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OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL
October 2008, Volume 5 Number 10
Appeal to Community Boards: More Funding for Preservation!
Every year starting after Labor Day, New York City’s 59 Community
Boards begin budget discussions about their requests for the upcoming
Fiscal Year. Right now the Boards are deliberating over what their
FY 2010 requests should include, which is why the Historic Districts
Council is asking you to voice your support for increased funding
for preservation in New York City.
This is the way it works: in order to identify the unmet needs
of their communities, the Boards seek input from the public. Each
Board then assembles lists, known as Requests for Inclusion, prioritizing
the services it wants covered by the next Capital and Expense Budgets.
These comprehensive requests have a significant and direct effect
in determining how municipal resources are allocated to each community
district, making this process one of the Community Boards’
most important duties.
In order to properly serve the needs of New York’s eight
million residents, the city administration is forced to prioritize
and stretch its budget year after year. Given the current economic
outlook, FY 2010 will be harder than usual. Community Boards will
be forced to take a hard look at prioritizing requests for services,
from improved roads to enhanced day care programs. Neighborhood
advocates like you must convince the Community Boards to establish
neighborhood preservation as a top priority and to increase funding
for the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Expanded survey teams,
an expedited permit approval process, stronger enforcement and an
increased number of landmark designations are just a few of the
benefits a well-funded LPC could provide.
To access a sample letter to send to your local Community Board,
visit http://hdc.org/sampleletters.htm. Please take just a brief
moment to send a letter to your Community Board and ask its members
to identify the services of the LPC as integral both to your quality
of life and to your neighborhood’s unique sense of place.
Community Boards finalize Requests for Inclusion by mid-October,
so your immediate response is essential!
Don’t know which Community Board is yours? To find out, visit
http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/cb/directory.shtml
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HDC Holds Another Successful Fall Lecture Series and “The
Bungalows of Rockaway” Now on Channel Thirteen!
More than 250 people attended HDC’s annual Fall Lecture Series,
“Out for the Day in New York.” The series included a
screening of the documentary-in-progress “The Bungalows of
Rockaway;” lectures on historic pools, beaches, and fairs
across the city; and featured a walking tour of the famed Coney
Island amusement area. Thanks to everyone who helped make this series
a success!
Wish you were able to learn more about the history of leisure in
the city?
Now you can! We are pleased to announce that our September 9th presentation
on “The Bungalows of Rockaway” is now available on Channel
Thirteen’s website!
The event featured a screening of “The Bungalows of Rockaway,”
a documentary-in-progress highlighting the rich history of the Rockaway
bungalows lasting over 100 years. Filmmakers Jennifer Callahan and
Elizabeth Logan Harris engaged in a Q & A discussion following
the film and were joined by Richard George of the Beachside Bungalow
Preservation Association and preservationist Caroline C. Pasion.
The program was moderated by journalist Eve M. Kahn.
To watch, visit http://www.thirteen.org/forum/the-bungalows-of-rockaway
The Fall Lecture Series is sponsored in part by public funds from
the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State
Council on the Arts, a State Agency.
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Monday, October 6: HDC & the League of Preservation
Voters
Elected officials are essential partners in any civic campaign,
which is why HDC launched the League of Preservation Voters initiative.
By helping communities and elected officials partner together to
better preserve the character of their historic neighborhoods, HDC
and its Neighborhood Partners have a rare opportunity to establish
preservation as a priority topic during the upcoming election cycle.
Through neighborhood roundtables, candidate forums and educational
outreach to prospective elected officials, the League of Preservation
Voters aims to help local politicians recognize the importance of
historic preservation, especially local landmark designation.
Join us for our next Coffee Talk event on Monday, October 6, as
we discuss our League
of Preservation Voters initiative (http://hdc.org/preservationvoters.htm).
With the approach of the 2009 municipal elections, 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 this important discussion.
The Coffee Talk begins at 8:30am and is 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 lbelfer@hdc.org or call (212)
614-9107.
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HDC Hosts 20th Landmarks Lion Celebration Honoring Preservation
Architect Walter B. Melvin
It’s nearly here! 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. From Grace Church (http://www.gracechurchnyc.org/)
to The Frick Collection (http://www.frick.org/), Alwyn Court (http://cooperator.com/articles/1217/1/Alwyn-Court/Page1.html)
to Kips Bay Towers (http://www.kipsbaytowers.com/), Mr. Melvin has
helped raise the standard for preservation architecture.
You are invited to help us celebrate this outstanding advocate
at Bridgewaters, a venue with panoramic views of the East River,
located in the South Street Seaport Historic District, Manhattan.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact HDC’s
Deputy Director, Frampton Tolbert, at (212) 614-9107 or ftolbert@hdc.org.
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HDC Remembers Margot Gayle
We regret to announce that Margot Gayle, a renowned preservationist
and a close friend of HDC, passed away this Sunday at her home in
the Upper East Side. In her 100 years, Margot led numerous successful
campaigns, including advocating for the designation of the SoHo-Cast
Iron Historic District and the restoration of the Jefferson Market
Library before the Landmarks Preservation Commission had even been
created!
One of Margot’s key concerns these past few years was the
proposed extension to the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, which
is still yet to be calendared by the LPC. On behalf of this wonderful
New Yorker, to whom the city owes so much, please contact LPC Chairman
Bob Tierney and ask him to designate the SoHo extension: http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/contact/contact.shtml
To read the full New York Times obituary on Margot Gayle visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/nyregion/30gayle.html
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What’s Next at the Landmarks Preservation Commission
There will be a Public Meeting on the St. Vincent’s Hospital
hardship application on Tuesday, October 7th, starting at 9:30 am.
The meeting will be held at the Swayduck Auditorium at the New School,
65 Fifth Avenue (at 14th Street). As it is a Public Meeting, not
a Public Hearing, no testimony will be taken from the public, but
it should be interesting… Read more on the St. Vincent’s
proposal at http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/04/st_vincents_hardship_plea_its_the_tower_or_the_morgue.php
Word on the street, General Growth Properties, Inc.’s plan
(http://www.thenewseaport.com/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=cmpImages&show=renderings&s=sss)
for demolishing, moving and constructing buildings in and around
the South Street Seaport Historic District will be presented at
a Public Hearing on Tuesday, October 24th. The proposal, which includes
the unprecedented move of a building in an historic district from
its original location as well as a 495-foot tall tower (in a district
zoned with a 120-foot height limit), has met with considerable opposition
from Councilmember Alan Gerson and others in the community (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/nyregion/19seaport.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin).
October 28th is scheduled to be a Research Department day and that
means calendarings, hearings and designations. Those items rumored
to be up for a hearing include St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church
(the former Memorial Chapel of St. Mark’s Parish) at 288 East
10th Street (1882-1883, James Renwick, Jr.), the Consolidated Edison
Building (http://www.observer.com/2008/coned-building-road-landmark-status)
at 4 Irving Place (1910-1929, Henry Hardenbergh and Warren &
Wetmore), and the Museum Building (1898-1901, Robert W. Gibson),
Fountain of Life (1903-1905, Carle E. Tefft) and Tulip Tree Allee
(1903-1906) all at the New York Botanical Garden (http://www.nybg.org/).
The Proposed Prospect Heights Historic District will also be heard
(http://www.phndc.org/).
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Fall District Lines Coming Soon!
Keep an eye on your mailboxes in the coming weeks: the fall issue
of HDC’s District Lines newsletter will be arriving soon.
This next issue is filled with articles on a wide range of subjects,
from the Admiral’s Row houses in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to
HDC’s League of Preservation Voters initiative. Make sure
you’re signed up for HDC’s official mailing list (the
snail mail kind) to have a copy delivered right to your doorstep!
Call (212) 614-9107 or email inquiries to hdc@hdc.org.
Can’t wait? Read articles from past District Lines issues
by visiting http://hdc.org/districtlines.htm.
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Call for Donations: HDC Needs Computers!
In an effort to stay up to date with the technological advances
of our times, HDC is looking to update its software systems and
is on the search for new computers that can accommodate these more
comprehensive programs. Specifically, the office is in need of two
new computer towers and is turning to our Friends and supporters
for help!
If you, or someone you know, has an extra PC computer tower lying
around that is ripe for donation, please email lbelfer@hdc.org with
the machine’s CPU speed and type (Pentium or Core), RAM and
the size of its hard drive. PC only, please!
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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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