Yesterday, scaffolding was erected to allow for disfiguring alterations to 859 Lexington Avenue and 861-863 Lexington Avenue, also known as the Kean Residence or Crocodile Hall. In an increasingly common tactic, permits have been filed for disfiguring work to historic buildings presumably to avoid landmark designation.

Current permits from the DOB are to demolish the upper floors of the Kean House and to install a glass curtain wall at 859 Lexington Avenue–all on a busy New York City street. For more info visit our website at http://www.friends-ues.org

Located on the southeast corner of East 65th Street and LexingtonAvenue, the Kean Residence anchors a distinctive and architecturally rich corner on the Upper East Side and lies within the proposed expansion of the Upper East Side Historic District.

Prior to the issuing of the demo permits, representatives of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts met with Councilman Daniel Garodnick to alert him to this potential demo. Councilman Garodnick reached out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC did not take action to protect the building or neighborhood.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!

•SPEAK at the upcoming Community Board 8 Meeting on Monday July 21st, 6:30 p.m. (Hunter College School of Social Work, 129 East 79th Street). The community board will be voting on the proposed expansion. Please attend and show your support for the protection of this neighborhood!

•WRITE a letter of support for the expansion to LPC Chair Tierney at and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Visit our website for a sample letter http://www.friends-ues.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/support-letter.pdf

•SIGN our ONLINE PETITION at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/lexingtonavenues/

•TELL your friends and neighbors how they can help.

In July 2007, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts submitted a request for the LPC to expand the Upper East Side Historic District to include portions of 17 blocks along Lexington Avenue. 861-863 and 859 Lexington Avenue lie in the heart of that expansion, and are bordered by an exquisite Gingerbread Cottage residence on East 65th Street and by a full block of intact 1880’s brownstones fronted by early twentieth century storefronts along Lexington Avenue.

If the expansion of the Upper East Side Historic District is not designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the architectural character, pedestrian scale and charm of Lexington Avenue will be replaced with large out-of-scale development.

Dear Fellow New Yorker,

Bloomberg acted fast after the most recent crane disaster: He held a closed-door meeting with construction industry insiders. He came out with a proposal that is a watered-down version of Jim Brennan’s proposals from 2007 and 2008. Yet nobody is standing up for the community groups who have been following DOB reform for years.

Until now.

That’s why I’m asking you to join us in promoting DOB reform and community input on the City Hall steps.

When:    Thursday June 12, Noon (Please email Raul to confirm time)

Why:    To encourage the Mayor to incorporate community concerns in construction safety

Regards,
Raul Rothblatt
Executive Director, Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance Foundation
Raul@JumbieRecords.com  / 718-857-3150

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Community support for DOB reform

In light of the Deutsche Bank building disaster and the two recent high-profile crane accidents, community activists and elected officials are coming together to demand reforms at the Department of Buildings. “Mayor Bloomberg’s recent proposals are a step in the right direction,” says Raul Rothblatt. “He is finally advocating for some of the reforms proposed last year—some of which he opposed. Now we urge him to work with community groups that have been advocating for DOB reform. Construction deaths are not limited to cranes, so it is important to address the bigger issues, and not just react to the news of the week.”

Dismayed at the steady stream of construction deaths and other accidents, dozens of these groups have been advocating for better enforcement of existing laws for years. The most pressing reforms include:

* Reinspect hazardous Stop Work Order sites. Currently, the DOB does not return to a construction site after every hazardous violation. Some offenders simply pay a fine, and the DOB does not check if the violation has been cured.

* End Self-Certification (a.k.a. “Professional Certification”). The crane disasters were not isolated events—they represent bigger problems with oversight of the construction industry. The Mayor needs to stand for safety all around New York, not just at high rise crane sites.

* Work with the community. After the most recent disaster, Bloomberg held a closed door meeting with construction industry insiders. The Mayor missed an opportunity to harness the expertise of community groups.

We cannot live in a city where everyone is afraid of every crane, bulldozer and jackhammer. This fear sometimes gets translated into a flood of 311 calls, but the City did not heed the warnings, with deadly results. Community groups can help sort out these complaints.