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Jim Mackin- Morningside Heights Forum

What do Riverside Church,
Union Theological Seminary
and
Jewish Theological Seminary have in Common?

Come and find out! The Morningside Heights Historic District Committee Invites you to a forum with NYC historian, Jim Mackin, to give you the unique and fascinating history of why three such important institutions chose to build in Morningside Heights, essentially side by side.

Thursday, May 1st

7pm-8:30 pm

Riverside Church

Room 10T

(19 Claremont Ave at W 120th Street)

Suggested donation $10

For more information: Morningsideheights.org

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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 

COMMUNITY BOARD 2-Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)

COMMUNITY BOARD 2 MEETS: BROOKLYN NAVY YARD’S PLANNED EXPANSION AND CB2 VOTES TO OVERSEE ALL OF ATLANTIC YARDS

BY BROOKLYN READER

Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)— Simeon Bankoft, executive director of the Historic Districts Council discussed the “Six to to Celebrate,” program, which chooses 6 community groups annually to provide consulting and support service on landmarking and other issues. He discussed the six current projects for 2014, one of which includes the Atlantic Avenue BID: “One of the things that really excited us about working on Atlantic Avenue is that this is the first time we’ve partnered with a BID,” Bankoft said. “And also because we feel it is an interesting addition to working with the community and we’re very exited.”

Josef Szende, executive director of planning at the AABID provided an update on planned activities for the BID through 2012 {2014}. He said plans include developing the area as a local tourist destination: “We want people visiting the borough and those who also live here to begin thinking about Atlantic Avenue as a place where you want to spend the day; we really want to highlight ourselves and be an important place on the itinerary when visiting Brooklyn.”

On May 3, the BID will begin leading a tour for those who are interested, that will go the length of the avenue, pointing out historic buildings and providing some history of how Atlantic Avenue developed. They are working to be included on the National register, fundraise and provide Kids Activity sheets for local restaurants to build interest and involvement in the historic value of the area.

To read the full article click here 

Six to Celebrate Tours 2014

Meeting Location Information Will Be Sent To Those Who Have Registered A Week Prior To The Tour 

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Atlantic AvenueAtlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, June 14, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the 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.

 

Forest Close, QueensForest Close
Saturday, June 7, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour
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.

 

Park AvenuePark Avenue, Manhattan
Tuesday, June 17, 6:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tours
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.

 

From Yiddish to Chinese and Beyond: A Walking Tour of Historic Libraries in ChinatownSeward Park Branch, exterior, west façade, 2010 (HDC)
Thursday, July 10, 6:00 PM (WALKING TOUR)

View Pictures of the 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.

 

Madison Square North, ManhattanMadison Square North
Sunday, September 14, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the 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.

 

Staten Island CemeteryStaten Island’s Historic Cemeteries
Saturday, September 27, 11:00AM (TROLLEY TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour 

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.

 

Park Avenue, Manhattan
Monday, October 6, 6:00PM (Walking Tour)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour 

The June 17 Six to Celebrate tour of the newly designated Park Avenue Historic District quickly sold park avenue tour 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.

A Tale of Three Carnegies: A Tour of Historic Libraries in Harlem and the South Bronx
Saturday, October 18, 2:00PM (WALKING TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!

cornershot

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.

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/

La Mesa Verde Designation Request

The La Mesa Verde Apartments were built by the Open Stairs Dwelling Company (OSDC) and designed by Henry Atterbury Smith.  The OSDC acquired the land from the Queensboro Corporation, the developer of Jackson Heights, and completed the La Mesa Verde Apartments in 1926, making them contemporary with the already designated Jackson Heights Historic District.  Smith also designed (the already designated) East River Homes (also known as the Shively Sanitary Apartments and the Cherokee Flats) in 1912.  The La Mesa Verde Apartments are similar in concept to the East River Homes.

The complex is made up of six detached buildings, connected by sky-bridges, located between 90th and 91st Streets, between 35th and 34th Avenues.  The buildings are set at an angle to the street grid, and form a saw-tooth pattern down both blocks.  They enclose a large internal garden courtyard, similar to the garden apartments built by the Queensboro Corporation.  There are no interior hallways at the La Mesa Verde; all apartments are reached directly from the open stairs.  There is only one elevator for these six-story buildings.  Tenants on higher floors ride the elevator up to the roof, then walk across the sky-bridges to their buildings, and then walk down the stairs to their apartment.

At the La Mesa Verde Smith was influenced any ancient pueblo architecture of the American Southwest.  Pueblo buildings of similar height, with their flat roofs and ladder-like stairs were his primary inspiration.  There were practical advantages to this: “Think of having your own cottage outside door, although living on the fifth or sixth floor.  Open stairs make possible elevator apartments with no smells from the basement and absolutely no stair odors from other people’s apartments.” (quote from Queensboro Magazine)

Here are some comments about the importance of these buildings from Columbia Professor Richard Plunz:

In the 1920s the work of Henry Atterbury Smith, who had pioneered an earlier generation of philanthropic housing including the open stair tenement, paralleled (Andrew) Thomas’ and (Henry) Wright’s housing research.  His work was far more exploratory, however.  In 1917 Smith set a precedent with the first theoretical work proposing that building geometry could deviate from the geometry of the New York gridiron.  He suggested that buildings did not have to be oriented along lot lines and argued that other geometries, based on purely functional considerations such as light and view, might be superimposed on the gridiron.  (page 174)

Smith’s Mesa Verde housing was more radical.  The project, which was completed in 1926, assimilated many of his ideas of the previous decade.  (page 176)

By 1926 the Mesa Verde was as radical an alternative to traditional housing as anything realized in the Netherlands and Germany  (page 180)

  1.  History of Housing in New York City,   Richard Plunz, page 174-180 (that includes original photos of the La Mesa Verde Apartments)
  2. Jackson Heights – A Garden in the City,   Daniel Karatzas  pages 79-81
  3. Robert A.M. Stern, “The New York Apartment House”  Via  Volume #4  1980  page 83
  4. Queensboro Magazine  November 1925  page 642

Protect the Historic A&P Warehouse at 67 Vestry St. in Tribeca

Petition by Tribeca Trust To be delivered to New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission

We believe that 67 Vestry Street should be granted landmark protection. This building embodies the story of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (the “A&P”), a company founded at the now demolished Washington Market. It was built specifically for the A&P in 1897 by the important architect Frank Dinkelberg and modified with a two-story addition in 1910 by the equally well-regarded architect Frank Helme. Landmarking this handsome former warehouse would anchor the besieged Tribeca North Historic District nearby and provide visual evidence of a great period in our country’s commercial history. This building also was a keystone building that housed many great artists whose presence in Tribeca launched Tribeca’s revival as a great urban neighborhood. This part of the building’s story should also be honored.

Show your support. Sign the petition. Click here!

View ‘We are 67 Vesrty’ website

Photo from Downtown Express article ‘Preservation boost for Tribeca artists in danger of losing their 19th century homes’

 

Gowanus State and National Register Listing

GOWANUS

THE CANAL THAT
BUILT BROOKLYN

THE CREEK THAT
SAVED OUR NATION

Gowanus: National Registry of Historic Places, Eligible Since 2006.
Gowanus: filled with amazing history.
The Listing to National and State Registries, sponsored by FROGG,
will bring economic redevelopment tax incentives to the district
for owners who voluntarily choose to participate in renovation and
redevelopment of properties.
Support of the Historic Registry Listing is to
support the future of Gowanus.

Please contact Mayor Bill de Blasio and tell him to let the State Review Board vote on the Gowanus Canal Historic District.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/static/pages/officeofthemayor/contact.shtml

Tell him to: Please permit the NYS Review Board to vote on the Gowanus Canal Historic District. Listing the area on the National Register of Historic Places will only encourage economic development and investment in the neighborhood. This is a community-driven plan which is business and development friendly, and lifts the community up by acknowledging the Canal’s importance in the development of our city. There are no
new regulations or requirements which will be triggered by this designation, only the possibility of incentives to development.
(you have a maximum of 300 words)

Read the full article on HDCs website here or View the FROG PDF here

Bedford Stuyvesant has been chosen by Historic Districts Council as one of six historic districts to celebrate in 2011.

The Six 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 2011, HDC will work with these neighborhood partners to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs and publicity.