Mark Your Calendars! HDC’s Annual Preservation Conference,
“Preservation 2030,” is Just Around the Corner!
It’s that time of year again! HDC is proud to announce it’s
14th Annual Preservation Conference, Preservation
2030. Using the Mayor’s PlaNYC as a starting point, the conference will focus on
preservation and its relation to a broad framework of urban issues and how they
relate to New York’s many diverse neighborhoods.
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 areas throughout
New York City. Click here to register online.
February
28: Pre-Conference Panel: Preservation, Planning and Aesthetic Regulation in
New York City
There are many areas of New York
City that possess unique amenities but do not meet the criteria defined in the
landmarks law for designation. Because of decisions made during the 1961
revision of the New York City Zoning Resolution, planning practice here largely
does not deal with or regulate the aesthetics of place – the color, scale or
type of building materials, which so affect the visual feel of a neighborhood.
Arguably, the time has come to craft a different model, in which aesthetic
concerns are central to neighborhood planning efforts. What framework for
neighborhood planning can be devised to focus attention on the built
environment as inevitable changes take hold within the public realm?
HDC is teaming up with Pratt Institute’s Graduate Historic
Preservation program to host a spirited panel discussion of this topic with
experts in neighborhood planning, historic preservation and urban design. The
goal is to create a lively dialogue that raises awareness of this issue and
challenges existing planning models that need updating. As development continues at a breakneck pace
in the city and residents turn their attention to critical municipal elections
next year, this timely discussion will focus needed attention on the future of
our city’s cherished neighborhoods.
Join us Thursday, February 28th, 6:30pm, in the Parish Hall
at St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue. This program is free to
the public. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email kmorith@hdc.org.
March 6:
Pre-Conference Panel: A History of Population Increases in New York City
According to PlaNYC 2030, New York City’s population is
expected to grow by one million people within the next 25 years. However
significant, this is not the first population boom our city will have endured.
From the Colonial era to the post-World War II expansion in urban areas, New
York is no stranger to growing populations. This lecture will examine how the
city was able to accommodate these sudden influxes of new residents and the
lasting effects of the city’s reactions. Featured guests include noted
architectural historian and tour guide Francis
Morrone and Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, author
of New York, Year by Year.
Join us Thursday, March 6th, 6:30pm, in the
Parish Hall at St. Marks Church
in-the-Bowery, 131
East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue. This program is free to the public. For
reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email kmorith@hdc.org.
March 7: Opening Night Reception
Join us for a cocktail reception in the
rotunda of recently-restored Federal Hall, the
renowned site in Lower Manhattan where George Washington took
the oath of office as
the first president of the United States. The original 18th century edifice was
the location of New York City’s first City Hall and later functioned as the
first federal Capitol Building; it was
demolished in 1812. The current structure, erected in 1842 as the first federal
Custom House, was designed by Town
& Davis and remains one of New York City’s
most striking institutional examples of the Greek
Revival architectural style. It is located
within the newly-listed Wall Street National Register Historic District and
today functions as a national monument commemorating its noteworthy predecessor.
Friday, March 7, 6:00pm, at Federal Hall, 26 Wall
Street at Broad Street.
Reservations are required for this event. Please call (212) 614-9107 or visit
our Web site.
March 8: “Preservation 2030” Conference
Panels
This year’s Conference Panels will bring
together a distinguished group of preservationists, planners, artists,
architects, educators and developers from New York City’s five boroughs and
beyond will to present their views in a series of three panel
discussions: “Surviving the Building Boom: Urban Neighborhoods of the
Future,” “Building It Out: Suburban Neighborhoods of the Future” and “Tools of
the Trade: Preservation Practices for the Next Generation” Rohit Aggarwala, director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-term
Planning and Sustainability, will provide the keynote
address, which will be followed by a response panel featuring several
preservation experts.
Saturday, March 8, 8:30am-6:15pm, in the
Swayduck Auditorium at The New
School, 65 Fifth
Avenue between
13th and 14th Streets. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or visit
our Web site.
March 9: Walking Tours
The final day of HDC’s Preservation Conference features six walking
tours of neighborhoods throughout New
York City, including:
v
Is there a Future for Old Flushing?
Flushing,
Queens
v
From Hill to Eternity: Richmond Hill, Queens
v
Greenpoint and Williamsburg: After the Plan
v
Not Exactly Your Grandma’s Lower
East Side
v
Connecting the City: The High Bridge
v
The Wild Wild West Side: Manhattan Along the Hudson
Sunday, March 9. Space if limited, so reserve
early. Meeting times and locations will be provided upon registration. For
reservations, please visit our Web site or call (212) 614-9107.
For regularly updated
event listings, check out http://hdcvoice.blogspot.com/
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Opposition to the Proposed AIA Zoning Text
Amendments
The New York Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently proposed a series of zoning
text amendments that seek to undo years of efforts to make city neighborhoods
contextually zoned based on community input. In addition to encouraging
out-of-context development, these one-size-fits-all, blanket zoning measures do
not fit the rich variety of New York City’s neighborhoods. The Historic
Districts Council is opposed to the adoption of these amendments. Click
here
to read HDC’s official statement.
Be sure to voice your concern by
contacting your local Community
Board,
Council
Member,
and the Department
of City Planning.
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Save St. Savior’s! Historic Maspeth, Queens,
Church Faces Immediate Demo
On January 22, 2008,
notice was posted that Always Fast expediting firm will be obtaining demolition
permits for St. Savior’s Church in
Maspeth, Queens. A distinctive local icon, St. Savior’s has been under threat
of demolition since being sold to Maspeth Development in 2006. Despite
sustained public outcry and seemingly obvious merit, the 1847 church never
received a Public Hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The time has come for the City
to act to save this important landmark before it is torn down and lost forever.
Send an E-mail to LPC Chairman Tierney to
demand that the Commission hold a public hearing for this historic structure. To
read HDC’s entire statement, click here.
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Updates at the Landmarks Commission
From underground swimming
pools to leaning towers, there’s been a lot of excitement at the LPC recently.
Be sure to read HDC’s roundup of recent activities down at
the 9th floor of One Centre Street.
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Monday Morning Coffee Talks
As part of our Neighborhood
Partners Program, HDC is pleased to announce our new Monday
Morning Coffee Talks, a free monthly discussion series that examines
some of the most common questions asked by community preservationists. Join us
on the first Monday of every month as we sit down with professional
practitioners and community activists to discuss the tactics, techniques and
strategies for preserving our historic buildings and neighborhoods. Bring your
questions and prepare to engage in this informal setting with some of the
city’s most respected preservation advocates. And of course, coffee will be
served.
Be sure to reserve your
space now for our March event on the preservation of historic religious
properties, featuring Ann-Isabel Friedman, director of the Sacred Sites program
at the New York Landmarks Conservancy. The event will be at 8:30am on Monday,
March 3rd at the Neighborhood Preservation Center. Call
(212) 614-9107 or email lbelfer@hdc.org to
register, or for more information about the Coffee Talks and the Neighborhood
Partners.
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HDC’s Simeon Bankoff in the New
Yorker!
HDC’s
Executive Director Simeon Bankoff was featured in the January 7th issue of the
New Yorker magazine. Burkhard Bilger’s piece, “Mystery on Pearl Street,”
examines the mystery surrounding a Greek Revival structure at 211 Pearl and one
man’s efforts to save it from demolition. Click here to read
Simeon’s quote and to read the full article.
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Have You Checked Out HDC’s Blog Lately?
Reading our blog is the
best way to stay up-to-date on the latest goings-on within the preservation
community, from upcoming events to current campaigns and petitions to ongoing surveys in your neighborhood. Be sure to visit it regularly!
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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
