Preserving Public Places

HDC’s 11th Annual Preservation Conference will be held on March 4-6 at the New-York Historical Society and will explore the topic of stewardship of publicly owned properties. Panelists from New York City and beyond will discuss how city, state, and federal agencies care for historic properties and whether they have been adequate guardians of our built environment. They will present case studies that illustrate the different ways of preserving these historic resources, as well as how these properties have been impacted by past projects and what the future may hold for them.

To kick things off HDC will host a cocktail reception at the New York City Police Museum on Friday, March 4th, starting at 6pm. Special guests of honor will be Adrienne and Joseph Bresnan, who worked for over 25 years to preserve publicly-owned buildings under four mayors and helped create preservation plans for Prospect and Central Parks as well as City Hall and the Surrogates Court Building. Panel discussions will follow on Saturday, March 5th from 9:30am to 5:15pm, and walking tours of neighborhoods throughout the city will take place on March 6th from 10am to 1pm. Tours planned include; Roosevelt Island, Prospect Park, a subway tour of some of New York’s most interesting stations, and a ferry tour of New York’s rapidly changing waterfront, to name just a few.

During February, HDC will host a series of pre-Conference lectures that focus on specific cases of publicly-owned historic sites and buildings. On Thursday, February 10th, preservation consultant Mary Dierickx will discuss the history of the Carnegie Libraries. The following week, on Thursday, February 17th, New York City Parks Director of Historic Preservation John Krawchuk will present the current restoration of Fort Greene park and, on Thursday, February 24th, Ross Wheeler of Queens College will discuss the stewardship of upper Manhattan’s parks. These events will all begin at 6:30pm and will cost $5 each, free for current Friends of HDC. They will all take place in the Kaplan Assembly Room of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in the West Village. Friends also receive reduced admission to other events over the Conference weekend.

Make sure to check our web site in the coming weeks for full details of the program and speakers.

LPC’s Demolition By Neglect Lawsuit wins in Court

In a stunning victory for preservation, on December 20, New York County Supreme Court Justice Walter B. Tolub ordered the owners of the landmark Skidmore House on NoHo’s East Fourth Street to make all the repairs required of them by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in order to reverse the building’s demolition by neglect and maintain it in good order. This is the first time that a court has enforced this requirement of the Landmarks Law and sets a powerful precedent in the Law’s enforcement. Preservationists have long been concerned about the 1845 Greek Revival Skidmore House, which was designated in 1970 but has been allowed to drastically deteriorate for years (see District Lines Winter 2004 for related article). Despite numerous attempts by the LPC to require the owners to stabilize the structure and protect it from the elements, in 2002 a portion of the roof collapsed (emergency repairs were later undertaken and new roof supports are now in place). LPC Commissioner Robert B. Tierney said in a statement, “We tried for years to get them [the owners] to do the right thing by this building, but the owners refused. After it became clear to us that they had no intention of taking care of this historically significant building, we sued. Justice Tolub’s decision sends a clear message that ‘demolition by neglect’ will not be tolerated.” Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel Paula Van Meter, who represented the LPC in the case stated, “The court’s decision is a wonderful holiday present in helping preserve the City’s past. The decision will not only save the Skidmore House but will assist the City in its efforts to maintain other landmark properties.” Ms. Van Meter also stressed to The New York Times in a related article, “This isn’t creating new law. It’s simply enforcement of the law in a formally litigated context. We’re not looking for more litigation on these matters. We’re hoping the success of this litigation will encourage owners to work cooperatively with us.” LPC Deputy Counsel John Weiss stated in the same article, that this precedent will apply to property owners who “irresponsibly neglect a landmark so it falls into disrepair and then don’t voluntarily repair the building” despite the LPC’s efforts to work with them. “Of course, we’re not going to be litigating against people who don’t paint their shutters”, Mr. Weiss added. Kudos to the LPC and Corporation Counsel for all their hard work and this important victory.

The Next Step

Now that the courts have affirmed the LPC’s ability to prevent demolition by neglect, the City Council should adopt legislation that will streamline the process of enforcement. As regular readers may remember, in early September 2004, CM Tony Avella [Bayside-D] introduced a bill that would allow the LPC to use its civil enforcement powers (fines) in cases of demolition by neglect. This bill, Intro 403A, was recommended for approval by committee but then ran into organized opposition. It was amended for clarity and approved again by committee, but presumably due to opposition, has been re-referred to committee, where it is currently languishing. Please take a moment and contact the sponsors of the bill and let them know that you support this bill which will strengthen the Landmarks Law and save the City money by circumventing the need for costly litigation in order to prevent demolition by neglect. Please also contact your own councilmember and ask for their support of this bill.

Call for Nominations

Do you know a preservationist or community activist that should be honored for their work? Please let us know! We are seeking nominations for our Grassroots Awards in May and our Landmarks Lion Award in October. Send a short statement describing the deserving person or group and why they should be nominated for our committee’s consideration.

Last Chance to become a Friend of the Historic Districts Council in 2004!

HDC’s Friends and supporters make all our programs possible. If you haven’t already, please take this opportunity to become a Friend of HDC and receive benefits such as free events, special admission offers, access to technical and moral support and advance notice of preservation issues. Learn more about the benefits of being a Friend and join our mailing list to receive an information packet in the mail.

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The Advocate for New York City’s Historic Neighborhoods
232 East 11th Street New York NY 10003
tel: 212-614-9107 fax: 212-614-9127 email: hd@hdc.org