PROPOSED CENTRAL RIDGEWOOD HISTORIC DISTRICT
Statement of the Historic Districts Council
Designation Hearing
March 22, 2011
Item 6
BOROUGH OF QUEENS
LP 2448
PROPOSED CENTRAL RIDGEWOOD HISTORIC DISTRICT
The Historic Districts Council is the advocate for New York City’s designated historic districts and neighborhoods meriting preservation.
The Historic Districts Council commends the Landmarks Preservation Commission for bringing forward this neighborhood of working and middle class housing for consideration as a historic district. It is interesting to reflect that the same years these buildings were being constructed, there were still spectacular mansions being built along Fifth Avenue for New York’s moneyed class. Ironically, most of those buildings are now gone, demolished in the race to the next new thing, and Ridgewood remains both with us and viable.
In 1983, Ridgewood was placed on the National and State Register of Historic Places, the largest Multiple Historic Resource Area in the nation. Over the past few years, LPC has done much to make sure this distinctive place is protected with local landmarking, adding Ridgewood North and Ridgewood South to the earlier designated tiny district of Stockholm Street and now hearing Central South. We support this designation and urge the commission to continue working to designate the rest of this historic neighborhood.