Empire State Building hides construction work, are open houses still effective in NYC? … and more

1. In the early 1900s marquees were a popular design tool for buildings; today they’re making a comeback [NYT]
2. Donald Trump won’t get his wish to be a GOP convention speaker [NYDN]
3. Empire State Building hides loading dock with mesh graphic that blends in with rest of facade [DNAinfo]
4. The story of a $600 monthly mortgage check Romney receives from a Texas family [NYT]
5. Meanwhile, Romney says he loves NYC, which is key to his election, in fundraiser at 583 Park Avenue [Post]
6. A reporter’s quest to discover whether open houses are still an effective marketing tool [NYT]
7. Daredevil tightropes 1,300 feet between Atlantic City casinos [NYDN]
8. Jets and Giants’ suit against the American Dream project is dismissed — for now [Bloomberg]
9. Too many New Yorkers think of violence and crime — and not people trying to make a home — in housing projects: columnist [NYDN]
10. Closing fees for mortgages in New York have fallen by 12 percent this year [NYT]
11. Queens residents grumble about noise from LGA and JFK planes after routes changed [NYDN]
12. Sewage leaks into Hudson River: could that affect Elie Hirschfeld’s Ironman bid? [Post]
13. An unconventional Hamptons itinerary inspired by Jackson Pollack [NYT]
14. Vacant East Ninth Street lot to get developed, while neighbors are getting extra floors [EV Grieve]
15. Homeless, mentally ill veterans get homes in East New York [NYDN]
16. Profiling the man who runs laps all day, every day around Prospect Park for the last 35 years [NYT]
17. Sephora unveils upgraded stores today with reopening of Union Square location [NYDN]
18. Prices in waterfront LIC buildings continue to rise [NY1]
19. Seven charter schools are hoping to open in Queens, where schools are city’s most overcrowded [NYDN]
20. Core’s Jarrod Guy Randolph feels like “he’s on the set of a Stephen King movie” in Roosevelt Island [NYDN]