E-Bulletin of the Historic Districts Council

May 2004 Volume I Number 4

HDC Publishes Study on Expanding Historic District Boundaries

During recent years, HDC has reviewed the boundaries of all of NYC’s designated historic districts to determine if the streets immediately surrounding the district retain the same integrity of historic architecture. The resulting survey, recently published, reveals often they do: designated historic districts are almost invariably smaller than their historic neighborhoods, sometimes so much so that several blocks of intact historic buildings are left in jeopardy. HDC’s New Boundaries Initiative consists of two sections: a detailed analysis of why historic district boundaries need to be revisited and an examination of 7 case study districts. Click here to see the study.

Help Save a Piece of Queens History: The Trylon Theater Faces an Uncertain Future

The Trylon Theater at 98-81 Queens Boulevard in Rego Park is an excellent example of the Art Moderne style. Built in 1939 and attributed to the architect Joseph Unger, the theater has been vacant ever since it closed in 1999 just after its 60th anniversary. The future of this architectural treasure is now uncertain. The City Council has allocated funds to convert the building into a community center, a use that HDC sees as entirely appropriate to this longtime focal point of the Rego Park community. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the pending design of the new center. HDC believes that the Trylon’s exterior should be restored for use by the center and that its interior must be surveyed to determine if there are elements of importance that could be reused in the new design. There is widespread support in the community for protecting the Trylon based both on fond memories of afternoons and evenings spent at the movies and on its excellent design.

HDC, the Modern Architecture Working Group, and the Municipal Art Society will meet with City Council Member Melinda Katz on May 13 to discuss an appropriate adaptive reuse strategy. Please contact CM Katz before the 13th to voice your support for protecting the Trylon. Her e-mail address is katz@council.nyc.ny.us and her fax number is (718) 544-4452. In addition, HDC believes that the LPC should ultimately designate the Trylon Theater. Contact LPC Chair Robert Tierney at comments@lpc.nyc.gov to let the Commission know you support designating this important piece of Queens’ history. For more information on the theater and photos of its exterior, click here.

2 Columbus Circle Legal Action Dismissed

Much to the disappointment of HDC and our stalwart co-petitioners, the New York State Supreme Court denied the Article 78 petition challenging the sale of 2 Columbus Circle from the city to the Museum of Art & Design. This dismissal is particularly discouraging at this time since Brad Cloepfil’s new design for the building continues to change, making constructive discussion of it an impossibility. Recently, a different design than what was discussed at Manhattan Community Board 5 & the City Planning Commission was published in The New York Times. Further inquiries to the architect’s office have resulted in discovering the design has transformed yet again and is not ready for public scrutiny. These design alterations leave advocates for the building with the uneasy impression that Edward Durell Stone’s controversial historicist design will be destroyed for the dictum, “anything new would be better”. This is the same thinking that doomed Pennsylvania Station, the Dvorak House and the Singer Building. It is almost unbelievable that this same flawed logic and paucity of vision persists today. HDC and our colleagues at Landmark West! will continue to advocate for the preservation of this unique building, voted one of New York State’s Seven Most Endangered Historic Sites by the Preservation League of New York State.

Update on the Demolition Delay Bill

As reported last month, Council Member Mike McMahon of Staten Island introduced the Demolition Delay Bill at City Council’s meeting on April 1st. If passed, the bill, formally known as Intro 317, will require review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission before a demolition permit is issued. The Landmarks Preservation Commission has been briefed on the bill and is currently investigating the possible ramifications of it on their workload and budget. It now imperative for us in the preservation community to lobby our elected officials to bring this bill forward and vote on it. Each of us must contact our representatives and tell them that this bill, Intro 317, is incredibly important because it will prevent the thoughtless destruction of unprotected historic properties, it will lend shape and structure to the process of emergency evaluation of a potential landmark, and it will help the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s work by giving the agency a clear schedule and process for emergency evaluations. Click here for a “civic lesson” on how a bill becomes a local law and for a sample support letter to send to your council member.

Neighborhood at Risk: Grand Concourse

Visit the “Neighborhood at Risk” section of our website to learn more about the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The Grand Boulevard and Concourse has a history as one of New York’s most dazzling, stylish thoroughfares. Today, the Grand Concourse is lined with an incomparable concentration of Art Deco and Art Moderne apartment buildings. Although much of their elegance has begun to fade, the neighborhood’s proud history is still evident and should be protected as a New York City Historic District.

Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Preservation Parties and Panels

· May 13, 2004 (Thursday) 6 pm - HDC's 14th Annual Preservation Party featuring the 5th Annual Grassroots Preservation Awards in the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery Garden and Parish Hall. Click here for more information about the event and the awardees.

· May 19, 2004 (Wednesday) 7 pm – Religious Properties, Landmarks, and Neighborhood Preservation Panel, co-sponsored by the Greater Astoria Historical Society. The panel will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 31-18 37th Street in Astoria, Queens. Representatives from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, preservation organizations, and religious institutions will discuss the viability of historic religious structures. Click here for more information on the event.

· June 8, 2004 (Tuesday) 6:30 pm – Preservation Panel: Preserving the Historic Bronx, co-sponsored by the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The panel will be held at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. Municipal officials and neighborhood advocates will discuss successful strategies for protecting your historic neighborhood. Click here for more information on the event.

· Check out our Calendar for more upcoming events.

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