Come celebrate the new Six to Celebrate! Wednesday, February 8- Metropolitan College of New York
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Metropolitan College of New York
60 West St, New York, NY 10006
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Introducing the 2018 Six to Celebrate!
Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period.
Arthur Avenue, The Bronx
Arthur Avenue, the long-time home of The Bronx’s Little Italy, has been a haven for Italian-Americans, Italophiles and curious tourists seeking an authentic shopping and dining experience for generations. In a city that is constantly evolving, its family-run businesses offer consistency, quality and a connection to the past on a storied and historic street. To capture the essence of this place, the Belmont Business Improvement District will undertake a series of oral histories with key constituents and develop an official tour of the area. These place-making initiatives will serve to enhance the public’s experience of and appreciation for Arthur Avenue, as well as ensure that its history is not forgotten. The group also seeks to investigate zoning tools to protect the character and scale of the neighborhood.
Elmhurst, Queens
This community in western Queens boasts many charming, yet unprotected, residential, commercial and religious structures, as well as a number of historic burial grounds that are at risk of damage due to poor stewardship and lack of awareness. The Elmhurst History and Cemeteries Preservation Society, Inc., a newly-formed and first-of-its-kind civic organization in Elmhurst, is working to document the neighborhood’s treasures and pursue appropriate preservation tools to ensure their survival. In addition, the group is working to foster local pride in Elmhurst’s heritage through robust public programming, including walking tours and signage.
Lower West Side, Manhattan
Prior to the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the World Trade Center, the area from roughly Liberty Street to Battery Place west of Broadway was host to a vibrant immigrant neighborhood called the Lower West Side. Initially populated by Irish and German immigrants, it later became a Middle Eastern enclave (known as the “Syrian Quarter” or “Little Syria”) and was subsequently home to a large Slavic population. The area’s major redevelopment in the mid-20th century nearly wiped the neighborhood off the map, but several buildings still exist to tell the story, and the Friends of the Lower West Side is determined to make sure this history is not lost. The group will appeal to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to protect a small area of significance, as well as expand its oral history program, publish a written history and offer walking tours to raise awareness.
Prospect Heights Apartment House District, Brooklyn
Constructed on a lost fragment of the original footprint of Prospect Park, now in southern Prospect Heights, is a concentration of 82 apartment buildings dating from 1909-1929. This development, boasting a cohesive design vocabulary and scale, was promoted by the Prospect Park Commissioners to attract high quality construction to complement the nearby Park, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public Library. The buildings, representative of a period in Brooklyn history when building patterns shifted to accommodate a rising middle class, remain exemplary for their architectural integrity and as housing stock for a diverse population. The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Cultural Row Block Association on Eastern Parkway are working to garner local support and submit a proposal for historic district status from the LPC.
Westchester Square, The Bronx
Westchester Square, now a major transportation hub in the northeast Bronx, was once home to a critical location in the birth of our nation. Hidden in plain sight, sites such as Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church and the Westchester Creek were crucial to American victory in the Revolutionary War. Other sites such as the Huntington Library and above-ground subway station serve as vestiges of the early 20th century innovation and architectural character that continue to anchor the neighborhood today. The Westchester Square Business Improvement District is working to rebrand the area with a focus on its rich history. This public awareness campaign will involve formally documenting its history and commemorating important events through the installation of plaques in and around the Square.
Cultural Landmarks, Citywide
Working in partnership with the New York Preservation Archive Project and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, HDC will undertake a campaign to shine a light on sites of cultural significance throughout the five boroughs. In recent years, the LPC has designated several landmarks based largely on their cultural impact and has expressed that such designations are a priority for the agency. Through the formation of a diverse coalition of stakeholders, HDC hopes to broaden the conversation about preservation tools for culturally significant sites and to create an action plan for their proper stewardship.
Support for Six to Celebrate is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by New York City Council Members Margaret Chin, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, Peter Koo and Stephen Levin.
Introducing the 2018 Six to Celebrate!
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Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period.
Arthur Avenue, The Bronx
Arthur Avenue, the long-time home of The Bronx’s Little Italy, has been a haven for Italian-Americans, Italophiles and curious tourists seeking an authentic shopping and dining experience for generations. In a city that is constantly evolving, its family-run businesses offer consistency, quality and a connection to the past on a storied and historic street. To capture the essence of this place, the Belmont Business Improvement District will undertake a series of oral histories with key constituents and develop an official tour of the area. These place-making initiatives will serve to enhance the public’s experience of and appreciation for Arthur Avenue, as well as ensure that its history is not forgotten. The group also seeks to investigate zoning tools to protect the character and scale of the neighborhood.
Elmhurst, Queens
This community in western Queens boasts many charming, yet unprotected, residential, commercial and religious structures, as well as a number of historic burial grounds that are at risk of damage due to poor stewardship and lack of awareness. The Elmhurst History and Cemeteries Preservation Society, Inc., a newly-formed and first-of-its-kind civic organization in Elmhurst, is working to document the neighborhood’s treasures and pursue appropriate preservation tools to ensure their survival. In addition, the group is working to foster local pride in Elmhurst’s heritage through robust public programming, including walking tours and signage.
Lower West Side, Manhattan
Prior to the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the World Trade Center, the area from roughly Liberty Street to Battery Place west of Broadway was host to a vibrant immigrant neighborhood called the Lower West Side. Initially populated by Irish and German immigrants, it later became a Middle Eastern enclave (known as the “Syrian Quarter” or “Little Syria”) and was subsequently home to a large Slavic population. The area’s major redevelopment in the mid-20th century nearly wiped the neighborhood off the map, but several buildings still exist to tell the story, and the Friends of the Lower West Side is determined to make sure this history is not lost. The group will appeal to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to protect a small area of significance, as well as expand its oral history program, publish a written history and offer walking tours to raise awareness.
Prospect Heights Apartment House District, Brooklyn
Constructed on a lost fragment of the original footprint of Prospect Park, now in southern Prospect Heights, is a concentration of 82 apartment buildings dating from 1909-1929. This development, boasting a cohesive design vocabulary and scale, was promoted by the Prospect Park Commissioners to attract high quality construction to complement the nearby Park, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public Library. The buildings, representative of a period in Brooklyn history when building patterns shifted to accommodate a rising middle class, remain exemplary for their architectural integrity and as housing stock for a diverse population. The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Cultural Row Block Association on Eastern Parkway are working to garner local support and submit a proposal for historic district status from the LPC.
Westchester Square, The Bronx
Westchester Square, now a major transportation hub in the northeast Bronx, was once home to a critical location in the birth of our nation. Hidden in plain sight, sites such as Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church and the Westchester Creek were crucial to American victory in the Revolutionary War. Other sites such as the Huntington Library and above-ground subway station serve as vestiges of the early 20th century innovation and architectural character that continue to anchor the neighborhood today. The Westchester Square Business Improvement District is working to rebrand the area with a focus on its rich history. This public awareness campaign will involve formally documenting its history and commemorating important events through the installation of plaques in and around the Square.
Cultural Landmarks, Citywide
Working in partnership with the New York Preservation Archive Project and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, HDC will undertake a campaign to shine a light on sites of cultural significance throughout the five boroughs. In recent years, the LPC has designated several landmarks based largely on their cultural impact and has expressed that such designations are a priority for the agency. Through the formation of a diverse coalition of stakeholders, HDC hopes to broaden the conversation about preservation tools for culturally significant sites and to create an action plan for their proper stewardship.
Support for Six to Celebrate is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by New York City Council Members Margaret Chin, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, Peter Koo and Stephen Levin.
Mott Haven Tour
Six to Celebrate Hart Island Tour
Hart Island Tour aboard the John J. Harvey
Join HDC and The Hart Island Project aboard the John J. Harvey Fireboat on Sunday, July 30th to take a truly unique trip around the Southern tip of Manhattan, up the East River to follow the original path from Bellevue Hospital past Roosevelt Island through Hells Gate to Hart Island. The Hart Island Project’s Melinda Hunt will inform tour goers about the history of Hart Island, as well as the influences it has had on New York City.
Boarding will be at 12:00 pm
The trip will take approximately 5-6 hours
Water will be provided, but people are encouraged to bring refreshments. Casual dress is suggested, at some point the water cannons will go off.
This tour is free- RSVP is Required
Donations to HDC, The Hart Island Project and the John J. Harvey Fireboat are greatly appreciated
Mott Haven Tour
Six to Celebrate Hart Island Tour
Hart Island Tour aboard the John J. Harvey
Join HDC and The Hart Island Project aboard the John J. Harvey Fireboat on Sunday, July 30th to take a truly unique trip around the Southern tip of Manhattan, up the East River to follow the original path from Bellevue Hospital past Roosevelt Island through Hells Gate to Hart Island. The Hart Island Project’s Melinda Hunt will inform tour goers about the history of Hart Island, as well as the influences it has had on New York City.
Boarding will be at 12:00 pm
The trip will take approximately 5-6 hours
Water will be provided, but people are encouraged to bring refreshments. Casual dress is suggested, at some point the water cannons will go off.
This tour is free- RSVP is Required
SOLD OUT
Donations to HDC, The Hart Island Project and the John J. Harvey Fireboat are greatly appreciated
West Chelsea Street Art and Graffiti Tour
Friday, June 23, 2017
5:00-7:00 pm
Join HDC’s own street artist- turned- tour guide Patrick Waldo on this walking tour of West Chelsea, exploring the neighborhood’s wide range of graffiti, street art, and legal public art. Waldo will draw on his brief but memorable stint in the illegal world of street art to explain techniques and terminology that will give tour goers a newfound appreciation for New York’s dynamic graffiti scene. Expect to see work from ’80s icon Kenny Scharf, Brazilian twin superstars Os Gemeos, mysterious French street artist Invader, as well as many up and coming local artists hoping to carve out a place in New York City street art history.
Six to Celebrate Tour- West Chelsea Street Art and Graffiti
West Chelsea Street Art and Graffiti Tour
Friday, June 23, 2017
5:00-7:00 pm
Join HDC’s own street artist- turned- tour guide Patrick Waldo on this walking tour of West Chelsea, exploring the neighborhood’s wide range of graffiti, street art, and legal public art. Waldo will draw on his brief but memorable stint in the illegal world of street art to explain techniques and terminology that will give tour goers a newfound appreciation for New York’s dynamic graffiti scene. Expect to see work from ’80s icon Kenny Scharf, Brazilian twin superstars Os Gemeos, mysterious French street artist Invader, as well as many up and coming local artists hoping to carve out a place in New York City street art history.
Corona-East Elmhurst Walking Tour
Saturday, June 10, 2017
11am-1pm
Corona-East Elmhurst has become one of the largest and most intercultural Latino communities in NYC. Originally part of the Colonial Village of Newtown, established in the 1600s by Dutch and African settlers, over course of its history it has been home to sizable Italian, African-American, Caribbean, German, Irish, Jewish and Swedish populations; simultaneously. It also has a history as a horse-racing destination, a railroad and baseball town and a haven for New York’s jazz community. On this two-hour tour we will explore these aspects of Corona-East Elmhurst’s heritage concentrating on the Corona portion of this historically diverse community. Sights include historic houses of worship, a 19th-century country villa, beloved local parks, eateries, and the longtime home of music legend Louis Armstrong, as well as the former residence of his friend and fellow legend, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, who along with Charlie Parker, ushered in the era of Be-Bop into the American jazz tradition. Tour participants will have the option of extending their tour by continuing with the guide to the World’s Fair Marina, a waterfront promenade where the mysterious Candela structures stand.
Corona-East Elmhurst Walking Tour
Corona-East Elmhurst Walking Tour
Saturday, June 10, 2017
11am-1pm
Corona-East Elmhurst has become one of the largest and most intercultural Latino communities in NYC. Originally part of the colonial village of Newtown, established in the 1600s by Dutch and African settlers, it has been home over the years to sizable Italian, African-American, Caribbean, German, Irish, Jewish and Swedish populations simultaneously. It also has a history as a horse-racing destination, a railroad and baseball town and a haven for New York’s jazz community. On this two-hour tour we will explore these aspects of Corona-East Elmhurst’s heritage, concentrating on the Corona portion of this diverse area. Sights include historic houses of worship, a 19th-century country villa, beloved local parks and eateries and the longtime home of music legend Louis Armstrong, as well as the former residence of his friend and fellow legend Dizzy Gillespie, who along with Charlie Parker ushered the era of bebop into the American jazz tradition. Tour participants will have the option of extending their tour by continuing with the guide to the World’s Fair Marina, a waterfront promenade where the mysterious Candela structures stand.
Port Morris Walking Tour
Port Morris Walking Tour
Sunday, May 21, 2017
11:00AM
Come celebrate Bronx week with HDC and the Friends of Brook Park on a tour around Port Morris! The tour will meander down Brook Avenue and then down to the waterfront to view the historic Ferry Bridges. The tour will make a stop at the Port Morris Distillery.
Jane’s Walk- Chelsea
Historic Preservation in Northern Chelsea: a tour led by Save Chelsea
Friday, May 5, 2017
6 – 8pm
While many people are familiar with the area between 14th and 23rd streets in the west side of Manhattan as the heart of Chelsea, many are not so familiar with Chelsea’s northern portion above 23rd Street. In recent years losses of architecturally and historically significant structures in this northern part of Chelsea have been cause for alarm.
What was once largely a wholesale district and extension of the garment district and area of lower cost commercial loft spaces has seen a dramatic increase in residential conversions and new construction as well as an influx of new businesses, non-profits and cultural groups. While a small historic district has been created to honor New York’s abolitionist past, historic Tin Pan Alley and other historic resources and architecture in the area remain largely unprotected.
This walk, conducted by members of Save Chelsea one of the Historic Districts Council Six to Celebrate for 2017 covers the area between West 23rd and 30th Streets. — where changes over the past decade have transformed a once-thriving wholesale and commercial loft district into a land of increasing residential and office density. Armed with a knowledge of zoning reform, infrastructure investment, and the areas significant African American, French and grand theatrical past, Save Chelsea leads this the two-hour foot tour — taking into account not just the area’s rich history, but the practical requirements of ensuring the integrity of unprotected locations such as historic Tin Pan Alley.
FREE
Tour starts in front of 167 West 23rd Street ( Landmark Liquors) and terminates on 9th Avenue in the low 20’s.
Jane’s Walk – South Bronx Tour
Exploring the South Bronx
May 7, 2017
11AM
Come and enjoy a free guided walking tour of Mott Haven – a 2017 Six to Celebrate award recipient. On this tour you will visit three Historic Districts – Mott Haven, Mott Haven East, and the Bertine Block. In addition to its historic value, in 1997 The Bronx was designated an “All American City” by the National Civic League, signifying a huge comeback from the terrible decline of the 70s and 80s. This anticipated revival has brought converted lofts, new affordable apartments and great restaurants, particularly on Bruckner Boulevard. This area has been heavily defined by an industrial nature in the past, but now is changing rapidly. Join Alexandra Maruri for this great opportunity to learn about the history and cultural movement of the Mott Haven and Port Morris area. This area is expanding with local new businesses and attractive new green spaces. The New York Times chose the South Bronx as one of the 52 places to visit in 2017.
About 1hr and 15min
Starting location: North West corner of 138 & Alexander Avenue
Contact: BronxTours@yahoo.com
Ace Hotel and Madison Square North Park
Friday, May 5
2:20 pm
Attendees of this unique tour will get to view the Ace Hotel located in the Madison Square North Historic District, and tour Madison Square Park. You will learn how the park affected development around Madison Square and how the hotel is a part of that history. The Ace hotel has embraced its historic roots by creatively decorating its interior with contemporary pieces that reflect the neighborhoods past. The tour will begin inside the lobby of the Ace hotel, where a staff member will guide us around the the original mosaic floor and stained glass windows. The tour will then continue through Madison Square Park. The land around Madison Sq. Park was designated a public space in the first city charter of 1686; in the ensuing centuries the land would be used as farmland, military training and finally a park. Come learn the storied history of the park and the neighborhood on this special Six to Celebrate tour.
Ace Hotel and Madison Square North Park
Ace Hotel and Madison Square North Park
Friday, May 5
2:20 pm
Attendees of this unique tour will get to view the Ace Hotel located in the Madison Square North Historic District, and tour Madison Square Park. You will learn how the park affected development around Madison Square and how the hotel is a part of that history. The Ace hotel has embraced its historic roots by creatively decorating its interior with contemporary pieces that reflect the neighborhoods past. The tour will begin inside the lobby of the Ace hotel, where a staff member will guide us around the the original mosaic floor and stained glass windows. The tour will then continue through Madison Square Park. The land around Madison Sq. Park was designated a public space in the first city charter of 1686; in the ensuing centuries the land would be used as farmland, military training and finally a park. Come learn the storied history of the park and the neighborhood on this special Six to Celebrate tour.
Six to Celebrate App
HDC now has a Six to Celebrate app! All the amazing information in the walking tour brochures is now available right on your phone (or tablet). You can learn about the history of each Six to Celebrate neighborhood along with additional information about specific sites within each neighborhood. Now all you have to do is take out your phone and you can impress everyone with your knowledge about NYC history.
The app is free and available for Apple IOS and Andriod OS
Apple Download
Android Download
2017 Six to Celebrate Launch Party!
2017 Six to Celebrate Launch Party!
Calvary-St. George’s Parish
61 Gramercy Park North, Manhattan
6pm
Friends $20 / General Admission $25
2017 Six to Celebrate Launch Party!
2017 Six to Celebrate Launch Party!
Calvary-St. George’s Parish
61 Gramercy Park North, Manhattan
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
6pm
Friends $20 / General Admission $25
2017 Six to Celebrate:
Corona-East Elmhurst, Queens
Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period. Please join the Historic Districts Council at the 2017 launch party!
To read more about the 2017 Six to Celebrate go to our website 6tocelebrate.org
Support is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by City Council Members Margaret Chin, Inez Dickens, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, Stephen Levin, Mark Levine, Rosie Mendez and Rafael Salamanca, and by New York State Assembly Members Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried and Daniel O’Donnell.
Announcing the 2017 Six to Celebrate!
Chelsea, Manhattan
Encompassing the area from West 14th to West 30th Streets and the Hudson River to Sixth Avenue, Chelsea boasts residential and commercial architecture spanning roughly 200 years of New York City’s history. While there are three designated Historic Districts in the area, the safety of the buildings under the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s (LPC) purview has been called into question due to a number of deleterious projects approved by the agency in recent years. Through robust public programming and outreach, Save Chelsea is positioning itself as a neighborhood watchdog to foster civic awareness. By galvanizing widespread support for historic preservation and continuing its work to document undesignated historic buildings in Rose Hill and the Flower District, the group also hopes to lobby for further protections in the area.
Corona-East Elmhurst, Queens
The sister communities of Corona and East Elmhurst are known for their richly diverse populations and roster of influential residents, some of whose homes still stand. Rapid redevelopment and a lack of public awareness have resulted in the loss of many culturally significant sites in Corona-East Elmhurst. To encourage interest on the part of the local community and to make those community members’ voices heard, the Corona-East Elmhurst Historic Preservation Society is working to make historic memorabilia and artifacts accessible to the public and to grow its organizational capacity in order to reach broader audiences and share information about the vibrant cultural history of the area.
Hart Island, The Bronx
Unbeknownst to many, the largest public cemetery in the United States lies within the Long Island Sound just a stone’s throw from City Island in The Bronx. In existence since the Civil War era, over one million people are buried on Hart Island, but visitation is strictly limited, thus keeping the island shrouded in mystery. Working to uncover its historic significance, The Hart Island Project formed in 1991, incorporated in 2011 and has made immense progress to provide awareness, access, burial records and maps. In addition to advocating for public access and, ultimately, to transform the island into a park, the group is also working to illuminate the island’s history through public programming and a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Mott Haven, The Bronx
After decades of neglect, investors and developers have turned their gaze toward Mott Haven, and tourism and business has followed. The neighborhood has three designated Historic Districts: Mott Haven, Mott Haven East and the Bertine Block, all of which boast beautiful and intact rowhouses, as well as houses of worship. To celebrate the historic and architectural contributions of the neighborhood and explore the powerful role they play in the future of the area, the Mott Haven Historic Districts Association formed in 2016 to ensure that long-term residents (and buildings) have an active, inclusive stake in the neighborhood’s renaissance. The group will launch an annual “Decorators’ Showhouse,” host walking tours and establish a strong organizational presence in the neighborhood to cultivate stewardship, foster conscious citizenship and guide new investment sensitively to this gem in the South Bronx.
Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
The Prospect Lefferts Gardens Heritage Council, the Parkside Avenue Block Association, and Concerned Citizens for Community Based Planning have worked to give residents a voice about current rapid development that has left this neighborhood with an unprecedented number of demolitions. With only one, small historic district and a much higher-density zoning that is ill-suited to the existing built environment, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens is rapidly changing in scale, character and identity due to rowhouses and other smaller buildings being replaced by speculative, high-rise, “luxury” development. Residents have begun to document and make the case for the preservation of portions of their unprotected historic neighborhood before it disappears forever.
West Harlem, Manhattan
Displaying a rich variety of historically, culturally and architecturally significant buildings, West Harlem is home to late 19th century rowhouses, grand apartment buildings, theaters and religious structures designed by some of the leading architects of their time. Speculative development and rising real estate values have left the neighborhood at risk of losing some of the character that makes it a desirable and dynamic community in which to live and work. The West Harlem Community Preservation Organization is formulating a proposal to the LPC to expand the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District by surveying historic buildings, creating an outreach system to the local community and hosting workshops and other public programs.
Support is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by City Council Members Ben Kallos, Rosie Mendez, Mark Levine, Inez Dickens, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Stephen Levin, Margaret Chin, Dan Garodnick, and Rafael Salamanca and New York State Assembly Members Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, and Daniel O’Donnell.
Greenpoint Walking Tour
Saturday, October 22, 2016
2:00-4:30 pm
Join veteran Brooklyn tour guide Norman Oder on a briskly-paced, wide-ranging introduction to the neighborhood, including historic blocks, converted historic buildings, commercial corridors, religious institutions, parks, and civic buildings. The tour will touch on industrial history, immigration (notably Greenpoint’s enduring Polish presence), and the current (and future) signs of gentrification.
This event is co-sponsored by Preservation Greenpoint and the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).
The tour is free, but space is limited. We will meet near the Greenpoint Avenue stop on the G train (exact meeting point will be sent upon RSVP).
Please RSVP to info@preservationgreenpoint.org to reserve your spot!
A Walk Through Audubon Park
Sunday, October 16, 2016
2:00—3:30 p.m.
Audubon Monument, 550 West 155th Street
The distinctive footprint that disrupts Manhattan’s grid west of Broadway between 155th and 158th Streets—the Audubon Park Historic District—did not come about by accident or from the demands of local topography. It unfolded from careful planning and alliances among like-minded property owners, whose social and political connections ensured that when progress swept up Manhattan’s west side, they would benefit.
Join neighborhood historian Matthew Spady for a leisurely walk through the architectural treasures in the Audubon Park Historic District on Sunday, October 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The walk, sponsored by the Historic Districts Council, will begin at the Audubon Monument in Trinity Cemetery (155th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) and from there wind through the historic district, ending at the historic row of twelve houses that John Leo and John Lilliendahl built on 158th Street between 1896 and 1898. The Historic Districts Council selected this row as one of its Six to Celebrate designations for 2016.
The cost of the walk is $10 for HDC friends, seniors or students, and $20 for non-members.
Participants may also pay at the start of the walk (cash only).
Death and Life in East Harlem
East Harlem Preservation is pleased to offer another historical walking tour,Death and Life in East Harlem.
Sunday, October 30th
From 2:00 -4:00 pm
NW corner of 121st Street & Third Avenue
$10 suggested donation. Free for East Harlem residents. RSVP:EHP10029@gmail.com.
Lost and Found Murals of East Harlem
East Harlem Preservation is pleased to offer another outdoor art walking tour,Lost and Found Murals of East Harlem.
Sunday, October 23rd
From 2:00 -4:00 pm
NE corner of 100 Street & Lexington Ave.
$10 suggested donation. Free for East Harlem residents. RSVP:EHP10029@gmail.com.
Monument to What?
Monument to What? will address the complicated history behind the monument to Dr. J. Marion Sims located in Central Park at 103rd and Fifth Avenue. In recent years calls for its removal have centered on the fact that it ignores how Sims exploited enslaved women for his medical research. Similar disputes are currently underway in cities across the nation in response to 18th, 19th and early 20th century monuments that celebrate slaveholders, racists, Confederate soldiers and corrupt politicians. Click here to learn more.
Monument to What? A Panel Discussion
Friday, October 7th, 2016 from 6:30-8:30 pm
Project: ARTSspace, 156 Fifth Ave. @ 20th St., Suite 308
Speakers:
- Harriet A. Washington, author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
- Heather Butts, MA, JD, Health Policy Management Department, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
- Artist and designer Xenobia Baily
- Laundromat Project 2016 Create Change Fellowship artists Vanessa Cuervo, Autumn Robinson, Rahviance Beme and Terence Trouillot
- East Harlem Preservation founder, writer, and activist, Marina Ortiz
Monument to What? is organized by the Institute for Wishful Thinking as the final public event for the exhibition Making Progress. Closing celebration to follow panel discussion.
2016 Six to Celebrate Tours
Saturday, September 24, 11:00AM: East New York
Following up on the success of our first tour of East New York in the spring, HDC is pleased to offer a repeat tour of this fascinating corner of Brooklyn! East New York has certainly been the talk of the town lately, as the City moves forward to rezone the neighborhood, along with 14 others. However, East New York is also known for its rich and somewhat troubled history. Join us for this tour, led by Farrah Lafontant, neighborhood resident and member of Preserving East New York, the newly formed civic group working to preserve the neighborhood’s built heritage. The tour will begin at the 75th Police Precinct Station and include visits to a Magistrates Court, the former site of the East New York Savings Bank, Maxwell’s Bakery and the Borden Dairy Company factory complex, which was recently heard by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for potential landmark status.
After the tour we will head to Arts East New York for a reception. The party will allow neighbors to learn more about PENY and the work they are doing in East New York. The party is free and open to the public, you do not have to attend the tour to attend the party.
Sunday, October 30, 11:30AM: Clay Avenue & Grand Concourse
Join us for a tour highlighting two very different historic districts in The Bronx! We will begin with a stroll through the charming Clay Avenue Historic District, a one-block stretch of remarkably intact and refreshingly unchanged rowhouses. Following this treasure of a block, the tour will loop back to the Grand Concourse Historic District to take in a smattering of Revival and Art Deco apartment buildings. This juxtaposition of small-scale, late 19th century rowhouses and large-scale, early 20th century apartment buildings will allow participants to compare and contrast trends in the development of middle-class housing a generation or so apart. The tour will end at another locally designated gem, the Andrew Freedman Home, located on the Grand Concourse at East 166th Street. The home has a colorful and unlikely origin story, having been built by millionaire philanthropist Andrew Freedman as a retirement facility for wealthy people who had lost their fortunes.
Sunday, October 30, 2:00PM: East River Vistas: Architecture and Changing Lifestyles in Yorkville
Once home to bucolic farmland, the eastern edge of Yorkville was dotted with clapboard farmhouses and country houses before being transformed into an industrial factory hub at the turn of the 20th century. As immigrants settled in Yorkville, tenement buildings were constructed, and by the 1930s the area around East End Avenue was home to luxury apartments designed by elite architects. Join the Historic Districts Council and FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts as we track this fascinating history of housing in eastern Yorkville with architectural historian and famed tour guide, Francis Morrone. Highlights will include East End Avenue, Gracie Square and Carl Schurz Park, model tenements such as the Cherokee Apartments, the idyllic rowhouses at Henderson Place and everything in between, including the largest white brick high-rise in the universe!
SOLD OUT
Support is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by City Council Members Ben Kallos, Rosie Mendez, Mark Levine, Inez Dickens, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Stephen Levin, Margaret Chin, Dan Garodnick, and Rafael Salamanca and New York State Assembly Members Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, and Daniel O’Donnell.
Advocacy in a Changing Lower East Side
Wednesday, August 10, 6:00PM
Join us for a tour of some of the highlights of one of Manhattan’s most historic and storied neighborhoods, the Lower East Side! The area has been experiencing rapid change in the form of large-scale development projects over the last decade. In the seeming blink of an eye, entire blocks have been demolished, leaving gaping holes in the landscape, while individual tenements have been replaced with glassy new condo buildings. Yet, its character-defining tenement architecture still exhibits the Lower East Side’s illustrious past as a dense immigrant enclave of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To save a representative piece of this historic tableau, advocates have been working hard to preserve sections of the neighborhood so that its story might live on through its physical fabric. The tour will include the intact areas that are the subject of preservation focus, but will also explore its changing landscape.
Crown Heights South Fun(d)raiser
Crown Heights South Fun(d)raiser- Sunday, July 10, 2016
Yorkville: A Celebration of Home
Scenes of Yorkville’s past (NYPL)
What was it like to live in Yorkville when 86th Street was known as German Broadway, when the smell of hops from the Ruppert and Ehret’s breweries filled the air, and when a stop at Paprika Weiss on 82nd Street preceded daily exercise at Sokol Hall? FRIENDS and the Historic Districts Council will celebrate Yorkville’s past while highlighting places that still offer a glimpse into this area’s rich immigrant history. The symposium will feature panels on Yorkville life and architecture, and cuisine from some of the neighborhood’s storied establishments.
Saturday, April 30th
10:00 a.m.
Bohemian National Hall
321 East 73rd Street
$15 friends / members, $20 non-members
To register, click here.
Performance by the Czech puppetry demonstration with the Czech American Marionette Theatre
Speakers include:
Majda Kallab Whitaker – Independent scholar and cultural historian contributing to the development of the Dvořák Room at Bohemian National Hall, a Board Member of the Dvořák American Heritage Association and the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association
Alexandra Kelly – Manager of Outreach Services and Adult Programming at the New York Public Library, and developer and director of the NYPL’s Community Oral History Project
Edward Kasinec – Born and reared in the post-war Czech, Slovak and Rusyn communities of Yorkville, serves as a Research Scholar at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University and since 2015 as Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Thomas Pryor – A native Yorkville resident, storyteller and author of I Hate the Dallas Cowboys – tales of a scrappy New York boyhood
Peter Walsh – Longtime Irish resident of Yorkville, writer, and musician
Irene Mergl – A lifelong Yorkville resident and member of the Sokol Hall, where she serves as 1st Vice President and Historian
Vít Hořejš – Co-founder of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, who showcases traditional Czech marionettes, many of which were discovered in Yorkville’s Jan Hus Presbyterian Church
Gregory Dietrich – preservation consultant and proprietor of Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, graduate of Columbia University’s Historic Preservation program, and an Advisor to the Historic Districts Council
Co-Sponsored by the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Benjamin Kallos.
March 30, 2016 Audubon Park Meeting on Landmarking
Join us at this meeting to learn what we are doing and how you can help.
Representatives from the Historic Districts Council will discuss the architectural, cultural and economic benefits of historic districts and address misconceptions about the impacts of designation on operating and repair costs.
Come and meet your neighbors as we help our community.
CROWN HEIGHTS SOUTH TOWN HALL MEETING & LANDMARK WEEKEND- post
2016 Six to Celebrate Launch Party
Introducing the 2016 Six to Celebrate!
Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period.
To honor our new Six to Celebrate we will be hosting a party at the South Street Seaport Museum’s Melville Gallery at 213 Water Street on January 28th at 6 pm!
2016 Six to Celebrate Launch Party
Introducing the 2016 Six to Celebrate!
Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period.
To honor our new Six to Celebrate we will be hosting a party at the South Street Seaport Museum’s Melelville Gallery at 213 Water Street on January 28th at 6 pm!
Audubon Park, Manhattan
When the Audubon Park Historic District, characterized by large apartment buildings dating to the early 20th century, was designated in 2009, 626-648 West 158th Street was unfortunately left out. These 12 rowhouses were built earlier than the rest of the district, thus representing an earlier phase of development and an alternative vision of how the area should be developed as transit moved northward at the turn of the 20th century. The Riverside Oval Association is compiling a request for evaluation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to expand the historic district to protect this deserving row.
Clay Avenue, The Bronx
The Clay Avenue Historic District encompasses both blockfronts on Clay Avenue between East 165th and 166th Streets in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. The block sits on land that had previously been a horseracing track called Fleetwood Park, and its residential buildings were the earliest to be constructed on the property. In recent decades, economic disinvestment has plagued the block, but local residents are working, under the name Clay Avenue Historic District, to improve public safety, encourage building restoration, and cultivate support for neighborhood beautification.
Crown Heights South, Brooklyn
In response to rapid changes in Crown Heights South and the successful preservation efforts of their neighbors in Crown Heights North, the Crown Heights South Association formed in 2015 to work toward a similar success story. Crown Heights South is characterized by its charming rows of early 20th century houses, stately apartment buildings, and the imposing Bedford Union Armory serving as a grand anchor. The group will survey and document the area, perform community outreach, and compile a request for evaluation to the LPC for landmarks and historic district consideration.
East New York, Brooklyn
Unveiled in 2015, the city’s East New York Community Plan to rezone sections of East New York and Cypress Hills for mandatory affordable housing has left many wondering about the neighborhood’s historic resources. A new group, Preserving East New York, has formed to tackle this issue and to advocate for planning that includes the protection, restoration, and reuse of some of the area’s treasured buildings. The group will identify and highlight endangered structures, build community support for their preservation, and work with the city to protect them.
Richmond Hill, Queens
One of the first planned communities in New York City, Richmond Hill has a strong sense of place that is most noted for its wood-frame, Queen Anne style houses. The Richmond Hill Historical Society has led the effort to preserve portions of the neighborhood for decades, but with renewed energy and supportive elected representatives, a comprehensive survey will be undertaken in 2016 to determine boundaries of a potential historic district. In addition to this survey work, the Society will work to raise awareness of the area’s history and architecture through outreach, programs, and tours.
Yorkville, Manhattan
Formerly an industrial waterfront neighborhood, Yorkville is relatively isolated due to its distance from the Lexington Avenue subway, but change is inevitable with the Second Avenue subway under construction. The area’s historic resources, a mix of townhouses, tenements, high-rise residential towers, and grand institutions, have been well documented by Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts. Friends and HDC will advocate for landmark designation and celebrate Yorkville’s immigrant heritage through a series of educational programs, including a spring conference featuring cuisine from some of the area’s storied immigrant establishments.
Support for Six to Celebrate is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and New York City Councilmembers Inez Dickens, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, Mark Levine, and Eric Ulrich.
CROWN HEIGHTS NORTH TOUR 11.14.2015
Join the Crown Heights North Association
and the Historic Districts Council
for a walking tour of this beautiful and historic
neighborhood in the heart of Brooklyn.
The tour will be led by architectural
historian, CHNA Board member and
Brownstoner blogger (pseudonym: “Montrose Morris”),
Suzanne Spellen!
TO REGISTER CLICK HERE
Crown Heights North Tour 11.14.2015
East Harlem Preservation, Inc. 10th Anniversary Celebration: Honoring Our Community’s Past, Present & Future!
East Harlem Preservation, Inc. 10th Anniversary Celebration
Please join the East Harlem Preservation team on Thursday, November 5th as we celebrate our 10th year of community service and advocacy at the East Harlem Café from 6-9 p.m. Click here to RSVP or make a donation.Enjoy a variety of delicious food from local restaurants, cash bar, raffle prizes, silent auction, and live entertainment as you support our continued efforts to preserve and promote the neighborhood’s culture and diversity.
We thank you and look forward to celebrating our community’s past, present and future with you on November 5th!
WHAT: East Harlem Preservation, Inc. 10th Annual Celebration!
WHEN: Thursday, November 5th from 6-9 pm
WHERE: East Harlem Cafe, 1651 Lexington Avenue @ 104th Street
For more information, email: EHP10029@gmail.com.
Artwork: East 107th Street mural of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera by Natalie del Villar, Marthalicia Matarrita, and Xen Medina; commissioned by East Harlem Preservation, Inc. with support from the Historic Districts Council.
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THE GREAT WOODLAWN CEMETERY SCAVENGER HUNT
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: Scavenger Hunt starts at 2:00PM; Reception at Rambling House starts at 4:00PM
Location: Meet at the Work Gate, East 233rd Street between Katonah Avenue and Vireo Avenue (across from 329 E. 233rdStreet and one block west of Woodlawn’s main entrance at Webster Avenue)
Cost: $10 per team (up to 4 people per team) (Click here to register )
This fun-filled scavenger hunt of The Woodlawn Cemetery will celebrate some of this National Historic Landmark’s most famous residents, landscapes, and monuments, as well as the adjacent Woodlawn Heights neighborhood, one of the Historic Districts Council’s 2015 Six to Celebrate!
Choose from five themed trails in search of some of the cemetery’s most famous memorials and sites. Each trail covers 1.5 miles (no hills!) of the cemetery’s picturesque lanes, and will last roughly 60-90 minutes.
THE GREAT WOODLAWN CEMETERY SCAVENGER HUNT
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Scavenger Hunt starts at 2:00PM; Reception immediately following at The Rambling House
Meet at the Work Gate, East 233rd Street between Katonah Avenue and Vireo Avenue (across from 329 E. 233rdStreet and one block west of Woodlawn’s main entrance at Webster Avenue)
Take the 2 train to 233rd Street or
Metro North to the Woodlawn stop- Only a half hour ride from Grand Central $13 round trip
$10 per team (up to 4 people per team)
Usher in the fall season by exploring one of New York City’s most famed cemeteries!
This fun-filled scavenger hunt of The Woodlawn Cemetery will celebrate some of this National Historic Landmark’s most famous residents, landscapes, and monuments, as well as the adjacent Woodlawn Heights neighborhood, one of the Historic Districts Council’s 2015 Six to Celebrate!
Choose from five themed trails in search of some of the cemetery’s most famous memorials and sites. Each trail covers 1.5 miles (no hills!) of the cemetery’s picturesque lanes, and will last roughly 60-90 minutes.
All you have to do is register your team (up to 4 people per team), either online or at check-in on the day of the event. Once your team is checked in, you will receive a starting time, then follow the clues for your Woodlawn adventure! The first team to finish on each trail will win a prize! All ages are welcome.
Join us after the hunt for prizes and refreshments at the Rambling House, a popular local pub in Woodlawn Heights!
TRAIL #1 Architecture: Search the cemetery for monuments and mausolea designed by New York’s great architects – McKim Mead & White, Carrere & Hastings, and many more.
TRAIL #2 Trains: Find the spectacular mausolea of the infamous robber barons who built America’s railways.
TRAIL #3 Messages in Stone: Look for the beautiful carved flowers, butterflies, birds and trees that are featured on Woodlawn’s unusual monuments.
TRAIL #4 Faces of Woodlawn: Discover the stories of some colorful New York characters as you locate their portraits in bronze, marble, and glass.
TRAIL #5 Great Glass: Peep inside some of the great tombs to locate the wonderful windows that light up in the afternoon sunshine.
Established in 1863, the 400-acre Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of many historic figures and has the largest and finest collection of funerary art in the nation. All proceeds will be donated to the Woodlawn Conservancy.
Sponsored by the Historic Districts Council, Woodlawn Conservancy, and Women of Woodlawn.
Walking Tour: Dean Alvord’s Idea: Victorian Flatbush
Saturday, October 24, 2015
1PM-3PM
Join Brooklyn native and tour guide Norman Oder on a fascinating, brisk-paced tour featuring enormous contrasts: the stunning mansions of Dean Alvord’s Prospect Park South, the once/still grand apartment buildings of early 20th century Flatbush; civic landmarks like Erasmus High School and theaters along busy Flatbush Avenue repurposed into retail and religious uses, as well as the recently restored Kings Theater.
Reservations are required:
$15 Friends & Young Preservationists (Under 30)
$20 Non-Members
Click here to register
PLEASE NOTE:
Starting points will be provided after tickets are purchased.
All walking tours will proceed rain or shine.
Space is limited.
Co-sponsored with Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities
Upcoming events from the Woodlawn Conservancy
Landmarks Under Consideration – Staten Island Bus Tour
Saturday, June 13 at 1:00PM:
In November 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission announced a plan to remove 96 previously considered sites and properties from its calendar. Over the course of 2015, HDC is working to document, publicize and conduct community outreach for these sites to increase public awareness and gather support to move their designations forward. Staten Island historian, author and preservationist Barnett Shepherd will lead this tour of the Tottenville section of Staten Island, where a number of these buildings are located. These include the Prince’s Bay Lighthouse, the Brougham Cottage and the Dorothy Day Historic Site.
For more information about this tour and the other STC tours click here
Woodlawn Heights Pub Crawl
Saturday, May 9 at 3:00PM:
Woodlawn Heights is a small residential neighborhood bordered by Van Cortlandt Park, Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx River and Westchester County. It is affectionately known as New York City’s “Little Ireland” for its many Irish immigrant residents and a bustling commercial thoroughfare that includes a plethora of Irish pubs and architectural flourishes like green trim and shamrock details. Join us as we learn more about the history of this charming nook and experience the most authentic Irish pub culture this side of the Atlantic! The crawl will be led by Erin Lee and Kim Holocher-Furletti of the Women of Woodlawn, an organization devoted to enhancing the neighborhood’s quality of life.
For more information about this tour and the other STC tours click here
East Harlem Walking Tour Part 2
Monday, May 4 at 6:00PM:
Over its long history, East Harlem has been home to many diverse cultures, each leaving its imprint on the community. As East Harlem, most recently known as “El Barrio” or “Spanish Harlem,” transitions into becoming known as “SpaHa,” some of its touchstones are becoming endangered. Join Urban Historian Justin Ferate to view delightful architectural treasures and cultural landmarks reflecting the neighborhood’s varied histories – from recent years and from generations past. The touring material for each tour will somewhat cross over, but there are special sites unique to each tour. The tour will end with a visit to the now-famous “Crack is Whack” mural by Keith Haring.
For more information about this tour and the other STC tours click here
East Harlem Walking Tour Part 1
Monday, April 27 at 6:00PM:
Over its long history, East Harlem has been home to many diverse cultures, each leaving its imprint on the community. As East Harlem, most recently known as “El Barrio” or “Spanish Harlem,” transitions into becoming known as “SpaHa,” some of its touchstones are becoming endangered. Join Urban Historian Justin Ferate to view delightful architectural treasures and cultural landmarks reflecting the neighborhood’s varied histories – from recent years and from generations past. The touring material for each tour will somewhat cross over, but there are special sites unique to each tour. The tour will begin with views of some of East Harlem’s beloved street murals including “The Spirit of East Harlem” by Hank Prussing and Manny Vega, and will end near the 116th Street Subway Station.
For more information about this tour and the other STC tours click here
Six to Celebrate Spring/Summer Walking Tours:
Back By Popular Demand!!!
South Street Seaport
Wednesday, August 26 at 6:00PM
As the nation’s most important port for over 100 years, the South Street Seaport, through its historic buildings, harbor views and tall ships, provides an important link to New York City’s fascinating and multi-layered origin story. As Manhattan’s oldest intact neighborhood, the Seaport derives its distinct sense of place from its 200-year old mercantile buildings, Belgian block paving and views of the Brooklyn Bridge. For many generations, it has been a destination for those with a passion for history. With major development pressures threatening to irreversibly and insensitively distort its character, advocates are working hard to protect this unique district. Join us as urban historian and author Francis Morrone illuminates the early history of the Seaport, its evolution over time and proposed plans for its future.
$10/$20
Fundraiser to restore the Oscar Lopez Rivera mural
Annual Neighborhood Remembrance Day Celebration & 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War and 70th Anniversary of the end of WWII.
Saturday, May 30th 2 PM
Neighborhood Remembrance Day Celebration
Lake Cemetery, Forest Ave/Willowbrook Road
Staten Island Civil War Canon Brigade, GAR Post 525 Re-enactors, Staten Island OutLOUD, Richmond County Pipes/ Drums and Boy Scout Troop #7. This year the flag will be raised in honor of WWII Veteran William Morris Jr.
(This event made possible in part by an Encore Grant from Staten Island Arts with public funding from the NYS Council on the Arts.)
Annual International Commemoration of the Great Irish Hunger
Annual International Commemoration of the Great Irish Hunger
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Battery Park Irish Hunger Memorial
North End Ave & Vesey Street and North End Avenue
2 PM at the Irish Memorial at Battery Park for a Walk and Talk with:
Battery Park Conservancy, Horticulturist Richard Farraino, creator of the memorial Artist Brian Tolle; will discuss the memorial’s design and native plantings. Lynn Rogers, Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, Inc. (FACSI); will discuss Irish immigration to New York City 1845-1858, the role of the Staten Island Marine Hospital & Quarantine Station and the ultimate fate of thousands of Irish immigrants.
After the event, please join Lynn Rogers and Bill Fahey for a Staten Island Ferry ride. During the crossing we will toss flowers into New York Harbor in memory of all who perished. Bring long stemmed flower.
(This event is made possible in part by an Encore Grant from Staten Island Arts with public funding from the NYS Council on the Arts.)
Sunset Park Trolley Tour with LPC staff
Sunset Park Landmarks Committee led the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission chair Meenakshi Srinivasan and staff on a trolley tour through the proposed historic district !
Morningside Heights Historic Districts Committee Honors HDC!
The Morningside Heights Historic Districts Committee is honoring the Historic Districts Council at their Annual Party this Thursday Feb 12!!
LESPI- SHIP BUILDING IN THE DRY DOCK DISTRICT OF NEW YORK CITY
Lower East Side Preservation Initiantive &
Art Loisaida Foundation
present
LESPI presents Ship Building in the Dry Dock District in New York City
Thursday, January 29, 2015
6:30-8:30 pm
Neighborhood Preservation Center
232 East 11th Street
(btn. 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
presented by
Laura Zelasnic
http://sixtocelebrate.wpengine.com/whats-new/ship-building-in-the-dry-dock-district-of-new-york-city/
Six to Celebrate 2015 Party
February 3: Six to Celebrate 2015 Party
LOCATION CHANGE –Calvary Church 61 Gramercy Park North
Due to the weather our original location for tonight’s party has lost heat. The new location is Calvary Church 61 Gramercy Park North the entrance is on 21st Street. Sorry for theinconvenience hope you can still join us.
The History and Endurance of New York City’s Carnegie and Branch Libraries- A lecture by Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler
(images courtesy of NYPL and HDC)
Join the Historic Districts Council for a presentation on the history of New York City’s Carnegie and branch libraries and their endurance into the present.
(at the very first Carnegie Library built in New York City!)
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
5:30 PM
Yorkville Branch of the New York Public Library
222 East 79th Street (between Second & Third Avenues)
In 1899, industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated the funds which would build 67 architecturally distinctive libraries in the five boroughs between 1901 and 1923. These buildings, of which 54 still function today as libraries, have been community landmarks ever since. Together with the more recently built branch libraries, and the famous main branches, they make up the three library systems that serve the dynamic population of New York City.
Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, author of Lighting the Way: A Centennial History of the Queens Borough Public Library, 1896-1996, will discuss the early history of the Carnegie and branch libraries, including their philanthropic origins, purposeful locations, and intended neighborhood functions, as well as their endurance into the 21st century.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating will happen on a first come, first serve basis.
If you have any questions, please contact Brigid Harmon at bharmon@hdc.org or 212-614-9107
Terra Cotta, Don’t Take It for Granite: Morningside Heights Highlights
To RSVP E-mail info@morningsideheights.org
“GREEKS ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE: AMERICAN STORIES”
Presented by:
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
Director of the Museum at Kehila Kedosha Janina and LESPI Board Member
This program illuminates a little-known part of the American immigration story – that of the immigrants from Greece.
Step into the Balkan world of the Lower East Side, the kafenions and dance halls, the lilting bouzouki music and the aromas of Mediterranean cooking. Learn about the Sephardic and Romaniote synagogues and the local Greek Orthodox Church. They came during the massive wave of immigration (1881-1924) but their stories were very different.
Suggested donation: $15
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
6:30-8:30pm
Neighborhood Preservation Center
232 East 11th Street
(btw. 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
The lecture will be followed by a short reception. Light refreshments will be served.
For further information contact Richard at info@LESPI-nyc.org or 347-827-1846.
Space is limited RSVP are required – Make a reservation online HERE.
Historic tour of Atlantic Avenue! September 13
The Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District invites you to join a tour of Atlantic Avenue, one of Brooklyn’s most dynamic commercial thoroughfares for over one hundred years. This diverse retail and dining destination connects the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Tour guide and Brooklyn native Joe Svehlak will guide us from 4th Avenue to Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped. The variety of commercial, religious, civic, and residential architecture combining the new with the old are a testament to the vitality of Atlantic Avenue. In addition to the many shops and restaurants on our walk, we will view a former brewery, several religious sites, and, near the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, a new mural depicting the avenue’s history and significance.
Saturday, September 13
11:00am – 1:00pm
Suggested donation: $10
To reserve your spot, please visit:
http://atlanticavebid.ticketleap.com/atlantic-avenue-historic-tour-july-12/
Park Avenue, Manhattan -Walking Tour
Monday, October 6, 6:00PM (Walking Tour)
SOLD OUT
The June 17 Six to Celebrate tour of the newly designated Park Avenue Historic District quickly sold out and was extremely well received. As such, Urban Historian Justin Ferate will conduct a second tour – beginning at Park Avenue at 91st Street and traveling south along the avenue. The upper segment of the new district boasts of elegant apartment houses by such impressive architects as J.E.R. Carpenter, George & Edward Blum, Mott B. Schmidt, Emery Roth, Mills & Bottomley, and others. In addition, we’ll view religious structures by some of America’s noteworthy ecclesiastical design firms: Patrick C. Keely, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, and Schickel & Ditmars.
Join us on this walking tour of New York City’s premier historic boulevard. Learn more about the histories of these remarkable architectural treasures and the effort to protect Park Avenue’s historical and architectural significance for future generations.
TAKE BACK GOWANUS
TOUR OF TEACHERS COLLEGE IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS WITH ANDREW SCOTT DOLKART
Jewels in the Crown: Select Interiors of Teachers College and Union Theological Seminary
Tuesday, July 8th at 6:00 p.m.
Teachers College, Broadway and West 120th Street, northeast corner
Suggested donation: $10
R.S.V.P. required
Email: info@morningsideheights.org
http://morningsideheights.org/amazing-tour-of-morningside-heights-jewels-july-8-2014/
A Tale of Three Carnegies: A Tour of Historic Libraries in Harlem and the South Bronx
Saturday, October 18, 2:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
Following the July tour of Carnegie libraries in Chinatown, John Bacon, HDC board member and Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library, will return to lead another tour of Carnegie libraries in Harlem and Mott Haven. In Harlem, we will visit the 115th Street and Harlem Libraries, and view the impressive Mount Morris Historic District in between. Bring your Metrocard, as we will then hop on the subway to the South Bronx to visit the beautiful Mott Haven Library and take in its notable children’s floor.
Six To Celebrate Tours- Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn-Pictures
Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, June 14, 2014(WALKING TOUR)
A commercial thoroughfare for more than one hundred years, Atlantic Avenue is a diverse retail and dining destination connecting the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Join us as tour guide Joe Svehlak leads this walking tour between 4th Avenue and Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped.
From Yiddish to Chinese and Beyond: A Walking Tour of Historic Libraries in Chinatown
Thursday, July 10, 6:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
Visit two of the busiest Carnegie libraries in the New York Public Library system as well as other sites of interest between and near them, including one of the oldest graveyards in New York, Al Smith’s childhood home, and Knickerbocker Village, a forerunner of later urban renewal projects. The tour, led by John Bacon, HDC board member and Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library, will start at the McKim, Mead and White-designed Chatham Square Library and conclude at the Seward Park Library, which became a New York City landmark in 2013.
SHINE-A-LIGHT: NEON WALKING TOUR OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE
May 8, 2014
Sponsored by Lower East Side Preservation Initiative
Neon signage – bold, colorful, flashy, and often beautiful – is emblematic of New York itself, and particularly the Lower East Side with its exuberant and diverse immigration, political, and cultural history.
Join Tom Rinaldi, architectural designer and author of New York Neon, in a rollicking tour of some of the most striking and historically interesting Lower East Side neon, including Katz’s, Russ and Daughter’s, Gringer Appliances, and lesser known gems.
Thursday, May 8th, 6:30 PM
Meet in front of John’s Restaurant 302 East 12th St. just west of 2nd Ave.
Admission: $20 LESPI Members: $15
Reservations are limited: advance ticket purchase recommended
Purchase tickets at www.NYCharities.org
Contact Richard:347-827-1846 or info@LESPI-nyc.org
You can purchase New York Neon here
Six to Celebrate Tours 2014-Staten Island’s Historic Cemeteries
Staten Island’s Historic Cemeteries
Saturday, September 27, 11:00AM (TROLLEY TOUR)
SOLD OUT
Celebrate Halloween early with a visit to Staten Island’s historic places of memory and rest. Led by Lynn Rogers, executive director of the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island, this trolley tour will explore three cemeteries dating to the early 19th century. Stops will include the Marine Hospital/Quarantine Station Cemetery, where thousands of Irish Famine Immigrants were reinterred in April 2014; the Staten Island/Fountain Cemetery & Native American Burial Ground, a haunted site and the city’s largest abandoned cemetery (8 acres); and Lake Cemetery, a working class cemetery where many Civil War and WWI Veterans were buried.
To find out information about the other Six to Celebrate tours click here
Six to Celebrate Tours 2014-Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, June 14, 11AM (WALKING TOUR)
A commercial thoroughfare for more than one hundred years, Atlantic Avenue is a diverse retail and dining destination connecting the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Join us as tour guide Joe Svehlak leads this walking tour between 4th Avenue and Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped.
To purchase tickets and find out information about the other Six to Celebrate tours click here
Six to Celebrate Tours 2014- Forest Close
Forest Close, Queens
Saturday, June 7, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT!!
Led by architectural historian Barry Lewis, this walking tour will cover some of the highlights of Forest Hills, one of the city’s most beautiful suburban-style communities developed in the early 20th century. Featured on the tour is Forest Close, a nook of 38 neo-Tudor houses surrounding a communal garden. Designed in 1927 in the spirit of the garden city movement, Forest Close can be described as an enclave within an enclave, its private orientation and country-inspired architecture lending charming appeal.
Six to Celebrate Tours 2014- Park Avenue
Park Avenue, Manhattan
Tuesday, June 17, 6:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
After a years-long preservation campaign by a coalition of residents, activists and community groups, 2014 is Park Avenue’s year! In February, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held an important Historic District hearing to landmark Park Avenue’s unprotected blocks, and in April, the Commission voted to landmark the district! Votes by the City Planning Commission and City Council are expected in the coming months. Join tour guide Justin Ferate on this walking tour of New York City’s premier historic boulevard and learn more about the effort to protect Park Avenue’s historical and architectural significance.
SOLD OUT
Six to Celebrate Tours 2014-Madison Square North
Madison Square North, Manhattan
Sunday, September 14, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
This architecturally diverse neighborhood includes pre-Civil War rowhouses, late 19th century hotels, early 20th century loft and commercial structures, and the remaining buildings of the famous Tin Pan Alley. To better reflect the neighborhood’s boundaries, local residents and advocates have submitted a Request for Evaluation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to expand the Madison Square North Historic District. Join us as HDC Board member and Madison Square North expert Marissa Marvelli leads a walking tour of this fascinating neighborhood.
To purchase tickets and find out information about the other Six to Celebrate tours click here
Reinterment at Court House (Marine Hospital) Cemetery
Please Join us for the Reinterment at Court House (Marine Hospital) Cemetery
Sunday, April 27, 2014, 12:30 pm, limited seating
Central Avenue and Hyatt St.
Marine Hospital Quarantine Station (1799-1858) & Commemorative Booklet
Between 1799 and 1858, Staten Island was home to the Marine Hospital Quarantine Station, ALL ships entering into New York Harbor during those years were stopped and if New York medical inspectors found anyone on the ships suffering from infectious diseases they were removed and held at the Staten Island facility to await their outcome. Local residents from Staten Island, Manhattan and the adjacent communities in New Jersey were also sent to this facility.
Tens of thousands of immigrants, ships crews, merchant and military personnel were held in quarantine which was located in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island. Many died and were buried en masse in cemeteries operated by the Marine Hospital. One of those cemeteries was on the site of the new Court House complex in St. George. During construction of the court facilities, a team of professional archeologists exhumed a portion of the mass graves.
On Sunday, April 27 at 12:30 p.m., Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries will conduct a funeral service and reinterment of those remains in a recreated cemetery on the grounds of the new Court House. Participating at the reinterment will be Monsignor James Dorney, Reverend Erick Sorensen, Assemblyman Michael Cusick who is also president of the American Irish Legislators Society of New York State, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Staten Island Pipes and Drums, Staten Island OutLOUD and tenor Andy Cooney.
Lynn Rogers, Executive Director of the FACSI notes, “Many of these immigrants, mostly Irish and German, whose only reason for being on Staten Island was because of the quarantine decided to stay and make their new life here. Today, they are 6th and 7th generation Staten Islanders. It would be so fitting if some of the heirs of those first immigrants were to join us on the 27th.”
Hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants arrived in New York between 1845 and 1852, as the Great Hunger aka Potato Famine ravaged the Irish nation. One New York newspaper reported in April, 1851, “The number of poor people from Ireland who are wandering through the streets of Staten Island in a starving condition is dreadful.” Invariably when these immigrants died on Staten Island, either on the streets or in the Marine Hospital, they were immediately buried. No death certificates were issued and no cemetery logs kept. They simply vanished and were never heard from again.
“It was a ghastly end for so many people who had left their countries in the hope of a new life in America but died so very close to their dream,” Ms. Rogers says. “Their fate was tragic, but now, more than a century and half later, they will receive the recognition and benediction they never received in life.”
The Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries is producing a commemorative booklet and is seeking memorials, family immigration stories and sponsors; $35 1/3 page; $70 1/2 page; $140 full page. Pictures ok. For more information contact SICemetery@gmail.com or call 917-545-3309.
Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn Wedding Expo-Sunday April 13,2014!
This is the second time Atlantic Avenue has come together for this kind of event. Last year was a great first time effort and we are building on that success this year. Atlantic Avenue has been Brooklyn’s primary destination for brides for years. Our merchants are experts in their field who have been designing dresses, baking cakes, and picking out fine wines for over 20 years. Now we’re bringing all of our fabulous shops under one roof at the Brooklyn Wedding Expo in the beautiful Deity Wedding Space and making ourselves known as the number one destination for weddings in Brooklyn.
Read more at bkweddingexpo.com.
Atlantic Avenue has so many wonderful shops and they are diverse. As the business organization of the neighborhood, the Atlantic Avenue BID is always looking at ways to bring businesses together. With this event, it is actually quite organic: people go to the dress store, who refers them to the neighborhood florist, cake bakery, venue and vice versa. All of these merchants have worked together and when you work with them you benefit from all of their combined valuable years of experience. For the expo, we’re letting everyone know that they too can benefit from the expertise and community that we have among our small shops. There’s lots more info online, including in-depth posts on the vendors, and people can buy their tickets there to reserve their spot: bkweddingexpo.com.
We have over 20 vendors, most of whom are within a few blocks on Atlantic and a few are selectively invited from elsewhere in Brooklyn. Deity is a great partner in this endeavor, having worked with so many great wedding merchants from this neighborhood and elsewhere.
Read more about this on Brooklyn Bride! http://bklynbrideonline.com/32511/uncategorized/brooklyn-wedding-expo/
PROTEST THE NEW APARTMENT CONSTRUCTION AT SAINT JOHN THE DIVINE!!
This Saturday, April 5TH 11:00am
112th Street and Amsterdam Ave
Construction is now beginning at the north lot of Saint John the Divine at W.113th Street and Amsterdam Ave.
• The construction site is unsafe.
• The planned 15 – story apartment towers will
desecrate the cathedral.
THE TIME TO TAKE A STAND IS NOW
SPONSORED BY: FRIENDS OF SAINT JOHN THE DIVINE
MORE INFO ON THE PROJECT AT MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS.ORG
Urban Cemeteries as Historic Landscapes Part II:
NYC Parks
Cypress Hills Cemetery
The New York Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies and
The Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation
Invite you to three lectures in the Uncommon Ground Series:
Urban Cemeteries as Historic Landscapes Part II: Design, Topography/Geology and Stewardship
The subject of urban cemeteries, both private and public, will be explored with a view toward greater understanding, appreciation and stewardship of these evocative landscapes. Urban Cemeteries and Stewardship: Reclaim, Restore and Maintain: Abandoned Cemeteries in Staten Island
Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.
Co-sponsored by
The Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation
Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, Inc. (FACSI) was founded in 1981 by New York State Division of Cemeteries Director Pearce O’Callaghan. Over the last decade, under the guidance of its executive director, Lynn Rogers, the organization has restored 11 abandoned cemeteries. The cemeteries date from the year 1630 and include a Native American Lenape burial ground. Once dreaded blights, these sites have been converted into welcoming landscapes with unique historical and educational value. In this lecture, Ms. Rogers will explore the grass-roots efforts that led to their recovery. A native New Yorker, Lynn Rogers has served as Executive Director of Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries Inc. for over a decade. She has spearheaded the restoration of 11 cemeteries in Staten Island. With extensive experience, understanding and commitment to these individual sites, she has enabled community groups to responsibly recover historic landscapes embedded in their surroundings. To date, FACSI has assisted in the transcription of over 60,000 cemetery records now available to the public. Currently in the process of transcribing historic cemetery books from a local funeral home, Lynn is a 2011 Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement and a recipient of the Legion of Honor Award from the Four Chaplains Society.
The Arsenal Gallery
Central Park, 64th St. and Fifth Ave., Third Floor
Free. Event seating is limited. RSVP to http://bit.ly/1aCOoM1
or call 212.360.8240.
This is the third lecture in a series of three.
To sign up for spring and summer cemetery tours in NYC or to offer a tour,
please call 212.360.8240 or email Kaitilin.Griffin@parks.nyc.gov
2014 Six to Celebrate Launch Party
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street, Manhattan (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
$25 per person/ $20 Friends of HDC
RSVP required. Pay at the door or to purchase tickets in advance, go to
http://hdc.org/featured/2014-six-celebrate-launch-party or call 212-614-9107.
HDC’s 2014 Six to Celebrate Press Release
Historic Districts Council Announces
2014 Annual List of Six NYC Priority Areas Meriting Preservation
January 9, 2014
Contact: Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director
212-614-9107, sbankoff@hdc.org
The Historic Districts Council, New York’s city-wide advocate for historic buildings and neighborhoods, is pleased to announce its 2014 Six to Celebrate, an annual listing of historic New York City neighborhoods and institutions that merit preservation attention. This is New York’s only citywide list of preservation priorities coming directly from the neighborhoods. Launching in conjunction with the 2014 list is also a website for the Six to Celebrate Program, detailing all of the preservation work done in the chosen neighborhoods since the program’s inception in 2011. The website can be viewed at www.6tocelebrate.org.
The 2014 groups will be formally introduced at the Six to Celebrate Launch Party on Wednesday, January 29, 2014, 6:00-8:00pm at the LGBT Community Center (208 West 13th Street.) For tickets, visit hdc.org.
The six priority areas were chosen from applications submitted by neighborhood groups around the city on the basis of the architectural and historic merit of the area, the level of threat to the neighborhood, strength and willingness of the local advocates, and where HDC’s citywide preservation perspective and assistance could be the most meaningful. Throughout 2014, HDC will work with these neighborhood partners to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs and building public awareness.
Starting off the year strong, on Tuesday, February 11, the proposed Park Avenue Historic District will have a Public Hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The proposed district encompasses the large sections of the iconic boulevard which are unprotected and under threat of inappropriate development. The coalition of local advocates has gathered widespread community and political support and will continue their work to ensure the designation of this historic neighborhood. HDC Executive Director, Simeon Bankoff says, “We are very excited to take such a major step for one of our Six to Celebrate groups so early in the year. We look forward to using this momentum to achieve preservation victories on Park Avenue and with our other priority groups.”
One exciting development in the program is this year’s inclusion of Public Libraries as a thematic priority. In recent years, as preservation issues surrounding libraries have become part of the public dialogue, including the Central Library Plan and the fight to save New York’s beautiful Carnegie branch libraries, the Historic Districts Council has recognized the need to call explicit attention to these institutions. This choice is not limited to a specific geographic neighborhood, era, or local advocacy group; as HDC will engage communities city-wide. Local libraries serve as community anchors and are sometimes a neighborhoods’ oldest and only surviving architecturally significant building. They serve as landmarks in the truest sense of the word. Throughout 2014, we wish to connect with new audiences and local library lovers in this effort to recognize and preserve these architecturally beautiful and culturally vital institutions.
Founded in 1971 as a coalition of community groups from New York City’s designated historic districts, the Historic Districts Council has grown to become one of the foremost citywide voices for historic preservation. Serving a network of over 500 neighborhood-based community groups in all five boroughs, HDC strives to protect, preserve and enhance New York City’s historic buildings and neighborhoods through ongoing advocacy, community development and education programs. The 2014 Six to Celebrate are:
A commercial thoroughfare for more than one hundred years, Atlantic Avenue is a diverse and varied boulevard connecting the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. The Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District seeks to create a shopping and dining district that celebrates its history and architecture. These efforts include educational outreach through lectures, tours and family-oriented programs, and the exploration of preservation methods to protect and enhance the elegant streetscapes that make the Avenue so enticing.
Designed in 1927 in the spirit of the garden city movement, Forest Close is a charming nook of 38 neo-Tudor houses surrounding a shared communal garden. While the Forest Close Association maintains covenants that regulate design and open space elements of the community and advises residents on design guidelines for building projects, they are now exploring other tools to better protect the area’s special character. The Association is working to engage residents and local stakeholders to promote the preservation of this lush neighborhood in Forest Hills.
Historic Cemeteries, Staten Island
Dotting Staten Island are 19 historic places of memory and rest. The Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island maintains the physical sites and written records of 11 of these spaces, promotes and assists in their beautification and rehabilitation, and engages local residents through events, programs and clean-ups. Friends is working to secure the resources needed to expand awareness of and participation in preserving these sites which are a vital, if little-known, part of New York City’s early history.
Madison Square North, Manhattan
This architecturally diverse neighborhood bordering midtown Manhattan includes pre-Civil War rowhouses, late 19th century hotels, early 20th century loft and commercial structures, and the remaining buildings of Tin Pan Alley. Spurred by several threats to important historic buildings, the 29th Street Neighborhood Association has recently begun a campaign to preserve this area’s rich architectural and cultural history by expanding the limited Madison Square North Historic District to better reflect the actual neighborhood.
Working with a coalition of residents, activists and community groups, Historic Park Avenue, Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side and Carnegie Hill Neighbors seek to landmark the unprotected blocks of New York’s premier historic boulevard. With an important Historic District hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission early in 2014, the year is off to an exciting start. This strong push to protect its historical and architectural significance includes the effort to prevent the demolition of the rectory of Park Avenue Christian Church, an architectural jewel in the Avenue’s crown.
New York City’s Public Libraries
Each of New York City’s public library branches is a neighborhood anchor, nurturing and educating residents. Crucial to their mission are the physical spaces they occupy. Often a community’s most distinguished building and only gathering place, these institutions have played an important role in the lives of generations of New Yorkers. Working with local advocates and organizations, the Historic Districts Council has chosen libraries as a thematic priority for 2014. HDC seeks to promote and preserve libraries across the five boroughs through education, outreach, advocacy and research. The project will include the completion of the Campaign to Preserve the Carnegie Libraries, a nomination of this thematic resource to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.