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.
I know many of the people involved in landmarking in Bed-Stuy and Crown heights North. They have looked long and hard into this and in the end feel the benefits outweigh the negatives. They are very realistic about what landmarking means.
And rob- kindly refrain from making ignorant statements about things and people you know nothing about.
Agree with Minard, The good outweighs the bad, most definitely.
I think it’s great to see that the desire to landmark Bed Stuy, comes from ordinary people, as seen in the photo. Not rich white elitests “holding the puppet strings”, as rob so snarkily comments, but everyday folks, of all walks of life. There was fair representation of all of the people who now call Bed Stuy home there last night, as it should be, and most are very united in getting this done. In fact, the effort to landmark has brought all kinds of people together, and has resulted in solid friendships and better neighbors. That’s what it’s all about, working to make neighborhoods better, by protecting our largest, most expensive, and visible assets.
Grand Army makes very valid points alas it is a case of accepting the bad with the good.
I’m certainly in favor of landmarking so as not to get the horrible developments. But, grand army makes two very good points.
quote:
So where are all the moonfaces *rob* is always complaining about?!?
probably holding the puppet strings
*rob*
Despite being an ardent fan of rowhouse architecture and its preservation, I’m developing more and more reservations about historic district designation. Here are just two problems:
1. 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.
2. The inadequate level of staffing and poor procedures at LPC mean that even the most motivated homeowners — keen to follow the letter of the law — can experience huge delays getting projects approved. A neighbor of mine in Prospect Heights spent over 4 months getting approval for some new windows.
On the other hand, had landmarking happened sooner in Prospect Heights I wouldn’t see from the front of my house a vertical extension that looks like a So.Cal. stucco bungalow dropped on top of a brownstone. Or, from the rear, a 5-storey 20ft deep extension grafted onto a 3-storey brownstone!
Just don’t think that landmarking is a silver bullet or that it won’t cause financial distress to some homeowners.
Minard it was a lot of love in the room… The room was just hot broken AC and over 400 people and still there was love. People in this area really want this done already… I know Crown Heights North and Park Slope are on the same page…
obviously the Landmarks Commission prefers to designate areas where they are welcomed and not hated. This bodes well for designation.
So where are all the moonfaces *rob* is always complaining about?!?