Rally for Preservation on Wednesday, May 12
Rally for Preservation on Wednesday, May 12
WHAT: Rally for Preservation
WHEN: Wednesday, May 12th at 10am SHARP
WHERE: City Hall Steps – 4,5,6, N or R Trains to City Hall.
Noted economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said that “Preservationists are the only people in the world who are invariably confirmed in their wisdom after the fact.” In New York City alone, without the efforts of dedicated preservationists, SoHo and Tribeca as we know them wouldn’t exist, Times Square would be an office park and Brooklyn Heights would be filled with high-rises. Despite this record of accomplishment, there is still a pushback against preservation efforts. This line of argument masquerades as a “call for reason” in landmarking before preservation freezes all of New York into a “some grotesque version of Williamsburg on the Hudson”.
On Wednesday, May 12 at 10am, HDC is hosting a rally for preservation at City Hall. We will be having speakers from neighborhoods across the city talking about their efforts and giving voice to the fact that people want preservation.
For the past 4 years, HDC has helped organize a preservation day at City Hall where dozens of neighborhood preservationists come to show the strength of the preservation community. Through our efforts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has grown in staff and has designated more properties in all five boroughs than ever – they designated more properties in 2008 than they had in any year since 1990. This record of accomplishment needs to continue; dozens of historic neighborhoods throughout New York City are still unprotected and prey to tear-downs and unregulated development.
Please join us at City Hall on Wednesday, May 12 at 10am. We need you to stand with us, tell your stories and demonstrate your passion that preservation is something that the public wants. Please come and bring your materials, your petitions, and your enthusiasm. Together, we can make a difference and show City Hall that we know what’s best for our neighborhoods.
As a thank you, all attendees to the Rally will receive a badge granting discounted admission to the Annual HDC Preservation Party on May 20th.
If you can’t attend but still want your voice to be heard, WNYC, New York’s public radio, is doing a survey to find out what New Yorker’s vision for the future is. WNYC wants to know: If you were a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, what special place would you preserve?
1 comment