NEWS: Update on West 54 – 56th Street Preservation Push
Dear Neighbors,
We know you want ours to be a Historic District and for certain buildings on our streets to become Landmarks. The Preservation Committee of the West 54-55 Street Block Association has been meeting with City Councilman Dan Garodnick, members of Community Board 5, Assemblyman Dick Gottfried and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. All of them support our efforts and have written letters of support to Commissioner Robert Tierney of the NYC Landmarks Commission on our behalf. We are losing this battle because Commissioner Tierney and his people are really not interested in preserving anything else on the north side of West 54 Street, both sides of West 55 Street, and both sides of West 56 Street except for two buildings on West 56 Street that they are contacting the owners about. Neither of these buildings can become part of a package with other buildings so they are not in danger of inappropriate development.
We lost the battle for 31, 33, 35, and 37 West 56 Street. These gorgeous townhouses are being totally destroyed to make way for a high rise and we were unable to prevent this happening. This is going to happen to 12, 14, 16, 18 West 55 Street shortly when the remaining tenants take their buyout packages. We have applied for Landmark status for these buildings which do not have the design merit of the ones on West 56 Street but are the earliest examples of the work of noted architects Clinton & Russell, were built from 1895-97, and add immeasurably to the ambiance of this area’s resemblance to old, good, New York. We can save these buildings and others but we need your help. The developer of the building to replace 12, 14, 16, 18 W 55 St with a condo hotel has a façade alteration permit but does not yet have an interior or exterior demolition permit. They will have one any day unless we can protect the buildings. If you want this neighborhood to look like all others and have no restaurant and shop windows to look into, no street life at night, and no reasonable places to eat, do nothing and ignore this letter.
If you want to protect the special oasis we have, please help and come to our next meeting on Wed, Sep 27 will be held on Wed, Sep 27, 2006 @ 7 p.m. at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, 7 W 55 St, 8 fl., Boardroom.
Agenda
1) Summary & efforts to date of the situation at 31, 33, 35 & 37 W 56 Street
2) Other preservation efforts about 12, 14, 16 & 18 W 55 Street and about Historic District designation
3) Recommendations for proceeding with the above
4) Events Committee Report
5) Noise, pollution, sanitation – Amending the recently passed new NYC Noise Code
6) Other business: tax exempt status, donations
7) New Business
8) Next meeting – October – date & time to be decided
Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting and hearing your ideas. The meeting will start promptly at 7p.m. and will be moderated by RitaSue Siegel because Sandra Ripin will be out of town.
Those of you who have not yet responded please RSVP me at [email protected] if you can attend.
Thanks and regards,
Vera
Veronika Conant, President, West 54 -55 Street Block Association
45 W 54th St, Apt 7C, New York, NY 10019
(212) 581-1895
[email protected]