ALERT: SAVE OUR SKYLINE…or Kiss It Goodbye
*Take a stand against the exploitation of our city’s Landmarks as “development opportunities”
*Put a stop to the Tower Trend in Historic Districts
*Don’t let passing architectural fashions transform our Landmarks
Here are two ways to support the cause:
Lend your name in support of “Save Our Skyline (SOS)”: Sign on as individuals, organizations, boards, etc.—your voice must be heard! Please contact LANDMARK WEST! [email protected] , 212-496-8110.
Mark your calendars and pack the room on Wednesday, January 31, 6:00 PM
Louise Mirrer, President of the New-York Historical Society, will give a presentation on “future plans for the institution.” The location is the Fourth Universalist Society, 160 Central Park West at 76 Street.
As reported in the New York Times in November 1, 2006, the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS) plans to redesign the Central Park West façade of its Landmark building between West 76th and 77th Streets; build a 280-foot glass tower cantilevered over the Landmark; and add a large penthouse directly on top of the Landmark. The N-YHS is one of our city’s few “thrice-landmarked” buildings—it is an Individual Landmark, part of the West 76th Street Historic District, and part of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District.
Please make every effort to attend! Speak up! Ask questions! Will Louise Mirrer present specific, comprehensive architectural plans for the Society’s Landmark site, or will she merely offer bland platitudes about “working together with the community” and “seeking dialogue”—while the transformation of one of New York’s most important Landmarks gets shaped behind closed doors? We know that a Request for Proposals was issued to developers for the Tower portion earlier this fall, with responses due back on December 15, 2006. These are preliminary steps towards a full-blown construction project. The barn door is open, and the horse is getting ready to run…
The Historical Society is just one of many developers/institutions keen to test the limits of the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s regulatory policy. If this domino falls, the rest will surely follow.
Sign on to SOS today!
For more information:
[email protected], 212-496-8110