May 2005, Volume 2 Number 5

May 12th Award Ceremony Honors Preservation Efforts in all Five Boroughs

Join HDC as we celebrate preservationists from around the city at our 15th Annual Preservation Party and Grassroots Preservation Awards. This is an important event where we honor the individuals and organizations that spend so much time and effort in preserving the historic buildings in their neighborhoods. The party will start at 6pm and the presentation of awards will begin at 6:45pm. This year’s Grassroots Preservation awardees are: Judy Berdy of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, (Click here to learn about Judy Berdy Day!) Rosemary Cappozalo of the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, Landmark West!, Peter Levenson of the Kibel Company for his work in restoring 90 West Street, Kate Burns Ottavino, curriculum designer for Brooklyn’s preservation high school and the Richmond Hill Historical Society. Special awards will go to Council Member Tony Avella of the 19th District, Riverdale Press, and planning guru Doris Diether.
Tickets for the event are $25, $15 for Friends of HDC, payable at the door. The party and awards will be held in the parish hall and garden of St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, located at 2nd Avenue and E. 10th Street in Manhattan. Contact Alice Rich at 212-614-9107, or arich@hdc.org with any questions. We expect this to be a very exciting event!

Don’t forget to check HDC’s calendar of events for other May events.

Preservation Panel in Crown Heights

On April 20th an incredible turnout of over 200 residents from Crown Heights attended a panel discussion about landmarking held in their neighborhood. The panel was co-sponsored by the Crown Heights North Association and HDC, and supported in part by the Independence Community Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Council.

Representatives of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (including Commissioner Robert Tierney), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the City Planning Commission discussed the historic district designation process and the impact this would have on residents. Council Members Al Vann and Letitia James, Senator Carl Andrews, Assembly Member Clarence Norman, and Borough President Marty Markowitz all spoke in support of designation for this important historic community. It was encouraging to hear that the LPC plans to begin surveying the neighborhood immediately; the proposed study area includes an estimated 1,800 buildings. Representatives of the LPC assured the community of the intention to bring forward sections of the area for consideration of designation as soon as feasible.

Your chance to help LPC

May is National Preservation Month! What better way to celebrate and support preservation than taking this opportunity to support the Landmarks Preservation Commission by testifying on May 19th before City Council at the Executive Budget hearing at City Hall. You can call the City’s Finance Division after May 11th at 212-788-6921 to register to testify. Public testimony is scheduled to begin at 11am, but make sure to call before or check the City Council website, http://www.nyccouncil.info/rightnow/calendarpage.cfm.

Want to support the LPC but can’t take the time in the middle of the day to testify? Tell us. Send a message to hdc@hdc.org and we will make sure to give your message to the Council members when we testify. You can be as succinct (or as long) as you wish. The important thing to emphasize is that in order to meet the needs of the city, the Landmarks Commission must be given more resources. There are 83 historic districts (and 11 district extensions) which encompass over 2% of the real property in New York City. But there are only 50 staff members at the agency. We won’t presume to dictate how the agency runs, but one LPC staff person per historic district seems like a good start to us. We hope you agree. Please share your concern and together we can help the Landmarks Commission.

Call 311 and Save Cass Gilbert’s Austin, Nichols & Company Warehouse

Over the past two months, HDC and the Williamsburg Waterfront Preservation Alliance sent over 250 postcards to Council Member David Yassky asking him to support the designation of Cass Gilbert’s Austin-Nichols Warehouse at 184 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn as an individual New York City landmark. These cards came from residents of New York and other states across the country. Many of you signed these cards, and we thank you sincerely for your efforts.

Unfortunately, Council Member Yassky still refuses to support the designation of this important Williamsburg waterfront building and without his support, the LPC is reluctant to act. With Williamsburg currently under extreme development pressure, this building has become a symbol of Williamsburg’s future. This is the line in the sand - we cannot afford to let this very visible and significant work by one of America’s most prominent 20th century architects be destroyed by short-sighted avarice.

We must demonstrate to the administration that the protection of Williamsburg’s historic character is more important than gratifying developers’ greed. To suggest that preservation is at odds with the administration’s goals of creating housing in the neighborhood is specious; the building has already been re-used for market-rate housing. The proposal to alter the windows and build a rooftop addition is being driven entirely by the developer’s desire to create more expensive apartments.

Please take a moment to call 311 and file a complaint addressed to Mayor Bloomberg. Urge him to get the Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect this important building before it’s too late. Tell him that Council Member Yassky has ignored our pleas and he is the only hope for the Austin, Nichols & Company Warehouse.

HDC’s Lectures for June: John McComb, Jr., Federal Rowhouses, & Dutch Farmhouses

Join HDC this June as we launch our Summer Lecture Series. Catherine McNeur, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at Yale, will speak about John McComb, Jr. (1763-1853), New York's first native-born architect. McComb, famed for his work on City Hall and Alexander Hamilton's Grange, worked solely for the Federalist Party, thereby creating an aesthetic for their political beliefs. Historian, Susan DeVries, will discuss Federal style rowhouses and the importance and complexities of preserving these wonderful survivors. This event will be co-hosted the Greenwich Village Society for Preservation. Archaelogist, Christopher Ricciardi will present on the remaining Dutch Farmhouses in Brooklyn.
More information to follow shortly!

Become a Friend of the Historic Districts Council

HDC’s Friends and supporters make all our programs possible. If you’re not one 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 current news about 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: hdc@hdc.org