Upcoming Programs and Events

MONDAY MORNING COFFEE TALK
March 1: FAQ’s About Business Improvement Districts and Commercial Improvement Programs
8:30am, Neighborhood Preservation Center, 232 East 11th Street, Manhattan

Diverse and successful local businesses are a key to any vibrant neighborhood. Come hear from one of the lead agencies that oversees commercial development, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and learn more about two of their initiatives that impact neighborhood character. One way SBS can assist is through assisting communities in the establishment of a business improvement districts (BIDs) which are public-private partnerships that deliver supplemental services to commercial districts including sanitation, signage and capital improvements. Our speaker Paul Nelson, Executive Director of Commercial Revitalization at SBS, will also address Avenue NYC, a SBS grant program that seeks to benefit commercial corridors by partnering with neighborhood organizations. The Avenue NYC 2010 application process opens soon so come with your questions and ideas ready! For more information on either of these programs, please visit www.nyc.gov/sbs.

This event is FREE to the public. Reservations are required, as space is limited. For more information, please contact Frampton Tolbert at (212) 614-9107 or ftolbert@hdc.org.

The Neighborhood Partners Program is sponsored, in part, by Deutsche Bank, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Assembly Members Jonathan L. Bing, Deborah J. Glick, Richard N. Gottfried and Daniel J. O’Donnell, and State Senators Thomas K. Duane, Liz Krueger & Diane J. Savino.

Addisleigh Park Cultural Resource Survey Presentation
Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 6:30-8:30pm
Neighborhood Preservation Center, 232 East 11th Street, Manhattan

On Tuesday, February 9, the Landmarks Preservation Commission calendared a historic district in the Addisleigh Park neighborhood in Southeast Queens. This suburban neighborhood was home to numerous major African-Americans figures such as James Brown, Roy Campanella, W.E.B. DuBois, Count Basie, Lena Horne, Jackie Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald (to name just a few). In 2007, HDC partnered with the Addisleigh Park Civic Organization and obtained funding from the Preservation League of New York State and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to produce a survey and history of the area and its significant residents. Once completed, we submitted all the material to the LPC, who held a community meeting last October to announce their interest in moving forward with designation. We’re thrilled and very thankful that the LPC is taking this important step to protect this remarkable area – which, if designated, will be the 8th historic district in Queens (and the first in Southeastern Queens). HDC is particularly appreciative for LPC’s willingness to work with the community and us on the boundaries for the proposed district, which increased greatly after consultation and further research. This was truly a collaborative project between the city and the community, and one we look forward to seeing through to conclusion. For more information on the area, including photos of some of the houses, see http://www.hdc.org/addisleighpark.htm.

To celebrate this event and also raise awareness about the importance of cultural landmarks (a theme at this year’s Preservation Conference), HDC will hold a program to present the Addisleigh Park Cultural Resource Survey, which HDC undertook from 2007-2008. Come learn more about this wonderful neighborhood and explore its storied past!

This event is FREE to the public. Reservations are required, as space is limited. For more information, please contact Kristen Morith at (212) 614-9107 or kmorith@hdc.org.

Preservation in New York: The Next Generation March 5-7, 2010

This year, HDC’s Annual Preservation Conference examines the future of preservation in New York City as a movement, both in terms of the types of buildings we should be preserving and the audiences we must engage in order to be successful. What will be the landmarks for the next generation and who will be fighting to preserve them? The Conference will focus on specific types of architecture, including modern, cultural and vernacular, that have been less appreciated in the past but are now increasingly seen as significant. We will examine the reasons these buildings are important and the future of their preservation. Click here for more info and to register.