Daily News from New York, New York • 123

Monday, May 6. 1991 3 By SYLVIA PORTER boot II II WV Class act: Irilew schoo Landmark building returns to roots ties for biz When President Bush late last month unveiled his plan to "reinvent" U.S. education it was no surprise that business was involved. The business community is being called upon to spend up to $200 million to help the President It's not charity. Companies need well-educated employes.

They in creasingly are getting involved in partnerships. An unusual example is a joint effort of the United Negro College Fund and Citi By RICKI FULMAN Daily News Business Wnter The Beaux Arts Building, across from Bryant Park, is back, bringing a touch of SoHo to W. 40th St Built in 1900 at 80 W. 40th St by architect Charles Rich to provide studios for artists, it has had an eclectic history. Such talents as painter Norman Rockwell and photographer Irving Penn had studios there.

In the '60s, MGM operated a recording studio in the 10th floor penthouse. Twenty years ago, however, the building fell into disrepair. Today, the building has been rescued by Paterson, developer Bob Lieb, who bought it for $3 million in 1980. "We have spent several million to renovate. We restored all the al fresco ceilings and fireplaces, which had been blocked off." Exterior restoration The studios, many with high ceilings, balconies and views of the park, have been repainted and modernized.

And restoration of the terra cotta exterior is scheduled to be completed in six months. Landmarked in 1988, the Beaux Arts is being returned to its artistic roots. As tenants' leases expired, Lieb encouraged them to leave so he could upgrade the lofts and attract design and fashion businesses. Lsssi; au i Architect Andy Carr, whose father, Gordon, in 1942 opened J. Gordon Carr Associates, which still has space in the building, is the Beaux Arts' unofficial historian.

"As a kid I used to fool around with photographer Irving Penn's cameras," he recalled. "When I came to visit my HoH umilrl cpp nprfnrmprs such as FASHIONABLE ADDRESS: The Beaux Arts Building, across from Bryant Park, has been restored and is luring back fashion and design businesses. eoiwouhaiw daily news corp, which well may become a prototype for others. Each year, the UNCFCiticorp Fellows Program provides financial aid, professional guidance and personal help to talented minority students selected by the United Negro College Fund from among 40 predominately black private colleges nationwide. In addition to an annual $3,200 scholarship, renewable for four years, each student (or Fellow) is paired with a Citicorp business executive (called a Mentor).

The executive serves as a private adviser on career planning and individual development said William Heron of Citicorp. The requirements are stringent Heron said the Fellows are well-rounded students with high-school grade point averages of S.5. They must have participated in community and after-school activities. Because these students are required to communicate regularly with their Mentors throughout their college careers, they also must possess good oral and written communication skills. Mentors are seasoned business executives who are willing to commit to this four-year relationship.

The Mentor is expected to help the student recognize his or her potential, evaluate options, make a career choice and learn how to fulfill it Using a network of contacts and acquaintances, the Mentor can arrange for summer employment, career internships and interviews with experienced professionals. foot windows, has been designed to resemble a living room. "Retailers love to come here," said McLaughlin, "because it's bright, it's Old World, and yet it's convenient to other manufacturers in the Garment District" The building has a clandestine history, too. Legend has it that entertainer Texas Guinans ran a speakeasy there during Prohibition. estate prices have shot up, several Seventh Ave.

designers, including Gordon Henderson, have opened showrooms at 80 West Henderson's arrival has inspired 10 other fashion businesses to move in. "Recently, we have all organized into Beaux Arts Fashion Group," said Lisa McLaughlin, who runs Metropolitan Design, representing accessory designers. Her showroom, with its 15- Perry Como, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles in the elevator on their way to record at MGM studios." Designer Liz Claiborne also got her start at Beaux Arts, working first for Jonathan Logan. The fashion legacy remains. As real Kto sflxiDdlss pDease9 uV IMislh Tories try to push investing Party in 1979.

The program is being continued by Thatcher's successor, John Major. British Rail is one big property which also may be sold. To help lure individual investors the government frequently has reserved large portions of privatization stock for the Britons, instead of institutional investors and foreigners. Shares are priced cheaply enough to guarantee large and immediate profits exchange. The government was rewarded with huge oversubscriptions for the shares, although many individuals eventually cashed in for those quick profits.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON Investing in stocks is so common in the U.S. that it's almost taken for granted. In Britain, however, the Conservative government has had limited success in promoting a nation of shareholders. True, the number of Britons owning shares nearly quadrupled since 1979, to 11.1 million people, or 25 of the adult population, after the government privatized several state-owned industries. Yet the portion of shares owned by individuals has fallen steadily in recent years.

Twenty-one per cent of all shares are owned by economics at Bristol University. "It hasn't converted one-fourth of the population into active, serious shareholders." Wider share ownership was part of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's strategy of creating more property owners in Britain. The plan got rolling when the 1984 British Telecommunications privatization turned out to be hugely popular with first-time shareholders. The government has sold 44 state-owned businesses, raising $56 billion, since Thatcher ousted the Labor Britons today, down from 28 in 1981. A recent survey by the British Treasury and the London exchange also showed that more than half of all new individual shareholders owned stock in just one company and a quarter of them had shares worth less than $845.

"Peanuts," declared the Economist magazine. The U.K., after all, boasts Europe's biggest stock market "To say that 25 of the population owns shares is an inflated measure of the extent of the success," said Paul Grout, a professor of TOMORROW: Fall into the gap: Wholesale trade figures for March are released. WEDNESDAY: Want to start your own business? The Small Business Administration holds a day of workshops on fi-censtng, financing, recordkeeping, and planning market strategies. It's at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, Room 305-C. Fee: $15.

Call (212) 264507. date for The Donald as the New Jersey Casino Control Commission is expected to vote on the rettcensing of Trump Plaza and Trump Castle. FRIDAY: Wholesale prices for April will be reported by the Labor Department in Its closely watched Producer Price Index..