Emergency Hearing re: MacDonough

A CALL TO ACTION

Crisis on MacDonough Street

HELP STOP THE DEMOLITION OF
329 and 331 MACDONOUGH STREET –
2ND HEARING, MONDAY, JANUARY 25th
The Situation:

• In the early morning hours of Wednesday 20th, a section of the shared basement wall supporting both 329 and 331 MacDonough Street (between Stuyvesant and Lewis Aves.) collapsed, compromising both structures.

• Within two hours of the incident, ONE Department of Buildings engineer decided that BOTH buildings – with no other visible evidence of damage beyond that shared basement wall – were to be demolished, effective immediately. Demolition is set for this afternoon!!!

• WHY THE RUSH? – No time has been given to get even a second opinion. No creative solutions to the damage have been allowed to take shape. The Department of Buildings is resisting efforts to have alternative plans from other engineers be taken under advisement.

• WHY CAN’T RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ADDITIONAL ENGINEERS BE CONSIDERED? – Other engineers from the Department of Buildings came to the scene later that day. Even they admitted off-the-record that both buildings, given what they knew of the damage, could be saved.

• WHY IS THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS SO WILLING TO DESTROY A CELEBRATED, ANCHOR BLOCK IN BEDFORD STUYVESANT WITHOUT DUE DILLIGENCE TO PRESERVE NOT DESTROY? If this happened in Brooklyn Heights – another landmarked area – every best effort would be given to preserve the integrity of the buildings involved and the block they occupied. THIS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS! OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COMMUNITY DESERVE OUR PROPER RESPECT, IN KIND!!! We pay taxes too!!!

• If these buildings are destroyed, the damage to our landmarked community would be immense – Demolition would exact a significant economic blow to us all, devaluing our investments, defacing renowned, contiguous architecture, CREATING A HOLE IN THE HEART of HISTORIC STUYVESANT HEIGHTS!!!

• Beyond economics, our beloved neighbors, families, community icons would be displaced. – Much beloved “Mrs. Prince”, for example, a 70-year-old Guyanese immigrant to the United States, has lived in 331 MacDonough for 27 years. She bakes bread for us, gives us cookies, hugs, wit and wisdom, and generously shares clippings from her AMAZING flower garden.

WE HAVE TO GET THIS RIGHT!!!

How You Can Help:

• SHOW OF STRENGTH – MONDAY 1/25/2010 at 2:30PM this hearing that will decide the fate of these buildings @ The Supreme Court Building – 360 Adams Street (A or C to Jay Street Borough Hall) – 4th Floor (Room 438). SEATING IS LIMITED, TRY TO ARRIVE EARLY!

• GET THE WORD OUT ASAP – Call the officials we have elected to represent our interests; favorite talk radio stations; friends in the press.

For updates and additional information, contact: Suzette Hunte @ 917.721.7258 or Krystal Codett @ 347.489.6551