City Council Holds Second LPC Oversight Hearing

Over 80 people attended the second Oversight Hearing on the administrative practices of the Landmarks Preservation Commission by the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses held on November 29. The hearing was chaired by Subcommittee Chair Simcha Felder and held in City Hall’s large Council Chamber in order to accommodate large numbers of community members, many of whom had been turned away from October’s oversight hearing. Everyone who requested to testify was given the opportunity, even if they had testified at the previous hearing. Over 30 people, representing organizations and neighborhoods throughout the city, spoke and submitted testimony.

Former Landmarks Commissioner Anthony M. Tung began the hearing with the presentation of a 16-page report drafted by a coalition of preservation groups brought together by the Women’s City Club, which listed nine major concerns and offered recommendations. The report had been endorsed by 17 preservation groups from throughout the city at the time of the hearing, including the Historic Districts Council (who had also served on the working group that drafted the report). The concerns expressed in the report included; lack of transparency in the designation process, lack of public input for substantially altered Certificate of Appropriateness applications, lack of public access to staff level permit records, and inadequate funding for the agency, to name just a few. The report concluded with three recommendations: that there be public participation in the appointment of Landmarks Commissioners; that the LPC be provided adequate funding for necessary staff; and that there be regular public hearings to address designation and regulatory issues of the agency.

After Mr. Tung’s presentation, HDC President David Goldfarb testified on the need for increased LPC funding; the need for meetings of the LPC’s Designation Committee to be made public as per the New York State Open Meetings Law; the need for the City Council to pass Intro 317, the Demolition Delay Bill; and the need for new public hearings if a Certificate of Appropriateness application is significantly altered.
After Mr. Goldfarb, the hearing continued with over 35 speakers from neighborhoods and organizations, representing areas from Sunnyside Gardens to Morningside Heights. Almost all of the speakers mentioned the lack of adequate funding for the LPC, which they felt negatively impacted on the agency’s ability to effectively uphold the Landmarks Law. LPC staff was greatly complimented on their dedication, expertise and hard work, especially in the face of the ever-increasing work load.

Many speakers also reiterated points made in the WCC paper, including concern for the fact that many designation and regulatory decisions are made outside public purview. A number of speakers referenced specific cases that many feel illustrate the problems and concerns. These included the rear-yard additions on the Allen-Stevenson School in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the proposed developments on the campus of St. John the Divine, the rear-addition in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill (recently reported in The New York Times, the proposed demolition of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Harlem – as well as the general lack of designated properties in Upper Manhattan, the inaction on buildings that have been heard but not designated such as 41 Convent Avenue in Harlem and the Bauman Brothers Building on West 14th Street, the rejection of proposed historic districts in Queens such as Parkway Village and Richmond Hill, and the demolition of buildings under consideration such as the Dorothy Day Cottages in Staten Island and the recent loss of the c. 1852 Mott House of Far Rockaway.

The Council appeared receptive to the concerns expressed in the testimony of the hearing, and promises were made to look closely at the Women’s City Club report and all submitted testimony. After public testimony was concluded, Council member Felder, who chaired the five hour hearing in an able and dignified manner, addressed his concerns about a number of issues raised. Specifically, he (and other council members present) spoke of the inadequacy of LPC’s budget, although they also explained the somewhat limited role of the council in determining the overall fiscal budget. Mr. Felder also stated that he felt strongly that members of the public should be allowed to use illustration boards and audio-visual materials when presenting public testimony at the LPC (a practice that had been disallowed in the past and whose permissible status is currently unclear). He added that he was interested in holding annual subcommittee hearings on the agency. Council member Leroy Comrie, in his capacity as Chair of the Committee on Rules, Privileges & Elections, invited the public to contact the city council staff at 212 788-6882 to receive information about upcoming appointments.

Landmarks Lion Awards Ceremony A Roaring Success

On Monday, November 8th, the Historic Districts Council honored the architecture and planning firm of Beyer Blinder Belle with its annual Landmarks Lion Award. Click here for pictures. The event was attended by over 200 guests who were treated to a glimpse of the Rubin Museum of Art’s extensive collection of Himalayan Art and an award program that included a speech by Susan Henshaw Jones, president and director of the Museum of the City of New York. The event was one of our most successful ever, and goes a long way to supporting HDC’s ongoing programs of education and advocacy. A special thanks goes out to all guests and contributors to the evening!

We are currently seeking nominees for next year’s Landmarks Lion. If you know of a deserving candidate, please email Alice Rich or call the HDC office.

Sunnyside Gardens to honor Lewis Mumford

Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) was a friend and colleague of the architects and developers who built Sunnyside Gardens, and the neighborhood was modeled along the lines he advocated in his opposition to the congestion and dehumanization of Manhattan. As soon as the first block of Sunnyside Gardens was finished, you might say Mumford put his family where his mouth was—moving there and remaining for eleven years. Starting in 1925, Lewis and Sophia (Sophy) lived in a co-op apartment in Colonial Court. Then from 1927 to 1936, they owned the house at 40-02 44th Street in Madison Court.

You are invited to join the Sunnyside Preservation Alliance on Saturday, December 11th at 2:30pm to commemorate Mumford with a cast bronze National Register plaque. Starting with the standard design of the National Register of Historic Places, Judy Gould and Nina Teng adapted it to suit the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District, and the plaque has been installed by Robert Corridan of Artistic Masonry.

The plaque will be unveiled at 2:30 p.m. sharp in front of the house, followed from 3 to 4:30 by an indoor celebration with refreshments in All Saints’ Church undercroft, 43-12 46th Street (between 43rd Avenue and Queens Boulevard).

All Saints' on 46th St. is within the block off Queens Blvd. from the 46 St./Bliss station of the #7 train. To reach the Mumford house, continue another block and a half, turn left on Skillman/Lewis Mumford Way, then turn right on 44th Street.; 44-02 is inside the first mews court on the left side of the street. (Addresses are posted on the end houses, so it's easy to find.)

Many notable guests will share their appreciation for Mumford and the contributions he made. To contribute to the Sunnyside Gardens National Register plaque program, call 718-505-3732.

City Hall Rally to Save P.S. 64/ CHARAS

Join Council member Margarita Lopez and the East Village Community Coalition on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday, December 7th at 10:30am for a rally to save the 1904 C.B.J. Snyder-designed Public School 64 located at 605 East 9th Street in Manhattan’s East Village. This impressive school building has an important social history and is an integral part of the East Village community. CHARAS is currently under imminent threat of over-development as a 19-story dorm that would tower over the East Village. The recent proposal incorporates elements of the existing building and is lower than the original 23-story proposal, but it is still not sufficient. Come to City Hall and lend your voice to the campaign to preserve the East Village.

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