The Historic Districts Council’s Six to Celebrate groups have been making headlines since the program’s inception. We continue to be very proud of all the amazing work these community groups have accomplished. Most recently Port Morris & The 134th Street Ferry Bridges was officially listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. “I applaud the owners and stewards of these historic properties for taking part in New York’s preservation efforts,” said Rose Harvey, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “Placing these landmarks on the State and National Registers of Historic Places is an important tool in their long-term survival and helps communities embrace their history and culture.” Port Morris which is located in the Bronx was a Six to Celebrate neighborhood in 2012. HDC worked closely with the Friends of Brook Park to gain reorganization and protection for the historic Ferry Bridges. The Friends of Brook Park have enabled the protection of this site by creating a waterfront park. To learn more about the history of Port Morris go to our website http://www.6tocelebrate.org/neighborhood-items/port-morris-the-134th-street-ferry-bridges-bronx/ To learn more about Brook Park go to their website http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2014 Six to Celebrate Headlines
Historic Staten Island Cemeteries, Staten Island
Uncovering Legacies in Staten Island’s Neglected Graveyards, New York Times
“[Lynn] Rogers is the caretaker of 11 cemeteries on Staten Island that have fallen into ruin. She has raised money to maintain and preserve them and has researched the histories of many of those laid to rest, including veterans of the Civil War and those who left Ireland during the potato famine. In so doing, she has brought back to life the stories of hundreds of Staten Island families, including her own.”
Forest Close
Forest Hills enclave honored by the city, Queens Chronicle
“[Rego-Forest Preservation Council Chairman Michael Perlman] believes that the area’s selection as one of the six celebrated neighborhoods will start the ball rolling in terms of Forest Close eventually acquiring landmark status sometime in the future.
“The homes and grounds are well-preserved, but now it’s just a matter of the city working with the community groups to recognize the fight for landmark status,” he said. “If many more community groups and preservation groups bond and submit requests to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Forest Close will see its day in court and receive historic district status.”’
Historic District Council hopes to protect Forest Close’s architecture, Times Ledger
“HDC said it planned to work with the association to plan, advocate and publicize its goals of preserving Forest Close.”
HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL CELEBRATES FOREST HILLS BLOCK, The Forum
“That was probably why Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio said he was not surprised to hear the city’s Historic Districts Council selected a part of the neighborhood known as Forest Close for its 2014 “Six to Celebrate” listing of historic areas in the city.
“Every nook and cranny around here is historic in some shape or form,” Gulluscio said. “Every block. Every twist. Every turn.”’
Historic Districts Council Picks Forest Hills Locale as One of Six Honorees for 2014, Forest Hills Patch
“This year, the group has chosen Forest Close, a nook of 38 neo-Tudor houses surrounding a shared communal garden that is between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street near 75th Avenue, as one of the six honorees.
The Forest Close Association maintains covenants that regulate design and open space elements of the community as well as advises residents on design guidelines for construction.
Forest Close was designed in 1927.”
Park Avenue
Forest Close In Forest Hills Named Historic Priority Area, Gazette
“Starting off the year strong, on Tuesday, February 11, the proposed Park Avenue Historic District will have a Public Hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The proposed district encompasses the large sections of the iconic boulevard which are unprotected and under threat of inappropriate development. The coalition of local advocates has gathered widespread community and political support and will continue their work to ensure the designation of this historic neighborhood. HDC Executive Director, Simeon Bankoff said, “We are very excited to take such a major step for one of our Six to Celebrate groups so early in the year. We look forward to using this momentum to achieve preservation victories on Park Avenue and with our other priority groups.”’
2011 Six to Celebrate Headline
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Blogger Keeps Focus on Brooklyn Architecture, but Now Mostly From Upstate, New York Times
“About twice a month, she [Suzanne Spellen ] visits Brooklyn and gives walking tours of neighborhoods she can no longer afford to live in. (“The irony is not lost on me,” she said.) In Troy, she spends much of each day at her desk researching and writing. Last week, she wrote about an 1850s home in Wallabout, Brooklyn, now covered in siding where Walt Whitman wrote “Leaves of Grass,” and a neo-Classical church in Bedford-Stuyvesant that was built in 1910 as a music hall.”