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More Pleadings for Coney Buildings
The Landmarks Preservation Committee recently told the preservation group Save Coney Island that their proposed historic district would not be referred to the full commission for consideration. In response, eleven New York historians have signed a letter still urging that the buildings be saved from Joe Sitt’s wrecking ball. The full letter is after the jump. Something must be done to prevent the demolition of the buildings,” says historian Michael Immerso. “Mayor Bloomberg should immediately intervene.
A Push Toward Preservation in Coney Island [Brownstoner]
Sit Disses Coney Island’s Historic Buildings [Brownstoner]
The Gutting of the Henderson Begins [Brownstoner]
Thor Reveals Soulless Vision for Surf Ave. [Brownstoner]
Tor and City Close on Coney Deal [Brownstoner] (more…)
06/10/2010 10:01 AM
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A Push Toward Preservation in Coney Island
On the heels of Joe Sitt’s statement that the old buildings in Coney Island are “just horrible, rundown relics with nothing exciting about them, the preservationist group Save Coney Island has released renderings of what two of Coney Island’s historical buildings could become if they were preserved, restored, and reused. Among the threatened buildings are the Glasshorn, Henderson’s Music Hall (Save Coney Island’s rendering pictured above, compared with Sitt’s below), the Shore Hotel, and the Coney Island Bank. While the group fully supports the opening of Luna Park, they are racing against the clock to establish a Coney Island Historic District to protect these buildings from Thor’s wrecking ball. These historic buildings could be the foundation for a spectacular and unique 21st century Coney Island, said Save Coney Island spokesman Juan Rivero. But for that too happen we need to think more creatively about the enormous potential of Coney’s built legacy.
Save Landmarks of Coney Island from Cyclone Sitt [NY Daily News]
Sitt Disses Coney’s Historical Buildings [Brownstoner]
The Gutting of the Henderson Begins [Brownstoner]
Thor Reveals Soulless Vision for Surf Ave. [Brownstoner]
Thor and City Close on Coney Deal [Brownstoner]
06/02/2010 9:00 AM
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A Closer Look at Admiral’s Row
A couple of weeks ago, we reported on a meeting about the preservability of Admiral’s Row — and shared our concern about the historical buildings there that may be deemed unsalvageable. A piece in the New York Times this weekend offers more details on the buildings in the Navy Yard that were “largely left to rot,” paying special attention to the timber shed, which “was once used to repair masts of large sailing vessels.” It’s the last building of its kind in the U.S., but engineers have found that it might be “beyond repair.”
The Times spoke with Kristin Leahy, cultural resources manager for the National Guard Bureau, but they didn’t get much of an update: “Another analysis of the site by the National Guard Bureau, which still controls the site, should be complete in coming weeks, she said; all options will then be on the table again.” In the meantime, some photos of the site (including the one we’ve shared here) have been posted on the blog Discovering/Losing Admiral’s Row.
Timber Shed Might Not Be Saved After All [Brownstoner]
It’s Curtains for Most of Admiral’s Row [Brownstoner]
The Struggle to Preserve the Brooklyn Navy Yard [NY Times]
05/17/2010 11:00 AM
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A Reprieve for Historic Brownsville Church
In a surprise move, it appears that the Catholic Diocese has decided to spare the Lady of Loreto church from the wrecking ball. While the church has yet to issue a formal statement, The Daily News reported on Friday that a compromise has been reached that would avoid demolition. The decision comes after months of negotiations with a preservationist group comprised largely of Italian Americans that sought to save a piece of its cultural heritage that has fallen into disuse as the neighborhood has transformed over recent decades to a largely black community. The Catholic Church had been planning to tear down the turn of the century structure to make way for 88 units of affordable housing. Under the new preservation plan, the church will be preserved, possibly as some kind of community center, and 50 or so affordable apartments would be built. “It’s a toned-down plan but at least we have saved the church,” said Charles Piazza, who’s led the preservation fight. “There are a lot of conversations taking place but there have been no decisions,” said Msgr. Kieran Harrington, a Brooklyn Diocese spokesman.
Brownsville Community Saves Church from Demolition [NY Daily News]
Lady of Loreto’s Most Desperate Hour [Brownstoner]
Fight to Preserve Ocean Hill Church [Brownstoner]
Photo from Loretochurch.com
05/17/2010 9:00 AM
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Heights Project Wins Preservation Award
The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards were handed out by the The New York Landmarks Conservancy in a ceremony at The Natural History Museum on Wednesday night. Only one residential project received a nod this year: Brooklyn Heights-based architect Tom van den Bout was honored for the restoration of 36 Grace Court. At one time covered in a modern metal facade, the house was immaculately restored to original brownstone form between November 2008 and July of 2009. (Kelly Construction was the contractor.) For a look at what the house looked like pre-renovation, check out MyHomeBrooklyn, where the story was originally reported.
van den Bout Wins An Oscar [MyHomeBrooklyn]
04/23/2010 9:00 AM
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Lady of Loreto’s Most Desperate Hour
The plight of the Lady of Loreto, the landmarking-worthy-but-not-yet-landmarked church in the formerly Italian but now primarily African American and Latino neighborhood of Brownsville, went to Defcon 1 last week, as workers for the Catholic Diocese began draping the 100-year-old church in netting in preparation for demolition. (We were unable to find any record of a DOB application for demolition though.) The Diocese plans to replace the structure with 88 units of affordable housing. A group of Italian-Americans that has been waging a campaign to preserve the church has put forth an alternative plan that would create the housing while preserving the church as an arts and community center; the plan was put together in conjunction with several prominent members of the local African American community, including Jeffrey Dunston, CEO of the nonprofit Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation. “We have a real plan, which will make a real difference in this community,” Msgr. Kieran E. Harrington told The New York Times. “The other side has wishful thinking.
A Fight for a Church Is Evoking Introspection [NY Times]
Fight to Preserve Ocean Hill Church [Brownstoner]
Photo from the Bridge and Tunnel Club
03/29/2010 10:01 AM
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MacDonough Street: The Grand Tour
We heard that about 40 people attended Christopher Gray’s one-hour walking tour of MacDonough Street in Stuyvesant Heights yesterday morning. If you missed it, you can still retrace his footsteps via his Streetscapes piece in the New York Times. Gray leads us down the four-block stretch from “1860s villa-style mansions to 1890s mass-produced brownstones.” Architecturally speaking, he writes, “The two groups from Nos. 323 to 333 are nothing special, except that excavation work at 329 caused the Department of Buildings to order it and No. 331 demolished in January, alarming neighborhood groups.” (As our own Montrose Morris wrote a couple of weeks ago, the homeowners, the community, the Landmarks Conservancy, and the HDC came together to do some emergency stabilization work to save the buildings. They may not be the prettiest facades on the block, but they are real people’s homes.) Gray also points out his favorites: “No. 160, with deeply weathered oak doors and mottled plant growth on the stonework, shows why the Restoration Hardware school of repro-history can be so unsatisfying — you cannot buy real age.”
An Architectural Encyclopedia [NY Times]
MacDonough St. Houses Report [Brownstoner]
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]
03/01/2010 8:58 AM
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Fight to Preserve Ocean Hill Church
A big preservation struggle is coming to a head out in Ocean Hill, reports The Brooklyn Eagle, where a group of Italian Americans is fighting to prevent the Catholic Diocese from tearing down the beautiful Our Lady of Loreto Church; the neighborhood, which was predominantly Italian from the 1880s to 1970s, is now one of the poorest in the borough. The preservationist group Save Our Lady of Loreto has rallied the support of Sen. Diane Savino (D-Bay Ridge/Staten Island), Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Assemblyman William Boyland. The church was determined to be eligible in 2009 to be listed on the National Register of Historic Sites by the New York State Office of Historic Preservation and The New York Landmarks Conservancy has called the church historically significant: It’s one of the first examples of a Catholic church built in a igh Italian baroque style as well as one of the first instances of concrete construction being used in an artistic way. The Diocese argues that restoring the church would be prohibitively expensive. It’s a question of where we’re going to put our resources,” said Msgr. Kieran Harrington. Plus, the preservation effort is being led by people who do not live in the community and did not support the church when it was open, he says. Instead, the Diocese said it wants to tear the church down and build affordable housing, despite the fact that the preservationists along with the Conservancy has come up with an alternate plan for affordable housing nearby. Very sad.
Preservationists Seek To Save Historically Italian-American Church [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo from the Bridge and Tunnel Club
02/17/2010 10:00 AM
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MacDonough St. Houses Report
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. (more…)
02/12/2010 11:30 AM
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Preservation Page
2010 may prove to be a banner year for historic preservation in central Brooklyn.
Although the LPC gets hundreds of requests from all over the city, those of us involved in preserving these areas are confident that Landmarks will see fit to evaluate, calendar, and then designate these historic Brooklyn neighborhoods soon.
1. Crown Heights North Historic District, Phase II landmarking the center of the Crown Heights North neighborhood, which includes some of the most architecturally significant blocks and structures, including the former Methodist Episcopal Home for the Aged. Roughly, Bergen, St. Marks, Prospect Pl, Park Pl, Sterling, St Johns, Lincoln and parts of EP, from Nostrand to Brooklyn. Phase II is currently calendared by the LPC.
(more…)
12/30/2009 1:30 PM
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Norval White – A Preservation Hero Passes
Today has turned into Historic Preservation Day on Brownstoner, so it is appropriate to celebrate the life, and mourn the passing, of Norval White, the co-author of the AIA Guide to New York City, and a giant in the historical preservation world. Mr. White died Saturday at the ripe old age of 83.
In 1968, Norval White and Elliot Willensky, both architects, published the first edition of the Guide. It was opinionated, witty, well laid out, extremely interesting, and an instant success. Several editions have been printed since, all updated to reflect the changing face of the city. The Times, in their obituary, writes, the AIA Guide tapped into and fostered a growing national awareness that America had an architectural past worth preserving, a present worth studying and a future worth debating. It also offered a template for other city guides. But after four decades, it stands alone.
(more…)
12/30/2009 9:45 AM
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Living With the Past, Looking Towards the Future for MAS
The Times ran an interesting story about the future of the Municipal Arts Society. (MAS). They are the venerable preservation organization, founded in 1893, that saved the Jefferson Market Courthouse, helped establish the City Planning Commission in 1938, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965. They rallied such luminaries as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to save Grand Central Station, and successfully stopped the Zuckerman towers that would have darkened the West Side, at Columbus Circle. They also support smaller neighborhood preservation movements throughout the city. Lately, however, they’ve been too quiet on the big issues that affect the city now, such as the Atlantic Yards project, and Coney Island development, and in general, have been rendered irrelevant dinosaurs by budget problems, a lack of new membership, and a board with no term limits. Hopefully, things are about to change.
(more…)
12/30/2009 9:00 AM
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Admiring Admiral’s Row
Admiral’s Row, the 19th-century, Second Empire-style officers’ quarters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has been receiving attention from preservationists for some time now. The Fort Greene Association, for example, has been campaigning for at least four years to save these historic buildings. And The New York Times this weekend profiled another preservationist, Scott Witter, an architect who runs Brooklyn’s Other Museum of Brooklyn—an eclectic homage to Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn, and forgotten times, which is run out of a private home near the BQE. The article recounts the recent plans for the 11 buildings of the row: the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation will raze nine of them and develop the land for a supermarket, parking, and retail. The city says the buildings would cost too much to rebuild, and the federal government condemned most of the row last spring—a verdict that Witter and groups like the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Historic Districts Council oppose, especially since, according to the Times, “a 2008 report commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers found the superstructures of the Admiral’s Row houses to be generally ‘sound, level and plumb.’” B.O.M.B., Witter’s museum, is open at 102 Steuben Street on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
A Tiny Museum’s Mission: to Still the Wrecking Ball [NY Times]
10/05/2009 9:59 AM
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Fight to Landmark the Home of Nathan’s
Preservation of Coney Island is such a charged topic that it has practically become an official Brooklyn sport. The next round in the game is one resident’s attempt to save the Nathan’s hotdog building by granting it landmark status and forcing developments to take root elsewhere. The petition, launched on Sunday, had 51 supporters at the time of this post, with a goal of 50,000. Note also that PetitionSpot, the site hosting the petition, has another, similar petition here, with 34 supporters and a goal of 100,000. Do you think the Nathan’s building is worth the fight? For a little history, check out the Flickr posting of the above photo from Wallyg.
08/03/2009 10:15 AM
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It’s Curtains for Most of Admiral’s Row
Despite the best efforts of preservationists, who generated a number of proposals detailing how the Admiral’s Row structures could be maintained while also allowing for the construction of a supermarket, most of the historic buildings on the Navy Yard site are slated to be demolished, according to Crain’s. The Timber Shed (above) and one of the 10 other buildings on the site will be preserved, according to a statement released by Andrew Kimball, president of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp, who also said that a request for proposals for a developer to build a supermarket and manufacturing space will go out in the next 90 days. The process will result in the redevelopment of what has become a blighted eyesore that has burdened the community and the Brooklyn Navy Yards for decades, said Kimball. While the news is a blow for preservationists, it’s certainly not an unexpected one.
Admiral’s Row Demolition Near [Crain's]
Ugly Politics May Trump Reason in Admiral’s Row Saga [Brownstoner]
Admiral’s Row: Up Close and Personal [Brownstoner]
MAS Floats Plans to Preserve Admiral’s Row & Build Market [Brownstoner]
Public Hearing on Admiral’s Row Held Last Night [Brownstoner]
Pratties Have ‘Cake-and-Eat-It’ Design for Admiral’s Row [Brownstoner]
Guard Starts Talks ‘To Come Up With Alternatives’ For Row [Brownstoner]
James Opens Door to (Partial) Admiral’s Row Preservation [Brownstoner]
Officers’ Row Supermarket Not Happening Anytime Soon [Brownstoner]
Admiral’s Row: Feds Must ‘Consider’ Preservation [Brownstoner]
Admiral’s Row: “Extremely High Level of Historic Integrity” [Brownstoner]
Officers’ Row: Let’s Have Our Cake and Eat It Too [Brownstoner]
Officers’ Row Preservation Coming to a Contentious Head [Brownstoner]
For Officer’s Row, Supermarket All But Certain [Brownstoner]
05/28/2009 9:00 AM
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MAS Continues to Push for Admiral’s Row Preservation
The Municipal Art Society has put together the video above in advance of a meeting representatives from the group will attend tonight to advocate for the preservation of the Admiral’s Row buildings at the Navy Yard. The organization, which has come up with plans to preserve the structures as well as build a new supermarket and retail space, calls the rumors that only the site’s timber shed will be preserved an “inadequate solution.”
Admiral’s Row Update [MAS]
Ugly Politics May Trump Reason in Admiral’s Row Saga [Brownstoner]
MAS Floats Plans to Preserve Admiral’s Row & Build Market [Brownstoner]
05/27/2009 10:00 AM
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St. George’s Mosaic Demolished
“It seems odd that in a neighborhood known for its fierce defense of architecture and craftsmanship that it was so easy for workers at the Hotel St. George to demolish the mural that adorned one of its walls for decades so quickly,” wrote the Brooklyn Heights Blog yesterday after spotting chunks of the mural in a dumpster. Why did this happen? Safety.
04/10/2009 10:19 AM
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Navy Yard Launches Restoration of Sands Street Gate House
Yesterday was a big day at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with Mayor Bloomberg and numerous other officials in attendance to cheer a number of initiatives that have taken form or been announced in recent months like the Perry Building, which is the nation’s first multi-story green industrial building, as well as the impending state-of-the-art renovations for the Duggal and Agger Fish buildings. (More on those projects here, here and here.) While we’re enthusiastic about all of those projects, the unpublicized story of the day was the most exciting to us: The restoration of the two original gate houses at the Sands Street entrance to the Navy Yard. We spied workers atop the structure earlier this week (photo) and got confirmation from Navy Yard president Andrew Kimball yesterday that the restoration had just begun. The current structure that most people are familiar with is actually a wooden exterior that was added over the two gate houses about 40 years ago and appropriated more recently by the tow pound. The entire wood skeleton is coming down and the brick and marble gate houses are going to be restored to their original splendor, minus two turrets that appear to be permanently gone. We give the BNYDC a lot of grief over Admiral’s Row but in this case they deserve a lot of praise for this worthwhile preservation effort. It should be exciting to watch! Update: We just got our hands on a rendering of the aerial view of the Sands Street entrance when the restoration in complete. Click through to check it out. (more…)
04/10/2009 9:00 AM
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Preservation Makes It To The NYT Editorial Page
NEVER before has America had so many compelling reasons to preserve the homes in its older residential neighborhoods. We need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We want to create jobs, and revitalize the neighborhoods where millions of Americans live. All of this could be accomplished by making older homes more energy-efficient…Before demolishing an old building to make way for a new one, consider the amount of energy required to manufacture, transport and assemble the pieces of that building. With the destruction of the building, all that energy is utterly wasted. Then think about the additional energy required for the demolition itself, not to mention for new construction. Preserving a building is the ultimate act of recycling. — Richard Moe in The New York Times
04/07/2009 9:59 AM
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HDC’s Tips for Owners of Historic Buildings
If you own an old house in New York City, you may want to take a gander at the latest brochure from the Historic Districts Council called Financial Incentives for Historic Buildings. Short version: The are several different kinds of tax credits and low-interest loans available for folks who live in either areas or buildings that have been designated by the LPC, New York State of the National Register of Historic Places. The HDC brochure lays out all the options for you.
03/18/2009 10:13 AM
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panyl
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM