ENDANGERED BUILDING OF THE MONTH:
The Purchase Building

The Purchase Building, a City-owned storage facility located below the Brooklyn Bridge, was a government-funded WPA project of the Depression era, and is a rare surviving example of early Modernism in New York City. This 1936 Art-Deco style building, which is located in Brooklyn’s Fulton Ferry Historic District, is a significant, interesting, attractive, and most importantly, protected landmark building. Unfortunately, it is currently proposed for demolition by the planners of Brooklyn Bridge Park. They claim the building will obstruct views from the park—next they’ll want to tear down the bridge!

The Fulton Ferry Historic District designation report (1977) has a description of the Purchase Building which favorably compares its features to the Starrett-Lehigh Warehouse (designated 1986). In addition, the introduction of the report (page 6) states: “in terms of long-range planning, the New York City Department of Purchase buildings directly under the Bridge, although still in use by the City, are being considered for use as an art school or for other educational purposes when the buildings are vacated.” These statements would indicate that the building was considered by the LPC to be worthy of preservation at the time of designation. The City Planning Commission’s report on the designation also references the re-use of this building, further indicating its worth.

HDC supports the notion of a park at the Brooklyn waterfront; its creation would add immeasurably to the quality of life from residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and has the potential to benefit all of Brooklyn. However, we strongly believe that a park of superb quality can be created with the adaptive reuse of this landmark. The building could easily be re-invented to serve a multitude of park uses – such as commissary, shop for equipment rentals, storage or park offices. Community members have suggested this solution and have even done draft designs and renderings. There has been no evidence that the park planners have even contemplated this option, preferring instead to insist on demolition.

In 2001, a plan for the Park was publicized and it was announced that the Purchase Building would be demolished – before the LPC even had a hearing to consider the proposal. Numerous civic associations and individuals protested the building’s demolition. In addition, the issue garnered a great deal of press coverage, both in the local and daily papers. The public hearing for the proposal was held on September 6, 2001. Unfortunately, there was not a quorum at the hearing and the record was held open for the next hearing on September 11, 2001. That hearing was closed early, and the proposal was never voted upon or resolved.

Almost five years later, the proposal is back, essentially unchanged. The park planners still insist on demolishing a landmark-protected building without reasonable cause or contemplation of appropriate re-use. The Landmarks Preservation Commission makes decisions based on a standard of appropriateness. HDC can not imagine a universe where it would be “appropriate” to demolish a usable, architecturally and historically significant landmark building because some people think it would look better without it there.

A significant building within an historic district is on the verge of being demolished. It’s time to take action to prevent what could be a devastating blow to historic preservation in this city.

Please attend the hearing on Tuesday, February 21st at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (time of hearing will be announced on the LPC website closer to the date at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/working_with/calendar.shtml) and ask the Commission not to approve this demolition. If you can’t attend the hearing, contact Chair Tierney at: mailto:comments@lpc.nyc.gov and tell him that the park planners must rethink this destructive solution, and investigate adaptive reuse solutions for this significant structure.

Past Endangered Building Alerts:

Drake-Dehart House
All Saint's Church
McCarren Park Play Center
Old Calvary Cemetery
Jamaica Savings Bank
Austin, Nichols Warehouse