Daily News from New York, New York • 559

'71- I 1 -LP Jim HuglmDailv New Key to 14th Street's future is Union Square Park (photo left). Farther east (right) closing of places catering to prostitutes and drug users has Improved block A grand old dame she'll shin again By JOHN LEWIS lis 'i til 4 'V Looking east on 14th Luchow's restaurant is the same but Academy of Music has changed name to Palladium and now features rock 'n' roll shows. "Way! pi 111 111 mi mm. umiwui i mm been relocated to the center of the station and the shops have been placed so that they are more visible but do not interfere with the flow of traffic. The station has been cleaned and painted and new wall tiles will also be installed.

Transit headquarter The transit police have relocated their district headquarters in the station, giving it a turnover of 300 transit police every 24 hours. Changes have taken place above the station, too. On the problem block between Second and Third a methadone clinic, a bar and a hotel catering to prostitutes were shut down and a "model block program" was instituted to clean up and beautify the street "For that block a special arrangement was made to allow police from the Ninth Precinct to cross over to the north side of the street to make arrests," Moore said. The center of 14th St is the precinct boundary line between the Ninth and 13th Precincts. About $200,000 in Economic Development funds will be spent sprucing up the block, improving sidewalks and upgrading store frontage.

William Stuhlbarg, executive vice president of the 14th St Association, said that a contract for physical improvement of the block was signed last month, including the fixing up of sidewalks, lighting and establishment of an information booth. 'He said that merchants who participate in the program will be helped with partial grants or low interest loans. Some stabilizing factors "Where only 50 of the stores were occupied a few years ago, now 80 are occupied and the merchants all along 14th St are doing good because basically it is a shopping district," he said. Stuhlbarg said that the continued presence of the Con Ed headquarters on 14th St and Irving Place, and the landmark Luchow's Restaurant at 110 E. 14th St, have been a stabilizing factor in the community.

A lease held by the McCrory chain on the Klein store is due to run out in the next two years, and officials at Sweet 14 believe this will stimulate movement over the future of that property. "We expect an imminent annoucement to be made about the site," Moore said. "Whatever goes in there will be a retail and apartment complex. That is all we can say now." At the same time a developer is interested in the vacant lots next to Luchows for use as an apartment house. And Union Square Park is due for some changes as well.

"The drug problem should be tackled in two ways, by redesigning the park and bringing more activity into the park," Moore said. A restaurant In the park? The redesign will include removing a lot of the undergrowth behind which drug transactions are made and giving better vision into the park. Sweet 14 is seeking a restaurant operator for the JTRgOURTEENTH STREET, how tja sweeeet it so says Sweet 14, a partnership of community-business-government groups that is about to unveil major changes designed to make the E. 14th St area a better place to live, work and play. Until recently, E.

14th St from Second Ave. to Union Square Park had been described as a "war zone," with drug addicts, prostitutes, drunks and hustlers intimidating passersby. Three or four years ago, for example, crime on the block between Second and Third Aves. was so bad that 50 of the businesses there were forced to shut down. And the problem spilled west, to the other side of Third driving out many of the city's better-known shoe stores.

The Adademy of Music at 126 E. 14th St closed as a moviehouse and has since been leased to a promoter for occasional rock 'n' roll shows; empty lots now stand where busy shops once did. Klein's is out of business and the huge store overlooking Union Square Park has been vacant for years. Park tried a change In the park violent crimes and the use of drugs, and booze was so bad that the park recently began closing after dark. The hope was that with the park out of business everyone would go home.

Instead, pushers, addicts and derelicts poured out onto 14th St, hanging out in doorways and entranceways to subways. The park was reopened at night Undaunted, Sweet 14 is determined it can stem the tide of crime and return 14th St to the great retail business center it was. Carvel Moore, project coordinator, said that thece are three areas targeted for improvement: Union Square Subway Station, the park and 14th St itself. Sweet 14 has raised $120,000 in private funds, which was matched by $900,000 in federal funds to redesign and rebuild the station which services two BMT and the IRT Lexington Ave. lines.

Work on the subway renovation began in 1977 and is expected to be completed this fall. An underground maze "The subway lines were built at different times," she said, "and each had different mezzanines and entrances." In 1930, when the lines merged, the station was a maze of passageways with poor lighting and confusing signs that were frightening to subway users. Shops were plunked down in hodge-podge fash-Ion in the center of everything, she said. The station, the third most heavily traveled in the city, has a turnstile count of 16 million annually (not including transfers). Riders are office workers, business people, residents and students.

In the renovation, many old have been sealed off and others straightened out so that there is a clear line of sight fsom one end of the station to the other. Also, the turnstiles have 1 I ,1 lilff i 11 I- New turnstiles in Union Square Station have been relocated to center of station as part of $1 million improvement program. to Union Square Park. If someone gets arrested in the park he should not be let out and back in the park. "This is a residential and business community and the people are getting angry.

They want the undesirables out so that they can use their park. We've enlisted the aide of four police precincts and five community boards. We think our chances are pretty good. If we fail, we are in trouble," she said pavilion on the north end of the park and hopes to get book dealers to open stalls in the park. Some $300,000 has been set aside in the city's '79-'80 budget for park improvements, she said.

"What we have to do is keep leaning on those police and courts that simply will not come down hard on drug users," she said. "We are asking District Attorney Robert Morgantheau, who is a resident of the communityr to live special attention.