ER reopening at St. Vincent's site

From the NY Times:

A 200-foot-long shiplike structure floated into its berth on Seventh Avenue half a century ago. Unable to ignore it, Greenwich Villagers have loved or hated it ever since.

Their descendants will have the same privilege. The structure — originally the Joseph Curran Building of the National Maritime Union, then the Edward and Theresa O’Toole Medical Services Building of St. Vincent’s Hospital — is emerging in its third form, as a stand-alone emergency room and medical care center.

The O’Toole Building’s newly restored concrete facade, glowing white even on an overcast day, is a surprise. With the removal of the one-inch-square tiles that had been applied in 1966, the building has gained freshness and power. Its porthole-shaped cusps have never looked more shipshape. The prows at the West 12th Street and West 13th Street corners seem as if they could cleave a sea lane.

More surprising yet is that the building survived to see this day. In October 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted St. Vincent’s hardship application, asserting that it could not perform and sustain its charitable mission unless it were permitted to raze the O’Toole Building and replace it with a hospital tower.

St. Vincent’s closed in April 2010, before it could put its plans into effect. The hardship application was shelved. Now, the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is developing the new emergency room and medical care center by reusing the O’Toole Building and rehabilitating many of its architectural features.

Manhattan gets some health care back. Queens gets 2 stalled sites at Mary Immaculate and St. John's.