Landmarking Bed Stuy: A Forum
(Photo:reclaimedhome) Over 400 people crowded into a basement meeting room at Restoration Plaza last night to attend an informative meeting on landmarking, hosted by Community Board 3’s Landmark Committee. Panelists included representatives from the LPC, Historic Districts Council, and Landmarks Conservancy. Representation from the grass roots organizations Bedford Stuyvesant Society for Historic Preservation, Bedford Corners…
(Photo:reclaimedhome)
Over 400 people crowded into a basement meeting room at Restoration Plaza last night to attend an informative meeting on landmarking, hosted by Community Board 3’s Landmark Committee. Panelists included representatives from the LPC, Historic Districts Council, and Landmarks Conservancy. Representation from the grass roots organizations Bedford Stuyvesant Society for Historic Preservation, Bedford Corners Joint Block Association, Save Bedford Stuyvesant and SEPAL, along with other block associations, joined a large crowd of neighbors and elected officials. Executive Director Kate Daley announced that the LPC would be going ahead with designating the already calendared Stuyvesant Heights Extension, and would be looking at other areas, citing a recent survey conducted by the LPC of over 8,000 landmark worthy buildings in the very large Bedford Stuyvesant community. Smaller historic districts would be phased in across a period of years.
City Councilman Al Vann stated he would advocate in the City Council for Bedford Stuyvesant, as he did for Crown Heights North, when the Council votes to designate. State Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries promised to press for the Bedford Corners Historic District to be the next area to be landmarked, and vowed to keep that neighborhood on the LPC and City Council’s front page. A question and answer session followed with residents asking questions about the LPC’s rules and regulations regarding changes to facades, windows, the grandfather clause, and the usual general landmarking questions. The overall impression at the end of the meeting was that Landmarks was very pleased by the turnout and positive interest of the majority of the crowd, an important part of their decision to landmark any area. Hopefully, this is another step towards historic designation of a long overdue, architecturally rich part of New York City.
Begs the question as to why landmarking has to be so restrictive. Stop major facade changes, inappropriate additions and teardowns by all means. But why not have a different level of landmarking where minor stuff like doorknobs, paint color, and sidewalks are not throttled? Or even windows, I don’t see anything wrong with a different window style.
If storms and screens are used on a non-permanent, seasonal basis, why do they evne need to be approved??
I thought it was a great meeting and happy to see this moving forward.
bessie, the LPC LOVES storm windows.
Check out their window rules on line; there is a section on storm window installation.
I love storm windows for blocking out the winter air. I find my newish naked, Marvin windows quite drafty but I didn’t think we would have a prayer of getting storm windows past Landmarks. Screens either. What’s other’s take on that?
Agree with Mopar, storm windows are always a viable lower cost option than buying all new units.
Grand Army: My New York apartment is in an historic district in Manhattan. A neighbor with a brownstone house just replaced all his street-front windows with metal frames whose color is historically “accurate” — and with LPC’s approval. (I haven’t seen wood used around here in a while.) From the sidewalk, the difference from the original windows can be discerned but isn’t disruptive. So this five-story 19th-century house is nice and cozy — and up-to-date.
Thrilled this is happening. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this. Very sorry I could not be there last night.
“LPC’s window replacement rules means homeowners have to choose between new wood windows that can cost well into the thousands (vs aluminum costing “only” hundreds) or doing nothing and putting up with the discomfort and high energy costs of a drafty house.”
Complete baloney. If you are blessed enough to have original windows, proper maintenance plus storm windows = much more energy efficient than replacement windows.