| E-BULLETIN
OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL
September 2008, Volume 5 Number 9
Breaking News: NoHo Historic District to
Expand, But By How Much?
Even during the lazy days of August, HDC has been hard at work
trying to defend the integrity of the designated, but not affirmed,
NoHo Historic District Extension. Although we were not altogether
pleased with the boundaries the LPC designated in May, owner opposition
has threatened to curtail them even more. The final site of contention
is 338-340 Bowery, the White House Hotel, possibly the oldest purpose-built
lodging house still in existence on Bowery. The new owners, the
McSam Hotel Group, wish to demolish the four-story building in order
to develop an eight-story luxury hotel on the site. City Councilmember
Alan Jay Gerson has been in negotiations with the owner for weeks,
attempting to balance their desires, the community’s hopes
for the site and the fates of the 23 longtime hotel residents who
are currently living in inhumane conditions. The City Council Subcommittee
on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses has had two meetings
on the issue and will be taking a deciding vote tomorrow, Thursday,
September 4.
If this designation is overturned, it will be the first time since
1991 that City Council has acted to excise property from a designated
historic district. Even beyond the ill effects of this excision
on NoHo, this situation does not bode well for the recently-designated
West Chelsea Historic District, which is currently moving through
the approval process despite fierce owner opposition. Over the past
few years, the Landmarks Commission has tried to redress some long-standing
concerns about the lack of protected properties outside of Manhattan
or those left out of earlier designations. For their efforts to
be reversed or compromised at City Council only reinforces the agency’s
natural bureaucratic reluctance to dare to make “risky”
decisions and it hobbles all our efforts. Stay tuned for more information.
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Join HDC for its Annual Fall Lecture Series:
“Out for the Day in New York: Historic Resorts and Amusements”
Throughout the next few weeks join us for ”Out for
the Day in New York: Historic Resorts and Amusements,”
a fascinating series of programs that will take a look back at the
history and social significance of vacation venues and leisure destinations
throughout New York City.
Film Screening
and Discussion: The Bungalows of Rockaway
Tuesday, September 9, 6:30pm, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second
Avenue at E. 2nd St., Manhattan
“The Bungalows of Rockaway,” co-produced by Jennifer
Callahan and Elizabeth Logan Harris, is
a documentary-in-progress highlighting the rich history of the Rockaway
bungalows lasting over 100 years. Although by 1933 there were more
than 7,000 bungalows dotting the peninsula, fewer than 500 remain
today. This program will feature excerpts from the documentary highlighting
rare archival footage, maps, and interviews with historians and
several of the longtime residents and vacationers.
The screening will be followed by a Q & A session and discussion
with Richard George of the Beachside Bungalow Preservation
Organization, preservationist Caroline C. Pasion,
and the filmmakers. The program will be moderated by journalist
Eve M. Kahn.
From the
Shore to the Sideshow: A Tour of the History and Future of Coney
Island
Sunday, September 14, 11am, location TBA upon registration
Join HDC for an in-depth tour of Brooklyn’s Coney Island
with Melissa Baldock, Kress/RFR Fellow for Historic
Preservation and Public Policy at the Municipal Art Society, and
architectural historian Jane Cowan. Tour attendees
will hear about Coney Island’s diverse path, from its beginnings
as a resort community to its fabled amusement parks. The tour will
visit such noted landmarks including the Cyclone Roller Coaster
and the Parachute Jump, as well as examine the plans for the area’s
future, which remain uncertain. The program will also feature special
guest Philip Tusa, architect of the Coney Island
USA Freak Bar and Gift Shop, talking about this new addition to
the Coney Island landscape. The exact location for the tour will
be announced upon registration.
Fun in the
Sun: Resorts, Pools, Fairs and More!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 6:30pm, Anthology Film Archives,
32 Second Avenue at E. 2nd St., Manhattan
Explore the culture of relaxation in New York City through an examination
of amusement venues and leisure spots throughout the five boroughs.
Historian and journalist Francis Morrone will lead
a discussion on racetracks, railroads and resorts in Brooklyn; Marta
Gutman, associate professor of architecture (history and
theory) at the City College of New York, will discuss New York’s
WPA-era swimming pools; architectural historian John Kriskiewicz
will explore the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair; and Dr.
Gary Hermalyn, author, historian and executive director
of The Bronx County Historical Society will discuss the Freedomland
amusement park.
Lecture tickets are $15 per lecture, $10 for Friends
of HDC, seniors and students. Tickets for the September
14 tour are $35 each or $25 for Friends
of HDC, seniors and students. Purchase tickets for the full
series at a discounted price of $60, or $40 for Friends
of HDC, seniors and students.
Advance reservations are required. Tickets can be ordered on the
HDC Web site,
by calling 212-614-9107 or by e-mailing hdc@hdc.org.
Out for the Day in New York is sponsored in part by public
funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and
the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.
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Monday Morning Coffee Talks Return!
HDC is pleased to announce the return of the 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.
· Monday, September 8: Preservation Education Programs
for Children
Join architectural historian Jane Cowan as she
discusses her experiences developing educational programming that
focuses on historic preservation for school-age children. Learn
how to organize lessons and incorporate walking tours, art projects,
and historic research assignments into a comprehensive educational
plan that promotes an appreciation for one’s built environment
from an early age. By educating our children about the history of
our city and our neighborhoods, we can effectively groom the next
generation of preservationists and community advocates!
· Monday, October 6: HDC’s League of Preservation
Voters
Join us as we discuss our new League
of Preservation Voters initiative. HDC developed this program
to help communities and elected officials partner together to better
preserve the character of their historic neighborhoods. It includes
neighborhood roundtables, candidate forums and educational outreach
to prospective elected officials to help them see the importance
of historic preservation, especially local landmark designation.
As the 2009 municipal elections approach, this informational session
will focus on how community groups and individuals can get involved
in the League of Preservation Voters program. Come identify the
preservation and land-use issues that matter most to you and help
shape the discussion.
Coffee Talks begin at 8:30am and are held at the Neighborhood
Preservation Center, 232 East 11th Street, between Second
& Third Avenues in Manhattan. All Coffee Talk events are free
of charge. Reservations required. To RSVP, E-mail hdc@hdc.org
or call (212) 614-9107.
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HDC Neighborhoods at Risk: Spotlight on Broadway-Flushing,
Queens
We’d like to take a moment to direct your attention to Broadway-Flushing,
a beautiful suburban community in northeastern Queens with large,
detached homes and sprawling green space. A vast neighborhood that
spans 74 blocks, Broadway-Flushing
boasts more than 1,300 individual houses built in a variety of architectural
styles, from Colonial Revival to Arts & Crafts to Tudor Revival.
It was developed by the Rickert-Finlay Realty Company just after
the turn of the century.
The local community group, the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners
Association, has been pushing
for landmark designation for quite some time. Their
diligent advocacy efforts, which have included postcard campaigns,
neighborhood surveys, and petition signatures collected door-to-door,
have garnered the attention of the city’s Landmarks Preservation
Commission, whose Research Department is now taking a serious look
at the neighborhood. But until it is granted historic district status,
Broadway-Flushing’s large lots are especially vulnerable to
new, out of scale development. Send
a letter to LPC Chairman Robert Tierney
today urging him to designate Broadway-Flushing!
Be sure to read
more about this and many other Neighborhoods at Risk here!
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HDC Hosts 20th Landmarks Lion Celebration Honoring Preservation
Architect Walter B. Melvin
On Wednesday, October 29, HDC will bestow the 2008 Landmarks
Lion Award on architect Walter
B. Melvin in recognition of the decades of work
that he and his firm have done preserving and restoring some of
New York’s most noted landmarks. You are invited to help us
celebrate this outstanding advocate at Bridgewaters,
a spectacular events venue with breathtaking views of the East River,
located in the South Street Seaport Historic District, Manhattan.
From Grace Church
to The Frick Collection,
Alwyn
Court to Kips Bay Towers, Mr. Melvin has helped raise
the standard for preservation architecture. Over the years, his
projects have received more than 20 awards from New York City preservation
organizations, so it is only fitting to honor Mr. Melvin with the
Landmarks Lion Award.
For more information or to join the Benefit Committee, please contact
HDC’s Deputy Director, Frampton Tolbert, at (212) 614-9107
or ftolbert@hdc.org.
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August at the Landmarks Preservation Commission
HDC’s Public Review Committee reviewed 32 Certificate of
Appropriateness applications this month and testified on 16 of them.
At the August 5 Public Hearing, a new building
as well as a roof top addition on an historic garage next door was
proposed for the Ladies’ Mile Historic District at 19-25 West
20th Street. HDC testified with the following:
HDC would like to thank the applicant for meeting with us earlier
in the design process and responding to many of our initial concerns.
The restoration of the historic garage and the proposed signage
are very appropriate and we recommend their approval.
We are pleased to see the rooftop addition to the garage defined
on the exterior as a separate entity from the new building. However,
we feel that it does not relate well enough with the garage below
in color, materials or design details such as the windows and the
size and placement of their openings. The proposed is set back just
5 feet from the front façade, making it read as part of the
garage. The addition should be set back more and its design reconsidered
to harmonize more with the original building.
On the new building, HDC approves of the design that creates
a clear base, shaft and capital. There are only two items in the
design that we would change. The canopy is not appropriate for a
building of this size on a side street in the Ladies’ Mile
Historic District. Also, the penthouse looks more like an awkward
pre-designation rooftop addition than a coherent part of this very
ordered, clean design. HDC recommends that the penthouse either
be forgotten all together or redesigned as a set back piece of the
building.
Commissioners agreed that the RTA on the garage needed to be
reduced and its design and fenestration reworked to harmonize more
with the building. On the new building, they requested that the
applicant strengthen the cornice and reduce the penthouse to one
story and rethink its cladding material.
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Addisleigh Park: Uncovering the Past of a Queens Neighborhood
In 2007, the Historic Districts Council, in partnership with the
Addisleigh Park Civic
Organization, launched a project to document the architectural
and social significance of Addisleigh Park, a suburban-type enclave
in southeast Queens with a rich and distinctive history. The
project includes a survey of the core area of architectural
significance, brief summaries on each property, documentation of
some of Addisleigh Park’s most prominent residents, and interviews
with longtime members of the community.
Built when race-restricted covenants dictated the segregation
of the city’s neighborhoods, Addisleigh Park eventually transformed
from an exclusively white neighborhood into one of New York City’s
premier African-American enclaves by the early 1950’s. Lured
by the promise of seclusion, quietude, space and beauty, many of
the newcomers were world-famous. The area would eventually become
home to notables such as Count
Basie, Lena
Horne, Ella
Fitzgerald, Jackie
Robinson, James
Brown, Milt
Hinton, Roy
Campanella and many others.
To learn more about Addisleigh Park, visit
our Web site.
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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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