E-BULLETIN OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL

February 2007, Volume 4 Number 2

February and March are chock-a-block full of programs and events for community activists, preservationists and people just interested in New York. Here are the programs that HDC is sponsoring in the coming weeks:

February 8: “The Future of Flatbush”; Candidate Forum on Preservation Issues
On Thursday, February 8, HDC and the Coalition of Concerned Preservation Voters in the 40th District are sponsoring a public forum with candidates for the City Council’s 40th District special election. Candidates will discuss important preservation and development concerns including questions of landmark designation, community rezoning and building codes within the district. The Coalition is made up of more than ten neighborhood organizations interested in preserving their communities. For the full flyer, please click here.

February 21: Party in the Sky At the Penthouse Party & Auction!
Join us Wednesday, February 21st for a cocktail party in the landmark Liberty Tower to support HDC's new project, the Concerned Preservation Voters Initiative (see above). Your donation will be used to host forums on issues important to the preservation community, meetings with elected officials & candidates and to develop a consensus around issues for new legislation and action. The evening will feature a guest auctioneer from Sotheby’s and a presentation by Master of Whisky Spike McClure featuring whiskies from America, Scotland and Ireland!

Tickets are $75 each. To make a reservation, call the Historic Districts Council at (212) 614-9107 or email lbelfer@hdc.org. To view the full invitation, click here.

March 1: “In The Footsteps of Jane Jacobs” Pre-Conference Lecture
Community organizations and grassroots campaigns have undergone a vast evolution since Jane Jacobs first led her crusade against Robert Moses and his plan to build a massive thoroughfare through Downtown Manhattan. As the first of two free Pre-Conference events to kick-off our Annual Preservation Conference, this panel will feature some of New York City's most ambitious grassroots organizers as they discuss their current efforts in political activism. Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, will moderate this informal conversation between Reverend Billy and Savitri D. of the Church of Stop Shopping, Candace Carponter of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Yolanda Gonzalez of Nos Quedamos and Miquela Craytor of Sustainable South Bronx.

Join us Thursday, March 1st, 6:30pm, in the Parish Hall at St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email lbelfer@hdc.org. This event is co-sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

March 7: Screening of Atlantic Yards Documentary “Brooklyn Matters”
For the second Pre-Conference event HDC will host a free screening of “Brooklyn Matters,” an insightful new documentary tackling Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards proposal. Director Isabel Hill’s latest film reveals the fuller truth about the Frank Gehry-designed development and highlights how a few powerful men are circumventing community participation and planning principles to push their own interests forward. The screening will be followed by a brief Q & A session with the filmmaker.

Wednesday, March 7, 6:45pm, at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 East Third Street at Avenue A. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email lbelfer@hdc.org.

March 9-11: Annual Preservation Conference (includes discussions, reception & tours!)
Mark your calendars for the 13th(!) Annual Preservation Conference, “Preserving the Past, Planning for the Future,” taking place March 9-11, 2007. The conference will explore critical and controversial issues relating to the future of New York City’s historic districts in the face of proposed real estate developments and expected population increases. A distinguished group of preservationists, planners, artists, architects, educators and developers from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond will be presenting their views in a series of three panel discussions: “The Greening of Preservation,” “Smart(?) Growth: Brooklyn in the 21st Century” and “The Future of New York: With Preservation or Without?”
This year's conference will be preceded by a series of Pre-Conference Lectures, as well as an Opening Night Reception. The Sunday following the Conference will feature a series of tours of historic districts throughout New York City. Click here to register online.

For regularly updated event listings, check out http://hdcvoice.blogspot.com/

Too Cold for an Outdoor Protest? Stay In and Let Your Fingers do the talking!
There’s no replacement for personal appearances and handwritten letters, but the first step to getting involved in saving our city’s history is signing up – and the Internet has made getting the word out about a cause easier than ever (after all, you’re reading this on a screen aren’t you?).

Here are three current campaigns that need your help in gathering public support.

Help Save Saint Saviour’s Church in Maspeth. This 1847 Richard Upjohn church has been under threat of imminent demolition for months, despite protective easements and NO as-of-right residential development potential. Please sign the petition to Mayor Bloomberg to intercede and save this important architectural, cultural and environmental site.
http://www.petitiononline.com/Juniper1

Landmark Domino Sugar. The Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg is one of the most significant intact industrial sites on the New York waterfront, representing over 150 years of Brooklyn’s industrial past and growth. The complex is about to be rezoned for residential use and if landmarked, could be a world-class example of adaptive re-use. Please send a message to Mayor Bloomberg to save this important Brooklyn icon.
http://www.petitiononline.com/dominowb/petition.html

Not Again! Towers planned for New-York Historical Society. The New-York Historical Society, a building that has been landmarked three times, is the launching-pad for 2007’s latest “tower on a slab” proposal. First 980 Madison Avenue and General Theological Seminary, now this. What’s next – a tower over Lundy’s?
Sign on to Save Our Skyline by emailing landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org and saying “sign me up!”

Become a Friend of HDC
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 advance notice of preservation issues. Learn more about the benefits of being a Friend, check out the updated sections of our website or join our mailing list to receive an information packet in the mail.

To unsubscribe from the email list please email hdc@hdc.org and write "Unsubscribe" in the subject heading. We’ll miss you!

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