Downtown Local

Slamming for Bam on Bowery
At a fundraiser at the Bowery Poetry Club last weekend to raise disaster assistance for Bam, the Iranian city where tens of thousands died in a recent earthquake, Sara Goudarzi recited Persian poetry as Said Moadel accompanied her on guitar, above. Jamshied Sharifi, at right, played a Chapman Stick, which is not a traditional Persian instrument. According to the event’s organizers, all the money will be sent directly to Shirin Ebadi, a female lawyer from Iran and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi will direct the money to people in need immediately. For more information about the event, e-mail Sami at Shabesher@hotmail.com.

Temple Court plans
Shuttered for more than a half century, the stunning nine-story atrium inside the Temple Court office building at 5 Beekman St. could soon become the centerpiece of an apartment complex.

The atrium has been closed due to fire codes since the 1940s, long before the entire building emptied out in recent years. A new plan would convert 5 Beekman from office to residential use and unseal the atrium.

Gene Kaufman, the architect for the project, said that there would be 130 rental units in the Gothic and Romanesque-inspired building. He declined to comment on how many studios, one-bedrooms, and family-sized units there would be.

Kaufman said the lot’s current zoning would permit residential use; the project would need to receive special city permission in order to build apartments around an atrium, however. Atriums are normally not allowed in residential buildings, although some city buildings have secured exemptions, Kaufman said.

At a Community Board 1 meeting on Tuesday, Kaufman presented the designs for the building and his associate presented detailed plans for fire safety. Sprinklers in every room, an elaborate smoke detection system, and special smoke-drawing technology are among the building’s fire safety features, said Zygmunt Staszewski of Z.S. Engineering.

Completed in 1882, the ten-story Temple Court building was designed by Benjamin Silliman of Silliman & Farnsworth. Surrounding the atrium are 10 stories of cast-iron brackets in the shape of dragons.

Rena Shulsky owns the building and has paired up on the project with developer Cammeby’s, Kaufman said. Shulsky was not available for comment, and Cammeby’s declined comment. Project managers applied to the city for $45 million in Liberty Bond financing, said spokesperson Tracy Paurowski.
C.B. 1 supported the plans.
“I think we were convinced,” said Paul Goldstein, district manager.

No surprises for Nadler
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes Lower Manhattan, said there is very little to be pleased or surprised about President Bush’s State of the Union speeches, which is why he has never bothered to watch one live in Congress. In fact, on Tuesday night, Nadler watched the speech in front of his TV in his Manhattan apartment.

“I was at home in New York taking notes,” he said. “Nobody missed a mid-level congressman and nobody cares.

“Do you know how crowded it gets in there with all the senators and members of Congress?” he jested. “I usually watch the speech anyway with some other members on a TV in the cloakroom off the floor.”

C.B. 1 meetings
The upcoming week’s schedule for Community Board 1 meetings is below. All meetings will take place in room 709 of 49-51 Chambers St.

On Tues., Jan. 27, the youth and education committee will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss youth funding and subjects for meeting with the Region 9 superintendent.

On Wed., Jan. 28, the Waterfront Committee will meet at 6 p.m. to hear a presentation on the proposal for the temporary siting of the River Project during the reconstruction of Pier 26, and a presentation on the proposal for a temporary covering of the NY Trapeze School to allow operation during the winter months.

On Thurs., Jan. 29, the Art & Entertainment Task Force will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss the selection process for cultural elements at the W.T.C. site and an update on Councilmember Alan Gerson’s art initatives.

Wils’ mother dies
Eileen Goldberg, mother of Madelyn Wils, chairperson of Community Board 1 and a board member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., died last Sunday after a long illness. Funeral services were Tuesday at Gramercy Park Memorial Chapel, 142 Second Ave., near 10th St. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that donations in Goldberg’s name be sent to the Diabetes Association of America, 149 Madison Ave., New York, NY, 10016.

Correction
In our article two weeks ago about Collective Unconscious on Ludlow St. (“East Side arts group faces possible end”), we misidentified the name of the person who won the Mr. Lower East Side Pageant. His name is Neal Medlyn.