NoHo Extension Designated in its entirety
Earlier this afternoon, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses voted 7-2 to affirm the landmark designation of the NoHo Historic District Extension in its entirety, including the controversial White House Hotel at 338 Bowery. The Land Use Committee also passed the district with a vote of 22-3 and it was affirmed by the full Council at its stated meeting today.
The inclusion of the White House Hotel, one of the oldest existent lodging houses left on the Bowery, to the district was only due to the strong and persistent advocacy of Council member Alan Gerson who worked for months trying to find a balance between the community’s desire to preserve the character of their neighborhood, the property owner’s development plans and the humanitarian needs of the longtime residents of the hotel, who are currently living in substandard conditions. In his statement to his colleagues supporting the inclusion of the property in the extension, CM Gerson submitted four letters into the record: one from the property owners withdrawing their opposition to designation; one from the Landmarks Preservation Commission stating that the agency would work with the owners as swiftly as possible on their development plans (which will almost certainly include a hardship application, although one simpler than the ongoing St. Vincent’s case); one from the Council member pledging to work with the owners on their concerns and to aid the residents in finding needed resources to improve their living conditions; and one from a community group supporting CM Gerson’s efforts and pledging their support as well.
Council member Rosie Mendez, whose district includes both a portion of the Bowery and the Extension, also spoke strongly in favor of finding a solution that satisfied both preservation and humanitarian concerns; using as an example the Prince George Hotel in the Madison Square North Historic District which has been rehabbed, restored and converted into housing for over 400 low-income and formerly houseless individuals. Subcommittee Chair Jessica Lappin thoughtfully guided the wide-ranging discussion of the subcommittee back to the issue at hand, the inclusion of a historically-significant building to a historic district. In the end, following Chair Lappin’s recommendation, the Subcommittee voted 7-2 to approve the entire extension as designated by the LPC in May 2008, and this recommendation was approved 22-3 by the full Land Use Committee which met immediately afterwards.
HDC thanks all the individuals and agencies who worked for years to make this designation possible; Zella Jones, Jeanne Wilke, Tizianna Hardy, Stan Reis, Chuck Close, Pi Gardiner, the NoHo Neighborhood Association, the Friends of NoHo Architecture, the numerous friends and residents of NoHo who have shown up at countless meetings over the years and sent goodness knows how many letters in support, and last but certainly not least, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, without whom the designation could not have happened.
HDC sends special thanks to Council Alan Gerson for his persistence and tenacity in supporting this designation, and his extraordinary efforts to create a consensus around a difficult issue. Together with local advocates, we met with Mr. Gerson back in August 2001 (at a sandwich shop in a building that no longer exists on the west side of Centre Street between Chambers and Reade Streets) while he was still a candidate in a six-way race for City Council and spoke to him about the need to complete the designation of NoHo. Mr. Gerson pledged his support at the time and now, seven years later, he delivered on that promise.