He said, "A horse thief, in frontier days, would have received a squarer deal".
In exchange for building on the site, Westbank itself received a 250,000-square-foot density bonus, which can be applied to a project in a higher-rent part of town.
If the duplex sold at the final asking price (most listings these days sell for less), Mr. Vavilov would have received $3,400 a square foot.
The financial holding company Nomura Securities received $70 a square foot for work and 18 months' free rent for its 897,000-square-foot, 20-year lease at Worldwide Plaza at 825 Eighth Avenue.
A 16-story office building, 26 Journal Square, recently received a $2 million makeover.
The project, which cost about £350,000 (or $555,000), doubled the house's living space to about 2,200 square feet, and received a 2010 award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Another public square that recently received a major facelift is the Plaza de la República, home to the imposing Monumento a la Revolución.
Almost immediately afterwards, in an area nearby the square, the police received a call about a firearm (although it turned out to be nothing more than a replica), which prompted someone in the crowd to yell "gun".
Squaring up: The shooting form starts when a player receives a ball and squares up for the shot.
A FEW years ago your columnist received an impassioned lecture from the square-jawed owner of a gun shop in Denver, Colorado.
