In This Issue:
Grassroots Preservation Awards Invitation- June 4th
Grassroots Preservation Award Winners
First Avenue Estate Hardship Denied!
Graduate Thesis Presentations- May 28th
Secret Lives Tour- Roosevelt Island- June 10th
2014 Grassroots Preservation Awards
A native Forest Hills resident, Michael Perlman is the Chairman of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council. The Council works to preserve and commemorate the architectural and cultural history of Forest Hills and Rego Park, as well surrounding areas of Queens through advocacy and property owner assistance.
The 730 Riverside Drive Tenants Association, established more than 50 years ago, advocates for the safety, preservation and quality of life for residents of their beautiful West Harlem apartment complex.
First Avenue Estate Coalition is a group of advocates who have worked passionately against the application to demolish two landmark model tenement buildings. The coalition includes Friends of First Avenue Estate and Concerned Citizens of E. 64th and E. 65thSts-First to York Avenues , two tenant groups who have advocated for the preservation of their homes for more than 25 years, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts and Jessica Lappin, local Council Member from 2006-2013, The Multi-Board Task Force, Chaired by Lola Finkelstein and consisting of Manhattan Community Boards 1, 4, 5 and 6, was established in 2012 in order to investigate and evaluate the East Midtown Rezoning proposal put forth by the Bloomberg Administration.
The Lo-Down a community website and monthly print magazine that is the local resource for current events, culture, real estate and entertainment for the Lower East Side of Manhattan.The Lo-Down continuously produces comprehensive articles, updates and photos concerning the preservation of historic buildings and historic districts.
Gale Brewer was elected the 27th Manhattan Borough President in 2013. Ms. Brewer previously served on the City Council for 12 years, representing the 6th Council District which includes most of the Upper West Side and northern Clinton, and encompasses 10 designated historic districts. During her many years of dedicated public service, she has been anenthusiastic and strong supporter of preservation efforts in Manhattan (and beyond.)
This event is open to the public at a cost of $30, $20 for Friends of HDC. Doors open at 6:15 pm, and the award ceremony will begin at 6:45 pm, with a reception to follow. For more information, go to the Grassroots page or call 212-614-9107.
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A Special Congratulations to our Grassroots Award Winners
First Avenue Estate Coalition
Yesterday May 20,2014 the Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously to deny Stahl York Avenue’s request to demolish two six-story apartment buildings, 419 East 64th Street aka 430 65th Street. Designed by Phillip H. Ohm, they were built as part of the model tenement complex City and Suburban Homes First Avenue Estates in 1914-15, and altered in 2006.
The Commissioners agreed that there were several holes in Stahl’s hardship application, with the most glaring being the assertion that a reasonable return on the buildings could not be obtained. The Commission noted that the applicant undervalued potential rent revenue and did not consider other possible income sources, including the sale of development rights. The Commissioners stated that the case represented a self-created hardship due to years of intentionally vacating apartments and deferring maintenance.
Chair Robert Tierney concluded the hearing by stating that the Commission’s job is not only to preserve historic resources, but to also be mindful of the rights of those who own and occupy them, which is especially important in hardship cases like this one. He applauded the Commission and its staff on the care and fairness with which the case was treated.
“This vote is a victory for affordable housing, for historic preservation, and, ultimately, for all of New York City said Tara Kelly, Executive Director of FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, a local organization that has been working for years to protect this site.
On June 11, 2013 HDC testified against the hardship proposal :
The Historic Districts Council continues to stand with those who feel this application does not meet the criteria for a hardship to demolish these individual landmarks. As the report from HR&A and the testimony of advocates has shown, imprudent management and lack of credibility plague these buildings and this application. Approval of this application would not only mean the loss of these two landmarked buildings, it would mean lowering the bar of what counts as a hardship and opening the floodgates to other supposed hardships and further demolitions.
To read our full testimony click here
Graduate Thesis Presentations
As the only citywide voice for community-based preservation, the Historic Districts Council is eager to recognize graduate work that makes a contribution to historic preservation in New York City. The evening’s six presentations address the full spectrum of issues: cultural, political, esthetic, material, historical and others. We wish to enrich the field of preservation advocacy in New York City by making fresh scholarship available to a wide audience.
Measuring the Impact of Historic District Designation on Real Estate in New York City– Julia Lewis (Columbia)
Tapestry Brick Dwellings: The Emergence of a Residential Type in Brooklyn– Jonathan Taylor (Columbia)
No Building Left Behind: Gaining Energy Efficiency in New York City’s State and National Register Properties– Lakan Cole (Pratt
The Manhattan Taxpayer Building: Symbol of Decline and Catalyst for Change– Lauren Hall Wallis (Columbia)
Early Twentieth Century “Face Brick” as a National Industry (New York City Focus)-Julie Rosen (Columbia)
The Future of Preservation, Preservation of the Future– Jessica Baldwin (Pratt)
Wednesday May 28, 2014
World Monuments Fund Office
at the Empire State Building
6 PM
FREE Reservations Required
RSVP to Brigid Harmon at 212-614-9107 or [email protected]
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Secret Lives Tour: Mid-century Roosevelt Island
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
11:00 AM
Roosevelt Island, the sliver of land that sits between Manhattan and Queens, once home to prisons, asylums and welfare facilities, was redeveloped in the early 1970s as the most ambitious effort of the New York State Urban Development Corporation. The master plan for the island included a “utopian” vision of a car-free island, with a centralized pneumatic garbage collection system, a commercial corridor, public spaces and a waterfront promenade. The civic, residential and commercial architecture of the island, built largely between 1974 and 1977, reflects the modern urban design aesthetics of the period in a concentrated way, not seen elsewhere in the city. Indeed, the architects responsible for this tableau form a veritable “who’s who” of modern design including Phillip Johnson, John Burgee and Josep Lluis Sert. Join Ashok Bhavnani, who with his partner John Johansen, built many of the residential buildings, for an island tour and a secret peak inside Rivercross, one of his well-loved residential buildings.
$45 for Friends of HDC, $55 for general public