Events in April 2024
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What are Special Purpose Districts? A Conversation with George Janes
What are Special Purpose Districts? A Conversation with George Janes
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Apr 2, 2024March 26, 20246:00 p.m.Via ZoomCo-Sponsored by Landmark West!In examining the proposed City of Yes zoning text amendments, the question has been raised about how City of Yes will impact the many Special Purpose Districts across the city. But what is a Special Purpose District and how do they help preserve unique community character?The City Planning Commission has been designating these districts since 1969 to achieve specific planning and urban design objectives. These districts can also be seen as preservation tools in protecting specific streetscape characteristics but also zoning uses such as specific commercial corridors. Ranging from the Hillsides Preservation District of Staten Island to the Special Grand Concourse District of the Bronx, these tools are important, but not always well understood.Join this online conversation with zoning expert George Janes where he explains the history of special districts in New York and how these can be used as a tool for neighborhood preservation, especially with the proposed changes coming from the City of Yes proposals.Friend of HDC / Senior $5; General Admission $10
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Preservation School – Preserving the Art of Stone Carving
Preservation School – Preserving the Art of Stone Carving
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Apr 24, 2024Wednesday, April 24, 2024
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Via ZoomIn this class, led by Pellettieri Stone Carvers founder Chris Pellettieri, participants will learn about the work Chris does as a professional stone carver as well as his work with students of all ages through his Academy.
For his commissioned work Chris specializes in free-hand sculpture, decorative design, portraiture, casting, and lettering for public and private settings. Chris will explain the different methods of carving including using modeling clay, plaster casts, measuring guides, and free-hand- sculpting.
The Pellettieri Stonecarvers’ Academy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is dedicated to offering training in the traditional techniques of stone carving and promoting awareness and appreciation of stone carving. These classes teach students to understand and appreciate stone as a building material. They learn how to shape a block of stone into arches, domes, vaulting ceilings, and more. They pride themselves on preserving the ancient traditions of stone carving and passing them on to the next generation.
General Admission $5
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Greenpoint Over Time
Greenpoint Over Time
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Apr 27, 2024April 27, 2024
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.In Greenpoint’s history, the waterfront has always played a central role. On our walk with tour guide Geoff Cobb, we will visit sites that trace the development of the area’s waterfront including the site of the area’s first European settlement, the dozens of shipyards that once lined West Street, the site where the first ironclad battleship, the Monitor, was constructed and discuss the controversial plans for a museum honoring this historic ship, and will talk about the area’s thousands of longshoremen and explain organized crime’s deep connection to the Greenpoint waterfront.
As we continue through Northern Brooklyn, you will see the American Manufacturing Company building, reputedly the largest hemp rope maker in the world, and talk about how women working there fought a pitched battle with the police during their 1910 strike. Geoff will point out the sites of buildings that were candidates for landmarking and talk about the suspicious fire that destroyed these buildings. Finally, he will talk about the many new towers altering the skyline and how Greenpoint is the most rapidly gentrifying area in the city.
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2024 Six to Celebrate launch party
2024 Six to Celebrate launch party
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Apr 30, 2024Join HDC on April 30th at the 2024 Six to Celebrate launch party!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.Stitch Bar and Blues
247 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018Join HDC as we officially welcome the 2024 Six to Celebrate groups! Enjoy beer, wine, and light snacks while mingling with preservationists from across the city. Come hear more about the campaigns HDC will be undertaking in collaboration with this year’s recipients.
HDC’s 2024 Six to Celebrate community partners are:
- Bayside, Queens
- Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn
- Garment District, Manhattan
- Pelham Parkway & Allerton, The Bronx
- Rose Hill/Kip’s Bay, Manhattan
- Washington Heights, Manhattan
$25 General Admission; $15 Friends of HDC