To the editor:
Some of the ideas regarding improvements to South End Avenue that were presented at the recent open house are certainly worthy of consideration. However, there’s a great and not too expensive idea that wasn’t included: consolidated newspaper boxes. Several years ago (on 7/3/2012), the Broadsheet published the following letter from Betty Heller:
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To the editor:
Found myself way up north on Madison Avenue and noticed their attractive newspaper distribution centers. Well, one can’t miss them; they are everywhere.
While I infinitely prefer our more disorganized downtown streets, I must admit that those chrome-like centers are certainly less obtrusive and more attractive than the red/blue/yellow/orange plastic dispersal boxes that currently unattractively litter our sidewalks and corners. I would not want to do without the convenience of our wonderful downtown newspapers and thought the example on Madison Avenue might be a solution. They are probably expensive but perhaps the Downtown Alliance/BPCA/Tribeca Bids might be interested in investing.
Worth looking into?
–Betty Heller
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I’d like to suggest reviving Betty’s idea as we consider ways to improve the streetscape on South End Avenue.
Here’s a link to a New York magazine article describing the boxes on Madison Avenue:
Newspaper boxes like these would certainly decrease the cluttered appearance of South End Avenue. Definitely worth looking into.
Sincerely,
Evan Dillon