E. DeLomos and August Wilhelm Cordes, architects who specialized in large department stores, and in 1900 work began on what would become 675 Sixth Avenue.

That building, now 110 years old, became the home of Adams Dry Goods Co., part of the fleet of great department stores berthed on Sixth Avenue in an area made famous as the Ladies' Mile. It is a magnificent six-story Beaux Arts structure of cast iron and masonry, with four giant limestone columns on its façade and a magnificent interior courtyard extending to a skylight at roof level. This summer, the building was in the news again, when Trader Joe's supermarket filled 16,000 square feet of street-level space that had been vacant since Barnes & Noble departed two years ago.

In its heyday, Adams Dry Goods was quite the emporium, so elegant, say some, that it refused to allow price tags to mar its merchandise. It was one of the first buildings in New York with automatic elevators. Three great entrances on Sixth Avenue beckoned passersby, while giant display windows on the second and third floors were at eye level with trains rushing by on the old Sixth Avenue El, offering passengers a hint of the fine china and linens and splendid fashions that lay within.

The store made headlines in 1906, when in the late afternoon of May 29, one of the four giant water tanks on the roof suddenly burst, sending 10,000 gallons of water crashing through the skylight and into the store, along with chunks of wooden tanking planks two inches thick. More than 3,000 shoppers were inside, reported the next day's New York Times, and Sam Adams was in his office, thinking an earthquake had just taken place. He personally took charge of the rescue work. Meanwhile, on 21st Street, some 5,000 onlookers had gathered. Some thought the building might collapse and tried to surge inside to help get people out. They had to be restrained by mounted police. When order was restored, 10 people had suffered serious injuries, but there were no fatalities. The store's staff was credited with exemplary behavior in preventing panic.

Two months later, it was announced that Adams would merge with Hugh O'Neill's department store, one block south, and that a tunnel would be built connecting the two buildings. The merged company lasted only a year. It closed in 1907, a victim of the influx of garment manufacturers into the side streets and the move of major retailers to locations farther uptown.

Since then, 675 Sixth Avenue has been home, at various times, to an Army storage facility; the Hershey Chocolate Company; the Young & Rubicam ad agency; Mattel Toys, which in the 1980s had three upper floors and used the street-level space to show Barbie and the Rockers and other children's favorites during annual toy fairs; and Barnes & Noble, which leased the entire street level from 1994 to 2008. Fisher Price, a Mattel subsidiary, now has space on an upper floor as well as the basement level, and The Gap has offices on an upper floor.

Samuel Adams died in 1928 at the age of 79. By 1908, he had ended his stay on Sixth Avenue, following the trail of other leading merchants and heading north. He didn't stop in midtown, though, but marched into the Bronx, where he launched Adams-Flanagan & Co. near 149th Street and Third Avenue. It was a major neighborhood department store, but not quite as tony as his Ladies' Mile emporium. All the merchandise carried price tags.

A NEW SEASON IS THE SIGNAL FOR A NEW
set of banners to fly over Flatiron. This fall's version, just unveiled, carries a list of suggestions on how best to enjoy the district's many attractions. The words "discover," "shop," "tour," "listen," "visit," "eat," "walk" and "see" flow down the left side of each banner against a background of tilted stripes in the Partnership's distinctive colors. Below that is the BID's familiar "intersections" logo.

The banners offer a splendid opportunity for companies to promote their names, show their commitment to the area and, at the same time, help increase awareness of the BID. Additional streetlamp locations are still available. For additional information about sponsorships and locations, contact Eric Zaretsky, Director of Marketing & Economic Development at (212) 741-2323 or via e-mail at ezaretsky@flatironbid.org.

AFTER A YEAR'S ABSENCE,
the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament will again be on view at Madison Square Park. From Friday, September 3, through the championship point on Sunday, September 12, the tourney will be televised live from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens on a jumbo screen at the north end of the park, presented by the Madison Square Park Conservancy and ZYNC by American Express. Bleachers and Astroturf ground covering will provide seating. The matches will be shown each day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Food and beverages will be available from kiosks operated by local restaurants Pranna, Resto and SD26.

As an added attraction, table tennis will be featured during the Open in a space called "ZYNC Zone" at the south end of the park. Tables will be available starting Thursday, September 9, from 11 a.m. until dark. Professional players will display their skills in the afternoons.

A monthly roundup of exhibits and events at the art galleries and museums within the Flatiron district. To be considered for inclusion, please send relevant information to: Eric Zaretsky, Director of Marketing & Economic Development, at ezaretsky@flatironbid.org.

The Sidney Mishkin Gallery at Baruch
"A Social Context: Group Photography and Identity": A major exhibition drawn from the collection of Baruch College, featuring images by Lucien Clergue, Elliott Erwitt, Larry Fink, Milt Hinton, Gilles Peress, Candace Scharsu, Neal Slavin, Leonard Sussman, Andy Warhol, Carrie Mae Weems and Garry Winogrand. The photographs in the exhibition document groups, recording who was who at a certain place at a specific moment. They include images by photographers concerned with what it means to be part of a group, how group memberships affect an individual's identity and how social perceptions help define groups.
Dates: September 24 through October 22. Opening reception September 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: 135 East 22nd Street.
Hours: Weekdays from noon to 5 p.m., Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m. Closed on weekends.

AIGA National Design Center

"I.D. Annual Design Review 2010": This interdisciplinary showcase, which was launched in 1954, chronicles the evolution of design and its impact on our material and visual culture. The show recognizes the best design work in nine categories: environments, concepts, consumer products, equipment, packaging, furniture, graphics, interactive and student. This is the first time the exhibit is being shown at the AIGA National Design Center.
Dates: Through September 10.
Address: 164 Fifth Avenue.
Hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Raandesk Gallery of Art at In Good Company
"Trilogy: Three Series of New Paintings by Jason Bryant": Eight large-scale paintings organized in three distinct conceptual series informally identified as Rubric, Merging Iconography and Symbolic Portraiture. The work is a continuation and further exploration of Bryant's fascination with film, the skateboarding culture, and presentation of the self. Bryant's body of work reflects his signature photorealistic style through aggressive compositional cropping and the uniform editing out of a subject's eyes with highly technical refinement. An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 16, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Dates: September 16 through November 12.
Address:16 West 23rd Street, 4th floor (In Good Company).
Hours: Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment.

"Optical: Beauty in the Mundane": Small and large-scale photographs by Nadia Kyung Chae, winner of the 2009 Annual Optical Juried Competition, and runner-up Matt Gehring, as well as three other finalists: Pattiann Koury, Jeremy Sachs-Michaels and Magda Biernat.
Dates: Through September 10.
Address 16 West 23rd Street, 4th floor (In Good Company).
Hours: Weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends by appointment.

Museum of Sex
"Rubbers: The Life, History & Struggle of the Condom": A multi-media look at the condom's influence on everything from science to religion.
Dates:Ongoing.
Address: 233 Fifth Avenue.
Hours: Sundays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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• Click Here for More News Articles

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The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District, formed in 2006, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the area's reputation as one of New York's most vital and exciting neighborhoods. This is undertaken by maintaining a clean and safe environment for those who live, work and visit the area; by spearheading area improvement projects; and by marketing the diverse business and retail options in this vibrant and historic neighborhood.

For more information go to our Web site at www.discoverflatiron.org or e-mail us at info@flatironbid.org.

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