Tow Pound Goes, Dining Woes: Midtown-Hell's Kitchen 2021 Review

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Though the turbulence of 2020 seemed to be in the rearview mirror, 2021 offered no shortage of surprises for New York City — and for Midtown and Hell's Kitchen.

Whether it was the closure of Midtown's first "pandemic supply store," the fall and subsequent rise of Hell's Kitchen's COVID rates or controversy over the pandemic-era outdoor dining program, the coronavirus lingered in the neighborhood's headlines this year.

But not all noteworthy stories were related to the ongoing crisis. As 2022 approaches, Midtown-Hell's Kitchen Patch is taking a look at the neighborhood's top stories of 2021.

Midtown Garden Reopens To Public After School's 20-Year Takeover

In September, we brought you the news that a tiny, lush garden in Murray Hill's St. Vartan Park was set to reopen for public use after being exclusively controlled for 20 years by a local preschool — with the city's permission. This month, the city revealed that the garden would stay open to the public for good.

NYPD Vacates Hell's Kitchen Tow Pound, Opening Up Pier 76; PHOTOS: New Pier 76 In Hell's Kitchen Finally Opens To Public

As the new year began, we learned that the NYPD would finally pack up and leave its longtime tow pound on Pier 76 in Hell's Kitchen, allowing the unsightly structure to be torn down to make way for an open space. That space indeed opened in June in a ceremony headlined by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo — though the pier's long-term use remains up in the air.

Midtown's Storefronts Are 30% Vacant: Highest In NYC, Study Finds

This distressing study by the Real Estate Board of New York was released in October, revealing a stunning 29.9 percent vacancy rate among the 311 storefronts that line Madison, Park, Lexington and Third avenues between 39th and 57th streets.

Vessel Closes At Hudson Yards After Boy Jumps To His Death; Midtown Neighbors Had Warned Hudson Yards Of Suicides At Vessel

After a third person leapt to their death in January from the climbable Hudson Yards sculpture, Patch reported that neighbors had pressed developers Related for months to add suicide-prevention measures. Following another tragedy months later in July, the structure closed indefinitely.

NYC's First No Weed Smoking Signs Go Up In Midtown Parks

Call it a sign of the times: the first signs reminding New Yorkers not to smoke weed in public appeared in three Midtown parks in April, days after the state legalized marijuana.

Seat-Free Moynihan Train Hall Ridiculed As Riders Slump On Floor

Months after the airy new train concourse opened to great fanfare, Patch reported on the increasing criticism directed at Moynihan for lacking one basic amenity: seating.

Barricades Still Block Columbus Circle, 7 Months After Protests; Columbus Circle Barricades Come Down After 9 Months

We reported on the NYPD barricades that inexplicably surrounded the small open space at the center of Columbus Circle for nearly a year, long after protests subsided following the murder of George Floyd. The barricades came down in March, though they have periodically reappeared since then as protests have flared up.

Vacant Hell's Kitchen Storefront Transformed Into 'Free Store'

One of Hell's Kitchen's happiest headlines of 2021 was the "free store" that volunteers opened on West 45th Street and Ninth Avenue, hoping to help those in need, connect neighbors and reduce waste.