Peachy Landmarks: Midtown East Rezoning Update Stringer Supports Midtown East Over Conservancy and Community Objections
“Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. Maybe…this is the time to take a stand, to reverse the tide, so that we won’t all end up in a uniform world of steel and glass boxes.”
—-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
The New York Landmarks Conservancy tells Whom You Know:
Borough President Scott Stringer tried to “split the baby” by recommending conditional approval of the Midtown East rezoning proposal. The Conservancy urged him to reject the proposal which poses a threat to architecturally distinguished buildings in Midtown East.
Stringer’s statement followed a last-minute promise by the Mayor that the City would put in upfront money for transit improvements that would be repaid through future development. It was a promise with no details of how much money, where it would go, or what it would accomplish. Similar plans have not worked at developments including Hudson Yards.
The Borough President’s recommendation made clear that landmarked buildings should not stand in the way of new development, and he did not call for the designation of any new landmarks.
Take Action!
The next opportunity for you to act will be at the City Planning Commission public hearing, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 9:00 am at the US Custom House, One Bowling Green. If this plan passes, the public will no longer have a voice when developers want to demolish the historic buildings of Midtown East, so join us at the hearing.
Landmark News
REBNY vs. New Yorkers
Anti-Landmarking
Hysteria Continues
The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) issued another broadside this month in its continuing attack on landmarking and historic districts. But the real issue comes down to this: Who do you want controlling the character of your neighborhood? You and your neighbors or real estate developers?
The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission continues to create historic districts because residents of those areas have asked them to. There are still some 50 neighborhoods throughout the City seeking landmark designation.
Why? Historic districts protect property values, quality of life, and housing stock. Restoration work provides hundreds of local jobs. Commercial historic districts like Soho and Ladies Mile attract New Yorkers and tourists alike—for the shops and restaurants, but also for their unique character. REBNYignores this.
REBNY continues to rail against including vacant land or parking lots within historic districts and uses a former gas station at West Houston and Lafayette streets as a poster child.
Citywide
Sandy Emergency Grants Assistance Update
The Conservancy’s $164,000 in post Sandy emergency grants and technical assistance helped 21 historic sites throughout the five boroughs that were damaged by the storm. Nine months later, some are completely up and running while others are still in the midst of repairs. The following is an update on some of the work to date.
Sailors’ Snug Harbor Cultural Center has repaired four windows in the Carl Grillo Glasshouse and repaired glass doors into the winter garden that were blown out by the powerful winds.
Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum has restored fourteen wooden window shutters damaged in the storm and is in the process of re-attaching them to the windows of their 1799 building.
The Garibaldi Museum on Staten Island has fully restored the sandstone entrance piers and wrought iron gates damaged by the storm.
Woodlawn Cemetery has re-positioned numerous stone monuments toppled by falling trees thanks to the rental of a small crane paid for by our grant.
Staten Island
Conservancy Funds Report to Save Landmark Homestead
Thanks to a Conservancy funded engineer’s report, the Landmarks Commission is in active discussions with the owner of the Manee-Seguine Homestead to make needed repairs to this unusual individual landmark.
One of the city’s oldest houses, the Manee-Seguine Homestead, also known as the Abraham Manee House, came perilously close to being lost forever. Located on the waterfront in Prince’s Bay near the southern tip of Staten Island, the house has a complex history that may extend back to the construction of a one-room dwelling by Paulus Regrenier in the late 17th century. A major rubble-stone addition was constructed early in the 18th century by Abraham Manee. Further additions were made by the Seguine family who acquired the property in 1780.
Already in poor condition, the house was further battered by Sandy in 2012. After the storm, the owners informed the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) that the house was too damaged to be salvaged. The LPC then turned to the Conservancy and asked us to fund an engineer’s assessment of the house’s structural condition.
Learn More About Landmarks
Explore New York Landmarks
Download Our iPhone App - With New iPad Version
Landmarks: New York mobile app, a collaboration with the Conservancy and Spatiality Apps, allows you to enter your location or a specific address on a map to identify more than 1,400 landmarked buildingsand sites throughout all five boroughs. Photos, facts and other interesting details are listed for each New York City landmark.
In addition to the mapping feature, you also get the Google Maps Street View option and a photo upload feature that allows you to share your images to Facebook, Twitter or email.
All this for just 99¢!
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Tourist In Your Own Town
The Art Deco Style of Rockefeller Center
During the 1930's and in the midst of the Great Depression, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. financed the construction of the Rockefeller Center complex, originally consisting of 14 Art Deco buildings. Of course everybody knows about the famous Christmas tree and skating rink, but take a closer look around at the original limestone buildings and how they incorporate beautiful pieces of public art.
Location: Midtown Manhattan. The complex spans from 48th to 51st Street and between 5th and 6th Avenue.
There are regular ticketed tours of the complex, but a simple stroll through the urban space will easily show you why this is a unique Historic Landmark.
Mystery Landmark
Did You Guess
This Mystery Landmark?
In the photo, you are looking at the top of the 32-story Verizon Building at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan (also known as theBarclay-Vesey Building). Mystery photo by Glen Umberger.
Gus Christiansen guessed correctly. He cited the Beth Elohim Temple House in Park Slope as one of his favorite landmarks. Gus learned to swim at the pool located inside the Temple House building.
Your financial support is critical to our work protecting the rich architectural legacy of New York – the iconic buildings and diverse neighborhoods – that define this vibrant and extraordinary City.
