East Village’s Newest Dorm Building Drops the Drapes

Between the Cube going bye-bye and the ongoing construction of a new pedestrian plaza, Cooper Square has been a mess lately. But at least there’s this: just shy of a year after the foundation was poured, the construction netting is now completely off of the controversial dorm building that replaced a historic row house at 35 Cooper Square.

Soooooo, what do we think?

Just to refresh your memory, developer Arun Bhatia’s 13-story dorm for students of Marymount Manhattan College replaces a 185-year-old building constructed by Nicholas William Stuyvesant. Preservationists had tried to landmark the Federal-style home, noting that Cecil Taylor and William S. Burroughs visited it back when it was Beat poet Diane di Prima’s home.

That fight can officially be declared over, and now it’s on to the next one!