This comes to us from one of our neighborhood constituents.  It seems that presumptive Republican presidential candidate Arizona Senator John McCain has a personal connection with Brooklyn; his parents lived there.

Margaret Skinner, 85, lives in the individually-landmarked Joseph Steele House on the southeast corner of Vanderbilt and Lafayette Avenues. Steele by the way was the founder of Brooklyn Union Gas and the house has its original boiler, the second boiler, etc. and all the interior and exterior detail.  Margaret was visiting recently with Senator John McCain’s 96 year old mother, Roberta at the Republican Club at the corner of Fifth Avenue and W. 44th Street. After Margaret expressed her concern for the fate of Admiral’s Row, Mrs. McCain exclaimed, “Oh, I know all about Admiral’s Row.  My husband and I lived there!.”

Hmm, while Sentor McCain has not, to our knowledge, been particularly active in preservation issues, over 9,000 people in Brooklyn did vote for him. If this isn’t a tall tale, perhaps he’ll feel the need to say something about this issue.

More to the point, this story - true or not (although we have no reason to doubt the person who told us this) - illustrates the rich history that these houses possess. Generations of military men and their families lived there from before the Civil War until after the Viet Nam conflict. They should not be demolished for a parking lot.

WHY CAN’T WE HAVE BOTH A SUPERMARKET AND THE ADMIRAL’S ROW BUILDINGS?

The Historic Districts Council, Municipal Art Society, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Fort Greene Association, Historic Wallabout Association, and the Society for Clinton Hill are united in our desire to see both a Supermarket and the Admiral’s Row Houses in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

WE AGREE that a new supermarket that sells fresh fruits and vegetables and more employment opportunities are critical for the neighborhood.  

WE DISAGREE that the Admiral’s Row buildings must be demolished to create an economically viable project on this site.

Facts:

-          The Admiral’s Row Buildings are too important - to the community and to the history of our country and Brooklyn - to allow their wholesale demolition. All our children deserve to know their history and to take pride in those who served our country.

-          The buildings are currently owned by the Federal Government and are located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) is responsible for leasing space in the Yard, for developing the underutilized areas of the Yard, and for overseeing the ongoing modernization of the Yard’s infrastructure. Through their efforts, hundreds of quality industrial jobs have been created.

-          The National Guard is currently carrying out a highly responsible and thoughtful effort to seek comments on the site’s redevelopment.  Part of the National Guard’s process, mandated by Federal law, involves finding alternatives that would prevent the demolition of the historic buildings.

-          Alternatives exist that could combine the reuse of existing buildings with new construction to achieve a plan which offers everything from fresh foods, to job training, cultural offerings as well as new recreational and healthy living opportunities.

-          The current supermarket proposal includes 356 parking spaces, which will bring increased traffic and pollution to the neighborhood. This proposed supermarket is 65,000 sf, the size of a “big box” store and 36% larger than the median supermarket in America.

-          Reducing the parking lot or building a parking structure could allow for enough room for a large supermarket, new industrial space, and the restored Admiral’s Row buildings on the site.

-          The preservation and rehabilitation of the Admiral’s Row buildings could be an opportunity for young adults in the neighborhood to be trained in preservation and construction trades with far more earning and career potential than working in a supermarket.

-          Professional engineers and architects have shown that it is possible to renovate/restore Admiral’s Row at costs comparable to the renovations which have occurred throughout downtown Brooklyn and have driven the area’s economic resurgence.

Brooklyn deserves better. We have the best talent in the world right here, let’s put it to work to show what we can achieve.

To learn more about what you can do to save these houses, email hdc@hdc.org.