From the Landmarks Conservancy comes some details about the battle to save 329 and 331 MacDonough St. in Stuyvesant Heights. The owner of 329, an attorney, quickly sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the DOB from tearing down both houses in the aftermath of his workmen causing the collapse of the party wall in the cellar. Through the auspices of the Landmarks Conservancy and the Historic Districts Council (HDC), several engineers were brought in to assess the damage. The Conservancy then brought in expert shoring contractor Richard Mugler in the next Tuesday, along with representatives from the DOB, who all sat down to plan the saving of the houses. The following Friday, concrete was poured into the trenches the workmen had dug, as well as elsewhere in the cellars, and plans are being enacted to further build the party wall back up, and stabilize the floors in both buildings. It was the concerted efforts of the homeowners, the community, the Landmarks Conservancy, the HDC, and the sympathetic ear of the court that made it possible for these houses to still be standing, now three weeks after the initial collapse.

Unfortunately, many preservationists and supporters of this cause feel that the Landmarks Preservation Commission did not come forth with the kind of help or support they should have. The LPC advocated for the preservation of the facades, after the inevitable tear-down, but did not come to bat for the homeowners and tenants by vigorously trying to find a way to prevent that destruction, as did the Landmarks Conservancy and the Historic Districts Council. Preservation should be about saving real people’s homes, as well as preserving pure architecture. Hopefully the bad press they received on this issue will resonate, and their stand in the future will be more far sighted.
Conservancy Fights to Save Historic Brownstones [Landmarks Conservancy]
Bed Stuy Residents Fight to Save Houses [The Brooklyn Link]
Update on MacDonough Street [Brownstoner]
Salvation on MacDonough Street? [Brownstoner]
Stay of Execution on MacDonough Street [Brownstoner]
MacDonough Street Update [Brownstoner]
Wall Collapse, Vacate Order for Bed Stuy Houses [Brownstoner]