| E-BULLETIN
OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL
December 2007, Volume 4 Number 12
Addisleigh Park Survey
On Tuesday, December 11 the Preservation
League of New York State will present a check for $7,000
to the Historic Districts Council for the Addisleigh Park Survey
project. Starting in September, HDC, with the support of the Addisleigh
Park Civic Organization, began a cultural resource survey
of the community, a group of approximately 650 homes in southeast
Queens. The neighborhood of Tudor and Colonial Revival homes has
a wealth of African-American
history and culture and boasts many prominent past residents
including jazz singers and musicians, sports figures and politicians.
Funding for the project comes from the National
Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northeast Office
and Preserve
New York, a grant program of the Preservation League of
New York State and the New York
State Council on the Arts. Look for a feature article on
this effort in HDC’s upcoming newsletter.
14th Annual Preservation Conferences Series!
Save the date now for the Historic Districts Council’s 14th
Annual Preservation Conference, “Preservation 2030.”
The conference will take place March 7-9, 2008. Taking Mayor Bloomberg’s
PlaNYC
2030 as our starting point, HDC will gather a host of planners,
advocates and professionals to discuss the future of preservation
in the city. Is preservation included in the Mayor’s plan
for the future of New York? How can we make sure that preservation
principles are incorporated into efforts to accommodate an additional
one million people over then next two decades? Watch your mailbox
in January for full conference details!
New! Neighborhood Partners Program!
HDC is pleased to announce the launch of its new Neighborhood
Partners Program, which aims to fortify our relationship
with neighborhood, civic and community-based groups throughout the
city. By connecting with Neighborhood Partners, HDC hopes to strengthen
these groups' relationships with similar organizations and agencies
that are working towards the physical preservation of their communities
by addressing development concerns. The overall goal is to generate
momentum to create a unified voice for preservation and
land use issues. This will not only aid all of our current
efforts, but will prove more advantageous as the 2009 municipal
elections approach and our collective community has the influence
to positively shape the future both of our neighborhoods and of
the entire city.
To find out more information or sign up free-of-charge as a Neighborhood
Partner, please contact HDC’s Community Coordinator, Lauren
Belfer, at lbelfer@hdc.org
or 212.614.9107, extension 14.
At long last, NoHo landmarking efforts move forward
On December 3, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Council
Member Alan Gerson held a public meeting for property owners and
interested parties about a long-awaited extension
to the NoHo Historic District. NoHo is defined roughly
as the area between Astor Place and Houston Street and bounded by
Mercer Street and the Bowery. About half of the neighborhood was
designated as the NoHo
Historic District in 1999 and the eastern
stretch of Bleecker Street to Bowery was protected in 2003,
but this left the rich historic streetscapes of Bond, Great Jones
and East Fourth Streets vulnerable
to teardowns and inappropriate
new construction and a greater NoHo historic District has
long been on HDC’s wish list.
At the meeting, CM Gerson and LPC staff presented a proposed NoHo
Historic District Extension of approximately 55 buildings
centered around Great Jones and Bond Streets between Lafayette and
the Bowery. Roughly 70 people attended and the vast majority wanted
landmarking – and soon. As proposed, the district cuts out
a number of soft sites including empty lots and garages on corners
and the north side of East 4th Street. The audience and CM Gerson
asked LPC to reconsider these lots so that future development can
be managed appropriately.
The problem
of district boundaries is a thorny one. Where to end preservation
oversight and what are the broader goals of landmark designation
with regard to the historic cityscape is often the most hotly debated
issue in a preservation campaign. The question of preservation vs.
regulation is a complex one with solid arguments on both sides;
on the one hand, the LPC should be concentrating its resources on
preserving existing historic buildings but on the other hand, guiding
growth on development sites such that it is appropriate to neighboring
historic fabric is good preservation practice. In NoHo, a
strong case can be made for including empty and underdeveloped edge
conditions under Landmarks regulation because of a recent action
by the City Council.
In 2004, the Council approved an amendment
to section 74-712 of the Zoning Resolution to allow for
the application for a special permit allowing residential uses within
new construction in historic districts that are zoned for manufacturing.
The amendment was carefully written to only affect the SoHo and
NoHo historic districts, in order to encourage new residential development
within the historic districts while mandating that the new development
must adhere to the districts’ physical sense of place as regulated
by LPC. Although contentious when passed, the subsequent new developments
within the districts (even if we disagreed with them) have been
far more appropriate to the neighborhoods than
the buildings that have sprouted up outside them. Using
the special permit process, developers are actually encouraged to
create appropriate housing within these historic districts. Therefore,
HDC strongly feels that the boundaries of the proposed extension
should be as inclusive as possible, in order to better guide the
inevitable development of the area to compliment the existing historic
neighborhood .
Although calendaring by the Landmarks Commission will “not
[happen] next week” in according to LPC Executive Director
Kate Daley, she did say they would like to calendar the extension
within the next two months. Ms. Daley ended by stating that she
will convey to LPC Chair Robert Tierney the “sense of urgency”
for a speedy hearing.
You can send a statement of support for the district to comments@lpc.nyc.gov.
For more information on this neighborhood, you can also visit HDC’s
Neighborhood
at Risk.
DUMBO & Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park Still Need Your Support!
In October, the LPC held public hearings on two proposed historic
districts in Brooklyn: Fiske
Terrace-Midwood Park, a community of predominantly free-standing
single-family homes built during the first two decades of the twentieth
century mainly in the Colonial Revival and Shingle Styles, and DUMBO,
a significant and quickly disappearing piece of the city’s
industrial heritage.
There’s still time to support the preservation of these remarkable
neighborhoods. Send a statement of support for either district to
comments@lpc.nyc.gov.
For more information on these neighborhoods you can also visit HDC’s
Neighborhood
at Risk.
Abolitionist Home on Duffield Street Saved from Eminent Domain
The 1848 home of Thomas and Harriet Lee-Truesdell, a Brooklyn Heights
couple involved in the Abolitionist movement in New York, has been
reprieved from certain demolition by eminent domain thanks to the
dedication and hard work of a coalition of community members, elected
officials and preservationists.
Originally, the row of 19th century homes were to be acquired by
the City and redeveloped into a combination underground parking
garage and plaza to compliment the new development in the area spurred
by the approved 2004 Downtown Brooklyn Plan. However, community
opposition solidified around the little-known history of Abolitionist
activity in the area and the City was required to conduct a study
of the properties’ possible connections to the Underground
Rail Road. Eventually, after the street was renamed “Abolitionist
Place” in recognition of its history, a sympathetic judge
presiding over the eminent domain case paved the way for a settlement
to retain the house at 227 Duffield Street to be incorporated into
the development plans. Jennifer Levy of South Brooklyn Legal Services,
the lawyer who brought the case against the city commended the City
for their flexibility, saying “They have shown that it is
possible to do development thoughtfully, in a manner that is responsive
to community concerns, and with an eye to preserving our history.”
From more information see http://hdcvoice.blogspot.com/2007/12/speaking-truth-to-power-duffield-street.html
and http://duffieldst.blogspot.com/
Public Hearing on Admiral’s Row Houses
On Tuesday, December 11th, the National Guard Bureau of the Departments
of the Army and the Air Force will hold a public hearing regarding
the transference of the Admiral’s Row properties and site
to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for redevelopment. This hearing is being
held to fulfill the environmental requirements of the National Environmental
Protection Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. The Admiral’s
Row consists of 10 mid to late 19th century masonry buildings originally
constructed as family housing for officers of the Navy, as well
as related sites. The property and sites have been deemed eligible
for the National Register of Historic Places, however the Brooklyn
Navy Yard Development Corporation has publicly announced their plans
to demolish the buildings for a parking lot to serve a supermarket.
This may be the only opportunity for the public to weigh in on this
short-sighted proposal.
The meeting will be held at 7PM on Tuesday December 11, at PS 307
at 209
York Street at the corner of York and Gold Streets. If you
cannot be there and want your voice to be heard, please send your
comments to hdc@hdc.org
and we will be sure to deliver them to the National Guard.
Annual Holiday Book Party
On Thursday, December 13th, the HDC staff will be serving cocktails
and spreading cheer at our Holiday Book Party. Each year HDC hosts
this annual event as a “thank you” to our Friends for
their generous continued support. The night will feature remarks
by HDC's Chair Emeritus, Anthony C. Wood, a seasoned preservation
activist, historian, and recipient of HDC's Landmarks Lion award.
Mr. Wood will discuss his recently published account of the preservation
movement in New York, Preserving
New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks
(Routledge Press, Oct. 2007).
To find out if your membership status is up-to-date and RSVP for
this special event, please call 212-614-9107 or email kmorith@hdc.org.
Become a Friend of HDC
Friends of HDC provide critical support for HDC’s advocacy,
education and outreach initiatives. To join us as a Friend or to
learn more please visit our website here. Thank you for your support.
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write "Unsubscribe" in the subject heading. We’ll
miss you!
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