Admiral's Row Preservation: Still Stymied
The Times has an update on the frustrating saga involving the will-it-or-won’t-it happen preservation of a couple Admiral’s Row buildings at the Navy Yard. The story notes that the National Guard, which has control of Admiral’s Row until a historical and environmental review is complete and it can be transfered to the Brooklyn Navy Yard…
The Times has an update on the frustrating saga involving the will-it-or-won’t-it happen preservation of a couple Admiral’s Row buildings at the Navy Yard. The story notes that the National Guard, which has control of Admiral’s Row until a historical and environmental review is complete and it can be transfered to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, won’t allow the Navy Yard corporation to make even minimal efforts to try and preserve the buildings. Here’s the rub: “The National Guard has not even permitted the Navy Yard corporation to enter the grounds for such elementary and relatively inexpensive measures as boarding up the broken doors and windows of the timber shed and Quarters B with plywood or covering them with tarpaulins to protect them from rain and snow. The Guard contends that any efforts to sustain the building could endanger workers.” The Navy Yard corporation and preservationists are, of course, frustrated by the National Guard’s stance. The article says it’s unclear when the necessary reviews of the site will be complete so that it can finally be transfered. Last month a bunch of politicians and Community Board 2 called for Navy Yard officials to have access to Admiral’s Row in order to make emergency repairs to the two buildings, but that appears to have come to nought.
A Battle Over Preservation in a Strip Once Worthy of Admirals [NY Times]
CB2 Also Calls for Timber Shed Preservation [Brownstoner]
Preservation Groups Sound Admirals Row Alarm [Brownstoner]
Is Admiral’s Row Timber Shed Beyond Repair? [Brownstoner]
BREAKING: Admiral’s Row Renderings Released [Brownstoner]
Timber Shed Gets Reinforced [Brownstoner]
Timber Shed Might Not Be Saved After All [Brownstoner]
It’s Curtains for Most of Admiral’s Row [Brownstoner]
Because that WILL get someone killed, Jessi. It needs to be done during the day, with lots of hands working, people who know what they are doing and have the right equipment. Ninja preservationists in the middle of the night could not do it. Besides, they wouldn’t be able to get in the facility, and walking around there at night really is dangerous, with broken glass,cisterns, fallen masonry, trees and overgrowth hiding all the pitfalls,etc.
Serious question: what motivation does the national guard have in letting the buildings fall into such a state of disrepair that it no longer makes sense to fix them?
Also, if all these buildings need are tarps and to have the windows boarded up, why doesn’t some concerned citizen just do it when nobody is looking?
“could easily be death traps for any well-meaning workers.”
Which we don’t know because they won’t let anyone near the place. It’s a Catch-22, self-fulfilling prophesy.
I’m in favor of saving what could be saved, like at least 2 of the houses, and possibly the timber shed, (which looks pretty unlikely at this point), but at the rate they are ignoring these buildings to death, there won’t be anything left to save.
Which is probably the whole idea.
Probably couldn’t get insurance for the work.
I fear these buildings are doomed. As much as I wish the National Guard would just let preservationists in, their argument about safety is not without merit. For far too long the interiors of these buildings have been exposed to the elements and could easily be death traps for any well-meaning workers.
If they feel it is unsafe for workers to work there, then they should just raze the whole site and call it a day. it looks horrible now and is not getting any better any time soon.
Whats wrong with people these days???/
This makes me want to cry, what a bunch of morons.
The sale of this land has taken forever. The whole Louisiana Purchase was done in a small fraction of the that it has taken the National Guard to convey this smallish parcel to the City.
And with the Lousiana Purchase, the federal government had to bargain with none other that Napoleon Bonaparte.
I personally love riding my bike by and seeing the buildings rotting away, it gives a nice history and character to the neighborhood and provides a beautiful stage for the plant life.
Maybe instead of tearing down the rot and plants in an effort to restore the buildings…we embrace it and treat it like protected green space?