DISTRICT LINES news and views of the historic districts council autumn 2003 volume XVII number 2

p.1 ~ Landmark Demolition, by Intent or Neglect p.2 ~ President’s Column p.3 ~ Landmarks Commission Proposes Fees for Permits—Update p.4 ~ District Profiles: Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District, p.5 ~ “Streams of Exotic, Devilish Creatures”—Herbert Muschamp’s Ideal City p.7 ~ Hart-felt Tribute: HDC to Lionize Kitty Carlisle p.8 ~ ARecent LPC Appointment p.9 ~ HDC Welcomes New Directors and Advisers p.10 ~ Latest Gifts and Grants

Landmark Demolition, by Intent or Neglect

In the past two or three years, many landmarks have been destroyed without May 1999 the site was purchased by the Landmarks Preservation Commission permits and without Department of Instituto Cervantes, a Spanish-govern- Buildings permits. It has happened sometimes in the middle of the night with ment cultural organization, which no one around, sometimes behind walls by workers with jackhammers and axes. wanted an auditorium and, not allowed Because this is such a major offense not only of the Landmarks Law but also, to build over the cottages, proposed to build underneath them. The institute more importantly, to the buildings and neighborhoods in which the vandalism applied to the LPC in August 2000 to occurs, District Lines is using this issue and the next to explore the topic. excavate the courtyard, demolish two of the four houses inside the courtyard and Part One: By Intent ignations, in the 1960s, and deserved to perform other alterations. The LPC be. In 1970 the owner, hoping to pre- held four public hearings between When the owner of a landmark takes up serve Amster Yard in perpetuity, sold October 2000 and February 2001 and tools or hires a contractor to tear down the air rights to a developer of an office finally approved the application. Appar- his or her building or parts of it and building on so that noth- ently, no concerns were raised during does so without permits or in violation ing could be built over the cottages. In the hearings about how the structures of permits issued for alterations only, he or she commits demolition by intent. It is a grievous violation of the Landmarks Law and makes the owner liable for a fine up to the fair-market value of the landmarked parcel. Owners who demolish without ostensible intent, by failing to maintain deteriorating buildings, commit demo- lition by neglect. A leaking roof that goes unrepaired long enough will col- lapse. This is common knowledge. It’s how ruins come about. Owners who allow demolition by neglect can be sub- ject to criminal action by the Land- marks Preservation Commission. We deal first with six notorious examples of demolition by intent. One of the most egregious is: Amster Yard, bulldozed in 2001. Amster Yard was a courtyard on East 49th Street between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan with 1860s cot- tages inside garden walls, visible from photo: Catherine McNeur the street. There were also two side-by- Digging in the basement of photographer Annie Liebovitz’s house, left, on West 11th side town houses facing the street. The Street in Manhattan led to the near collapse of the neighbors’ corner house. complex was one of the LPC’s first des-

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 2 would withstand the proposed con- with the corner house cracked and given much encouragement to preserva- struction. A month or so after construc- shifted, causing the wall to drop and tion groups as a member and as chair of tion began, one wall of the small detach from the floor. A gas line ruptured the State Council on the Arts courtyard houses was judged to be in that house, and the owners were forced and even supported advocacy groups unstable. Instead of just the wall, all of to move out; the Department of Build- when other funders shied away from it. the buildings were torn down com- ings later declared it unsafe for occu- Be sure to read our profile of this pletely. Today only the facades of the pancy. Subsequently the house was remarkable woman on page 7. two former town houses on East 49th braced, but during the winter Ms. What do we hope to accomplish in Street and a small structure in the court- Liebovitz’s house was left without win- the near future? Our conference last yard exist. The decision to demolish was dows and was open to the elements, and year on “Preserving the Suburban made by the contractor, who did not the corner house suffered rain damage Metropolis” has spurred us to redouble consult any government entity that continued on page 3 could validate such a decision—the LPC, the Department of Buildings, the Fire Department or any other agency. No penalty has been levied against the PRESIDENT’ S COLUMN developer because the Instituto Cer- vantes has promised to restore the gar- den to its predesignation 1949 state. It My first privilege as the new president hasn’t happened yet. of the Historic Districts Council is to The house owned by celebrity pho- thank the past presidents who have tographer Annie Liebovitz at 305-307 served HDC so well—Joe Rosenberg, West 11th Street, in the Greenwich Vil- Tony Wood, Eric Allison and Hal lage Historic District, is another example. Bromm. They have given unstintingly of That house is next door to a corner house their time both while in office and after- photo: Catherine McNeur that Ms. Liebovitz had apparently tried ward. I only hope that with their contin- New HDC president, David Goldfarb, and failed to buy to enlarge her space. She uing support and advice I can meet the left, hands Hal Bromm an antiquarian had already combined two town houses by high standard they have set. book about New York as a token of gutting them; the one on the corner The first challenge in my short thanks for his service to HDC as the out- would have been the third. In October tenure has been to oppose the Land- going president. 2002, workers were digging in her sub-cel- marks Preservation Commission’s pro- lar to lower its floor when the party wall posal to levy fees for permits to do work on individual landmarks and buildings in our efforts to get long-neglected and historic districts. HDC has consistently worthy areas in The Bronx, Brooklyn, opposed LPC fees—see the article on Queens and designated as page 3 for details—and hopefully we will historic districts, and we are working succeed one day in reversing them. We with local neighborhood organizations DISTRICT should reward people who maintain his- to meet this goal. We are also expanding LINES toric properties, not charge them. our educational efforts by holding mini- On the brighter side, there is good conferences on preservation topics news and views of the news for HDC in the form of a three- throughout the boroughs. In Lower historic districts council year capacity-building grant from the Manhattan we are focusing our efforts Mertz Gilmore Foundation. This grant to preserve the historic fabric in a pro- not only enables us to expand our advo- posed John Street/Maiden Lane His- editor ~ Penelope Bareau cacy efforts throughout the city; it chal- toric District. layout and production ~ Ross Horowitz lenges us to raise more funds to support Carrying out our goals has been in editorial consultant ~ Jack Taylor our efforts. We are fortunate also to the able hands of our executive director,

contributors ~ Melissa Baldock, Simeon Bankoff, have received funds from the Manhat- Simeon Bankoff. His enthusiasm and Penelope Bareau, David Goldfarb, Eve Kahn, tan delegation of the City Council. A hard work have contributed greatly to Cathereine McNeur, Francis Morrone thank you to Councilmember Gale our growth and accomplishments over Brewer for her continuing supportive the last few years. I would also like to the historic districts council is the efforts. Both these items of good news welcome to the office our two new citywide nonprofit advocate for new are testament to the hard work and preservation associates, Melissa Bal- york’s designated historic districts, skills of our directors and advisers, espe- dock and Catherine McNeur. Our staff and for neighborhoods meriting cially Eric, Franny Eberhart and David has brought a high level of professional- preservation. the council is dedicated Freudenthal. ism to all our efforts. I look forward to to preserving the integrity of new Other good news is that we will be working with both staff and volunteers york city’s landmarks law and to honoring Kitty Carlisle Hart as this in the coming years. furthering the preservation ethic. year’s Landmarks Lion. Mrs. Hart has —David Goldfarb Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 3

Landmark Demolition, style by Charles Coolidge Haight, it was Landmarks by Intent or Neglect built in stages between 1884 and 1926. continued from page 2 The building’s round towers with coni- Commission cal slate roofs have long defined its pic- turesque profile. As a nursing facility, Proposes Fees for through the roof where it came apart the building closed in 1975 and has been from the wall. Minimal work has been vacant since then. Over the past quarter Permits—Update done by Ms. Liebovitz other than the century, this individual landmark has installation of an emergency metal brace been a victim of arson and has gone to prevent the buckling wall on the corner through a series of negligent owners Fiscal crises sometimes inspire bad ideas, building from collapsing. She faces a viola- who have allowed it to deteriorate. and the current crisis facing New York tion and a fine of up to $2,500 to be set at However, it is the Towers’s most recent City is no exception. Asked by Mayor a court date. In March 2003, the owners owner who is responsible for intention- Michael R. Bloomberg to raise an of the corner house sued Ms. Liebovitz ally demolishing significant portions of unprecedented $1.05 million in annual for $15 million, accusing her of conspiring the landmark, including the building’s revenue (more than a third of its annual to drive them from their building and of signature conical roofs. In early 2001, budget), the Landmarks Preservation launching a “terror campaign of harass- the owner began work on the site using a Commission has proposed instituting ment, provocation, and ultimately Certificate of Appropriateness the LPC fees for work permits on landmark prop- destruction” after they refused to sell her had issued eight years earlier that called erties. Although this idea has been put their house. It is now so damaged that it for the stabilization and rehabilitation forward several times before, the current would have to be completely rebuilt, and of the historic structure. It also allowed fee scheme is different in that it applies to they have dropped the lawsuit and agreed for the construction of an adjacent 27- landmarks permits that also require to sell to Ms. Liebovitz. She still has not story tower. Ignoring the COA, the Department of Buildings permits. undertaken necessary repairs for the owner subsequently demolished signifi- LPC currently issues three kinds of three buildings. cant portions of the Towers building and permits: The Towers Nursing Home on removed the conical slate roofs, leaving Central Park West between 105th and the interior of the building open to the • Permits for Minor Work (PMW), 106th Streets in Manhattan was origi- elements. It is still open, two years later. which apply to work such as facade nally the New York Cancer Hospital, the The 27-story tower has been built, but repainting and window and door first cancer hospital in the United the landmark looks like a victim of the replacement that do not require States. Designed in the Romanesque continued on page 11 DOB permits; • Certificates of Appropriateness (COA), which affect the protected features of landmark buildings and are brought to public hearing for review by the commissioners; • Certificates of No Effect (CNE), which ensure that the work applied for at DOB, such as interior renova- tions and infrastructure enhance- ments, will not affect the protected features of a property.

The current proposal calls for fees equal to half of the existing Department of Buildings fees to be charged for all COAs and CNEs—more than 80 per- cent of all applications, according to the LPC. This amounts to a surcharge on preservation, and penalizes residents and owners who seek to invest in his- toric properties. That these fees will equally apply to work not affecting the protected fea- tures of a landmark does not make sense photo: Catherine McNeur and only worsens the blow. Conical slate roofs of the Towers Nursing Home were ripped off in violation of LPC per- On July 8th the LPC held its first mits to stabilize. The towers have been left open to the elements for two years. public hearing on this proposal. More than 40 groups and individuals sent Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 4 statements or letters against the pro- HDC will continue to fight this proposal. was bordered on the west by Greenwich posal, and an additional 28 speakers from If fees are enacted, HDC will endeavor to Street and the Hudson River (landfill across the city testified against it, includ- have them removed from the budget for later added Washington and West ing City Councilmember Bill Perkins the coming year and to have this amend- Streets). The house had been built for an and former LPC Commissioner Anthony ment to the Landmarks Law rescinded. emissary of George III in 1767 and was M. Tung. Elected officials who weighed The Landmarks Law and the Land- used by George Washington as his head- in against the proposal were Coun- marks Preservation Commission have quarters during the Revolutionary War. cilmembers Christine Quinn, Michael survived and prospered for 38 years It was later used as a vice-presidential McMahon, Alan Gerson and Tony Avella, working in partnership with New York- mansion by John Adams when New York and Assembly member Deborah Glick. ers who care passionately about our his- was the capital; Aaron Burr bought it HDC has orchestrated a widespread toric city. To tax citizens for that passion when Adams’s term ended in 1797. public-awareness campaign that is a form of betrayal. Records show Burr residing at other included coverage in The New York addresses, but his entertainments at Times, New York Newsday, the Queens Richmond Hill were said to be among Chronicle, The New York Sun and televi- the most lavish in the city. He must have sion’s NY1. DISTRICT PROFILES been thinking early on about developing the property because in 1797 he filed a map—still in the Hall of Records— dividing the six-acre property into 25- Charlton-King- by-100-foot building lots and mapping Charlton, King and Vandam Streets. Va ndam Historic In the presidential election of 1800, Burr became vice-president, and the District, capital moved from New York to Wash- ington, so Burr would have had to move Manhattan there. However, he kept Richmond Hill and from there ran unsuccessfully for In the early years of the Republic a fabu- governor of New York State in 1804. The New York Sun got it right with this car- lous Georgian mansion stood on a 400- Alexander Hamilton had published slurs toon drawn by Igor Kopelnitsky and used foot-high hill where this designated about him, and the famous duel between here by permission. historic district now lies. The estate, the two men took place that year known as Richmond Hill, was just south because of the insults. Burr mortally of what is now West Houston Street and continued on page 8 Those in opposition were unified in their contention that this proposal under- mined the fragile ethos of preservation by penalizing positive preservation action. Far better, most of them argued, to raise revenues from violators of the Landmarks Law, who currently are under-prosecuted and under-penalized. Others suggested charging a special fee to movie or televi- sion productions for permission to film in designated historic districts. Only three organizations came out in favor of fees, the Municipal Art Soci- ety, the New York Landmarks Conser- vancy and the Real Estate Board of New York. Frank Sanchis, executive director of MAS, testified in person and said that the preservation committee had made the decision to back fees but that it had not been unanimous. The Conservancy did not testify in person but sent a let- ter. The Real Estate Board has long been photo: Penelope Bareau a proponent of fees. As cited by the designation report, the north side of Charlton Street “retains what is proba- LPC has said that a vote will be taken bly the longest row of Federal and early Greek Revival houses in the City.” on this matter in the fall. Until then,

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 5

“Streams of Exotic, Devilish Creatures”— Herbert Muschamp’s Ideal City Francis Morrone critiques The Times’s Architecture Critic

Mr. Morrone, author of the following arti- limned Wright’s complicated relationship tecture criticism. I recall that I felt I was in cle, is the architecture critic for The New to a city he disingenuously professed to the presence of a critic maturing by the Criterion and a columnist for The New disdain. The second half of the book, week, a critic who might indeed carry on York Sun. He is also an architectural his- however, was another matter. Here the high standard set by his predecessors, torian and the author of three books on Muschamp strung together a bunch of Ada Louise Huxtable and . architecture, with another to be published oracular or otherwise cryptic remarks— And later in that same year it was nice to see by Rizzoli later this year. and nothing but remarks, not in the least Muschamp demonstrate his editorial inde- amounting to critical discussion—on a pendence by hammering away at the mis- *** variety of urban and philosophical conceived Times Square Center project, When Herbert Muschamp became archi- themes. I sensed in this section the note- which his own newspaper had promoted. tecture critic at , book—even the diary—jottings of an Yet in that very piece Muschamp set few New Yorkers had heard of him. Some eager undergrad. Muschamp was a smart the tone for his next 11 years of commen- within the architecture field were well guy, to be sure. And young. As he matured, tary. He used one of his favorite conceits, aware of him, however. He had held a perhaps he might be a major critic. the personalization of inanimate objects. number of prestigious positions, having And then he got the Times job. He Muschamp: “Perhaps the most construc- been architecture critic for the New replaced Paul Goldberger, a fine, plain- tive approach would be simply to stop, Republic and for Artforum, and having talking critic who had been promoted by look and listen to Times Square’s own created, at (his the paper to cultural-affairs editor. (He ideas about what it wants to be.” alma mater), a master’s degree program in now serves as The New Yorker’s architec- What? design criticism. He was also the author ture critic.) “A nd what it mostly wants to be is a of “Man about Town: Frank Lloyd Wright Way back in 1992, Muschamp wrote a version of the Freudian id. It’s the great in ,” published in 1983. review of Frank Williams’s Trump Palace maw of pleasure, desire and fear, opening At first I thought this a marvelous apartments, on Third Avenue and 68th itself wide for our entertainment like the book. In its first half, Muschamp clearly Street, that was an exemplary piece of archi- hell’s mouth in a medieval morality play. We ’d feel cheated if we didn’t see streams of exotic, devilish creatures come skip- ping out of those jaws in search of cheap thrills and tawdry glamour, and we’d be equally disappointed if we couldn’t also depend on the morality brigade to come scampering right after, like the Save-a- Soul Mission in ‘Guys and Dolls,’ wielding nightsticks, Bibles and urgent referrals to social service agencies, prodding the little devils to clean up their acts.” Mind you, that’s what Times Square told Herbert Muschamp it wants to be. Eight years later, Lincoln Center said to Muschamp: “I want glass and travertine walls. No diamonds, please. Give me rhinestones. Arches that look paper thin. An opera house with Sputnik chandeliers that rise heavenward at curtain time. A massive grand staircase that goes nowhere. Just a place to pose on yards of red carpet. The biggest bad Chagalls in this poor diva’s photo: Simeon Bankoff world.” Times Square speaks to Herbert Muschamp, and that’s saying a lot. Here is what the “great Okay, that’s a critical tic, I thought; maw of pleasure” looked like on a recent afternoon. annoying, to be sure, but not necessarily related to his substantive worldview.

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 6

As time went on, however, tural toes [and] has instead contributed to visual texture of glass with reflectivity, Muschamp became that avant-garde the city’s creative torpor.” fretted patterns, screened-on images, cliché: the self-conscious revolutionary When the first chair of the Landmarks blurring, veiling, coloration, support who wishes to subvert an establishment in Preservation Commission, Harmon H. systems, and other techniques, these order to impose his own. To wit: “Conflict Goldstone died in 2001, David Dunlap projects summon forth states of narcis- remains the most important cultural wrote in The Times: “Mr. Goldstone lived sism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, veiling, product a great city puts out.” Or: to see a day when the preservation move- vamping, elusiveness, disconsolation, “Gehry’s great gift is to present aesthetic ment was regarded by its critics as so pow- Hitchcock’s blonde.” disobedience and urban disturbance as erful and influential that it had stultified That architecture should “summon pure exercises in social responsibility.” Or the development of innovative modern forth states” of exhibitionism and this: ’s goal, in his plan for architecture in New York City.” Dunlap voyeurism, that this is something the Land- the , “was to clearly had Muschamp in mind. Muschamp marks Preservation Commission should weaken the existing boundaries between loathes most preservationists. In a 2000 get behind, is a remarkable notion. We can private (the museum) and public space piece, he wrote of the “good buildings that only conclude that Muschamp’s ideal city is (the street). His design resumed the mod- have gone unbuilt because preservation has based on puerile fantasies of watching peo- ern task of relaxing the conventions of absorbed much of the energy that once ple disrobe in uncurtained, glass-walled social and psychological encounter.” Or, supported the idea of architecture.” rooms. I think he could use a cold shower. in the aftermath of 9/11: “Patriotism His animosity is so great that if Mar- In the end, Muschamp is an intellec- would have a greater depth right now if cel Breuer’s 1970s scheme for a Modernist tual poseur. Nothing underscored this for our surroundings reflected a more mod- tower atop were me more than a piece that began thus: ern and progressive outlook.” “Oh, what can you do with a man like Muschamp loves to cite his favorite “…Muschamp came increas- Jacques Barzun?” Barzun is, of course, the architects as beleaguered outsiders crying eminent cultural historian and one of the for a chance to be heard. In a 2001 piece ingly to employ the language greatest scholars of the 20th century. At on Morris Lapidus, Muschamp wrote: of the morally righteous…” the time of Muschamp’s writing, Barzun’s “Have you been wondering, perhaps, why magnum opus, entitled “From Dawn to , Rem Koolhaas and Peter revived, Muschamp would probably Decadence,” had just come out and occu- Eisenman have been criticized for main- endorse it. After all, the ’70s was the last pied a spot on the Times best-seller list, tenance problems with their buildings, period of real architectural verve in New rare for a book of intellectual heft. But while Richard Meier, Charles Gwathmey York, as he repeatedly avers. Muschamp invoked Barzun’s name only and Norman Foster have gone relatively Writing in 2001 about Rockrose to supply a cutesy intro to an article unscathed? I have. Buildings that are not Development’s Queens West project, about Frank Gehry. Muschamp charac- normative, that appeal to the emotions, Muschamp opined: “For a site where terized “From Dawn to Decadence” as that find beauty in the commonplace, views are paramount, the [design] guide- “the best-selling jeremiad on the culture transgress rules of decorum that are even lines restrict the use of glass in favor of of our times.” Yes, it was a best seller. No, more rigid now than in Lapidus’s time. masonry walls. Instead of encouraging it’s not a “jeremiad” and no, it’s not “on They are all too close to the beach, too far new approaches to planning, the master the culture of our times.” If Muschamp from the rational, sensible and orderly, plan mandates neo-traditional towers on had done more than look at the title of too nomadic in their aesthetic sensibility. bases with uniform street lines. Can the the book he would have known that, but As for Philippe Stark, he’s too … swanky.” bishop’s-crook lampposts, world’s-fair Herbert Muschamp saw fit to take How “not normative” can you be benches, hexagonal pavers and other Barzun to task for his failure to appreci- when, like Koolhaas, you have a Pritzker theme-park accessories be far behind? ate that we live in a golden age defined in Prize and billions of dollars in commis- Will we have look-alike door- large part by the achievements of the sions? As for Muschamp, he’s so “not nor- men dancing to ‘Singing in the Rain’?” architect of Guggenheim Bilbao. “You mative” that he can find no better Writing of French architect Jean can send Mr. Barzun and all the other evil medium than The New York Times from Nouvel’s proposed Broadway Grand eyes out there to the Solomon R. which to spout his views! Hotel in 2001, when some local preser- Guggenheim Museum,” where they could In addition, Muschamp came vationists said it broke too harshly from see a show that “goes far toward dis- increasingly to employ the language of the the prevailing architecture of the SoHo- pelling the anger that has restricted our morally righteous and to attack in the Cast Iron Historic District, Muschamp age from acknowledging artistic great- most ad hominem ways those he dis- brutally dismissed their concerns and ness in our midst.” dained. His shrill invective bore the flavor praised Nouvel’s design thus: “This We have Muschamp the implacable of religious fundamentalism. Robert A. hotel is made for ‘Moody’s Mood for foe of preservation, Muschamp the nar- M. Stern “represents a brand of theme Love’ as performed by King Pleasure, on cissistic revolutionary and Muschamp park design that has misrepresented itself a rainy weekday afternoon, downtown, who believes that voyeuristic sex fantasies as classicism—as architecture, for that in a room surrounded by low-rise build- form a perfectly reasonable basis of archi- matter—for three decades.” The Munici- ings. Think Edward Hopper crossed tectural judgment. pal Art Society is “a group that should with Pedro Almodóvar. Not least, this Oh, what can you do with a man like have been keeping the city on its architec- design is about sex... Modulating the Herbert Muschamp? Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 7

Hart-felt Tribute: HDC to Lionize Kitty Carlisle

“I’ve called them all ‘Governor, darling,’” tion, or have had those programs cut dras- Saturday afternoon, and the top of the said Kitty Carlisle Hart, with her custom- tically or altogether, and no other arts double-decker bus was my bailiwick.” ary twinkle. She was reflecting on her council gives operating money to historic- As Kitty Carlisle, she has been per- decades of public service to cultural organ- preservation groups.” forming as a singer and actress since her izations and her knack for increasing gov- NYSCA funds 25 staffed preserva- Broadway debut in 1931 at the 1919 ernment arts funding under four tion organizations, including the Preser- Empire-style Capitol Theatre, a movie governors so far,: from , palace and legitimate house on 50th to George Pataki. From 1976 to 1996 she Street designed by Thomas W. Lamb (it chaired the New York State Council on was demolished, she laments, in 1967). the Arts, and is currently titled chairman She married playwright-director Moss emeritus. “When I came aboard, we were Hart in 1946, and the couple collabo- only funding a handful of institutions,” she rated and socialized with dozens of Hol- recalled. “I was like Johnny Appleseed, lywood and Broadway legends including running around the state, figuring out , George S. Kaufman, the where to give money next and pushing for Marx Brothers, Cole Porter and Noël more funding. The staff would tell me, Coward. Beginning shortly after Mr. ‘There’s a tiny organization doing wonder- Hart’s death in 1961, she devoted herself ful things, it’s five flights up in the north- to charitable work and has served on west corner of the state, where it’s snowing museum, university and foundation now,’ and I’d say, ‘Let’s go!’ ” boards around the U.S. In early November the Historic Dis- She raised her children, Christo- tricts Council will honor Mrs. Hart as its pher and Catherine, in an apartment on 2003 Landmarks Lion with a benefit cele- the where she still lives bration. As a new Lion, Mrs. Hart joins a (and is frequently visited by three grand- distinguished group of preservationists, children). The building, a 1907 Neo- among whom are Margot Gayle, founder of Classical palazzo, was designed by Friends of Cast Iron; Joan Davidson, former William E. Mowbray. It is as flawlessly New York State Parks and Recreation chair; kempt as the ever-elegant Mrs. Hart and Otis Pratt Pearsall, former chair of the Kitty Carlisle Hart, the HDC’s Landmarks herself. Cartouches are sculpted onto its Landmarks Preservation Commission. Lion for 2003. Mrs. Hart, singer, actress and cream-colored-brick exterior, and rows Saying how thrilled he is to be honor- enthusiastic preservationist, headed the of lions’ heads gaze out from the densely ing Mrs. Hart, HDC President David New York State Council on the Arts, where bracketed cornice—which, of those on Goldfarb commented, “Preservation she aided preservation groups during the the many landmarks she has helped save, groups blossomed while Mrs. Hart was terms of four governors. is one of her favorites. chair of NYSCA. Her advocacy for “We had that cornice restored in the preservation organizations has enabled late 1980s,” she said. “It’s one of the them to survive and flourish across New vation League of New York State, the largest in the city, with a huge uphol- Yo rk State. Everyone in the preservation Landmarks Society of Western New stered room behind it—you could prac- movement owes her a debt of gratitude.” Yo rk and the Historic Districts Council. tically live there!” Her dècor is an “On Mrs. Hart’s watch, NYSCA “Mrs. Hart,” Ms. Van Ingen continued, example of devoted preservation, too; committed over $20 million for historic- “has been an unflagging champion of even the flocked red wallpaper in the preservation projects and groups,” our program through the good budget dramatic foyer has not changed in four explained Anne Van Ingen, NYSCA’s times and the bad. She has fought to decades and has held up well. The only director of the Architecture, Planning and keep it flourishing.” traces of modernity in sight, amid the Design Program and Capital Projects, Born in as Catherine European and Asian antiques and the- who oversees some $2.5 million in yearly Conn, Mrs. Hart was a young girl when atrical memorabilia, are dozens of crys- grants out of NYSCA’s $46 million annual her father died, and she grew up mainly tal and silver thank-you mementos from outlay. When Governor Rockefeller in Europe, traveling with her mother, arts organizations across the country. established the agency in 1960, Ms. Van who encouraged her to study music and Her life remains a whirl of cultural Ingen added, “A core principle of the drama. In the 1920s the family alighted and social events and singing perform- enabling legislation was the celebration, in New York. “I’d ride the bus from our ances. “And I’m still discovering won- protection and reuse of the state’s historic apartment on Riverside Drive and 98th derful things in the city,” she said. “I architecture. The vast majority of other Street to Gramercy Park and back,” she hoof it, I try to walk miles each day. I’ve state arts councils don’t fund preserva- said. “That was my big excitement on a never lost my curiosity.” Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 8

They were built on speculation by a small number of architect-builders, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report of August 1966 credits that circumstance for the “exceptional har- mony of old houses built within a few years of each other. On the north side of Vandam Street,” the report goes on, “there is an unbroken row of Federal houses, almost all retaining their original steps and entrances, their pitched roofs and dormers and their ironwork. Charlton Street, on its north side, retains what is probably the longest row of Federal and early Greek Revival houses in the City. Such continuity of period and such excellent state of preservation are not known to exist anywhere else ...” The original residents of these streets were successful builders, lawyers and mer- chants involved in marketing the food products moved off the nearby wharves. As early as 1822, landfill was in place west of Greenwich Street up to and including courtesy Landmarks Preservation Commission West Street. “For some reason,” according Map of the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District in Manhattan, one of the first dis- to the designation report, “the neighbor- tricts to be designated by the LPC, in August 1966. hood ... remained settled, serene and gen- teel, while comparable nearby streets of similar age became less fashionable or entirely commercial ... Many houses were Charlton-King-Vandam kept in the same family for generations, Historic District, and many people who led lives of distinc- Manhattan tion in the City continued to live here.” continued from page 4 This was especially remarkable during the 1920s, when large factories and commer- cial buildings took over the corners of wounded Hamilton and soon afterward Varick Street, bringing rumbling truck left New York. traffic with them. Now, except for this But first he made an arrangement quiet domestic enclave, the area is com- with John Jacob Astor, New York’s most mercial all the way to the river. active property developer of the time, to take over the house and property, provided Burr could buy it back within a period of A Recent LPC 20 years. In 1817, back in New York and practicing law, Burr completed the sale to Appointment Astor and received a generous payment for the property. Development began. In February 2003 Roberta Brandes Gratz The house was rolled down the hill to was appointed as the second new commis- the southeast corner of Charlton and the sioner of the Landmarks Preservation newly opened Varick Street, where it Commission in six years. Robert B. Tierney, served as a space for public gatherings now the chairman, was the first, in January. until it was demolished in 1849. The hill Ms. Gratz is a distinguished author was leveled, lots laid out according to and urban critic whose 1994 book, “The Burr’s plan and by the mid-1820s all the Living City: Thinking Small in a Big photo: Penelope Bareau houses on Charlton and Vandam Streets Wa y,” earned her the sobriquet of this A splendid Greek Revival doorway in the and many on King Street were built. generation’s Jane Jacobs. Her most Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District Except for four Greek Revival houses on recent book, “Cities Back from the with fluted columns, entablature and origi- the north side of Charlton built to replace Edge: New Life for Downtown” (John nal leaded-glass lights. ones destroyed in an 1840 fire, all that Wiley & Sons, 1998), documents urban exist today are original. recovery in different cities in the United Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 9

States and details successful techniques things. Geographically, they represent a toric Preservation and the Save Ganse- for bringing it about. broad swath of the city voort Market Project of the GVSHP. He Ms. Gratz first gained attention in Joining the Board of Directors are: is a co-founder and co-coordinator of the the preservation community in the 1970s Linda C. Jones, who returns as a Citywide Coalition for Community Facil- with an award-winning series in the New director after a pause of several years. ity Reform and prior to his work at York Post on the workings of the LPC. During that time and before, she was GVSHP was chief of staff for Thomas K. Her subsequent urban-planning and active in the Preservation League of Duane in his capacities as both New York preservation activities have been numer- Staten Island and for her efforts was hon- City Councilmember and State Senator. ored with an HDC Grassroots Preserva- Nicholas Evans-Cato, a painter of tion Award in 2002. Ms. Jones runs cityscapes whose work is included in the Winter Hill Associates, a company that collections of the Museum of the City of maintains computer networks and Web New York, The New-York Historical Soci- sites, and through it provides technologi- ety, Brooklyn College, the Brooklyn His- cal assistance to many preservation torical Society and many galleries. Mr. groups throughout the city. Evans-Cato has been working since 1998 Ronald L. Melichar, who lives in to designate the Thompson Meter Build- Hamilton Heights in Manhattan and ing in DUMBO, Brooklyn. He has also works as director of the Commercial been very active in preservation through- Revitalization Program for the New York out Brooklyn, particularly in the down- City Department of Small Business Serv- town waterfront area. Many historic areas ices. He was actively involved in the desig- appear in his cityscapes. nation of the Hamilton Heights and Sugar Thomas A. Fenniman, principal of Hill Historic Districts and is a founding the architecture firm bearing his name. board member of the Morningside Mr. Fenniman specializes in the analysis Heights Historic District Committee and and rehabilitation of existing buildings photo: Susan K. Freedman the president of the Hamilton and the restoration of historic structures. Appointed February 2003, Roberta Brandes Heights/West Harlem Community He did the restoration of the facade of Gratz is the newest commissioner at the Preservation Organization. Carnegie Hall; the Langham Apartments, Landmarks Preservation Commission. Joining the Board of Advisers are: for which he received an award; Saint Andrew Berman, executive director Francis Xavier Church and the Brisbane of the Greenwich Village Society for His- House, to name just a few in Manhattan. ous, including membership in the New Yo rk Governor’s and Mayor’s Task Force on the West Side Highway and Water- front, founder of the Fire Island Histori- cal Society, founder of the Eldridge Street Project, trustee of the Preservation League of New York State and board membership in the Salzburg Conference on Urban Planning and Development. She served as the keynote speaker at HDC’s 4th Annual Preservation Conference in 1998. HDC Welcomes New Directors and Advisers

This year the Historic Districts Council is pleased to be adding two directors and seven advisers to our boards. All of them have a history and record of work in preservation, whether in district designa- photo: Catherine McNeur tions, in well-established preservation HDC director and former executive director, Franny Eberhart with Mitchell Grubler, organizations, in work on individual new HDC adviser and longtime preservationist active in Queens and Staten Island. buildings or a combination of all these Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 10

Paul Graziano, an urban planner and and Environment Committees and as co- Foundations: Falconwood Founda- historic-preservation consultant, who is chair of the Traffic Strategies Committee. tion, Ford Foundation, Mertz Gilmore the zoning and land-use chairman of the She is also a trustee of the Greenwich Vil- Foundation. Queens Civic Congress. He has been a lage Society for Historic Preservation, a Organizations: Association of Village consultant for the rezoning of Richmond board member of the Chelsea Village Homeowners, Brooklyn Heights Associa- Hill and Greater Flushing and has worked Partnership and founding chair of the tion, Defenders of the Historic Upper East to preserve areas and individual properties Jane Street Association. Side, Ditmas Park Association, The Drive throughout Queens such as Waldheim, Kate Wood, who has been actively to Protect the Ladies’ Mile District, Richmond Hill, and the Kabrinski Man- involved with New York City preservation DUMBO Neighborhood Association, East sion, to name but a few. Mr. Graziano was a on many fronts, most recently as executive Harlem Historical Organization, Friends speaker at HDC’s 9th Annual Preservation director of Landmark West! since 2001. of Terra Cotta, Fort Greene Association, Conference last spring and a Grassroots She was the co-chair of the Save the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Preservation Award winner in 2001. Coogan! Coalition in the Midtown South Gramercy Park Block Association, Greater Mitchell Grubler, a resident of area of Manhattan and for that work Astoria Historical Society, Greenwich Vil- Staten Island, who has been the executive received a Grassroots Preservation Award lage Society for Historic Preservation, The director of the Queens Historical Society from HDC in 2000. She is currently a Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Land- since 2000. Mr. Grubler has also served as board member of the Victorian Society in marks Preservation Center, Landmark a consultant for the Preservation League America, Metropolitan Chapter. West!, Municipal Art Society, Murray Hill of Staten Island and was president of that Neighborhood Association, Natural organization for ten years. Also on Staten Resources Defense Council, New York Island, Mr. Grubler has acted as a consult- Latest Gifts Landmarks Conservancy, Parkway Village ant for the Clay Pit Ponds State Park Pre- Historical Society, Queens Historical Soci- serve and was a long-serving executive And Grants ety, Richmond Hill Historical Society, The director of the Alice Austen House Save Gansevoort Market Project of the Museum. The Historic Districts Council is grateful GVSHP, State Street Block Association, Jo Hamilton, who has been co-chair to all those groups and individuals who Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Associa- of the Save Gansevoort Market Project contribute so generously to make our tion, Union Square Community Coalition. since 2000 and won a Grassroots Preser- work possible. Without their assistance, Corporations: Charisma Graphics. vation Award for that work in 2002. She is we would be unable to carry out our advo- Friends: Alan M. Ades, Thomas an active member of Manhattan Commu- cacy, planning and education activities. Agnew, Timothy Allanbrook, AIA, AICP, nity Board 2, serving on the Landmarks The most recent contributors are: Oliver & Deborah Allen, Rhiannon Allen & Arthur Reber, Bernadette Artus, Eliza- beth Ashby, George Beane & Patricia Beg- ley, Sharen Benenson, Joel & Judith Berger, Andrew Berman, Minor L. Bishop, Ann Bragg, Hal Bromm & Doneley Meris, Robert Buckholz Jr. & Anne Elizabeth Fontaine, George Calderaro, Vincent Colangelo, Elizabeth Rose Daly, Georgia & William A. Delano, Alan & Barbara Delsman, Mary Dierickx, Phillip Dodd, Andrew Scott Dolkart, Frances A. Eber- hart, Rebecca & Yehuda Even-Zohar, Mar- jorie Ferrigno, Ann Walker Gaffney, William Gambert, Linda Gillies, David Goldfarb, Christabel Gough, Rudie Hur- witz, David I. Karabell Esq., Edward S. Kirkland, Robert Kornfeld Sr., Abigail Mellen, Gerard O’Connell, Norman Odlum, Evelyn & Everett Ortner, Mr. & Mrs. Otis Pratt Pearsall, Robert W. Phillips, Shepherd Raimi, Joseph S. Rosen- berg, Susan Sanders, Mr. & Mrs. Frederick R. Selch, John B. Senter III & Mary photo: Catherine McNeur Frances Loftus, Beverly Moss Spatt Ph.D., New HDC Director Ronald L. Melichar (left) was active in the Hamilton Heights and Deirdre Stanforth, Jack Taylor, Robert M. Sugar Hill Historic Districts designations, shown here with Adviser John Reddick. & Sue Wasko, Gloria Withim, F. Anthony Zunino III & Sally Auer Zunino.

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 11

Landmark Demolition, late March many of the historic ceramic by Intent or Neglect elements were destroyed during the continued from page 3 process of “restoration.” The plans not only incorporated inappropriately placed modern amenities such as blitzkrieg. Robert Silman, a structural garbage-storage areas but also contro- engineer who has assessed the condition versial artwork designed by the MTA’s of the Towers several times since the Arts for Transit Project. The LPC did mid-1980s, was recently asked by Land- not review the design, impact or place- mark West! to have another look at the ment of the artwork in its blanket structure and was taken aback by how approval of the project. In March the much damage had been done. In a letter New York State Historic Preservation to the LPC he wrote, “A great deal of Office intervened and halted the MTA original fabric was demolished that construction on the stations as well as could have been saved.” The LPC has the Arts for Transit Project. SHPO was been silent on the issue. concerned that the MTA was not han- Renovations on the landmark IRT dling the fragile historic tile and iconic subway stations at 110th and 116th mosaics with care. Friends of Terra Cotta Streets on the Upper West Side of Man- and Landmark West! have been working hattan began in February 2003. Colum- to have the removed tiles replaced with photo: Landmark West! bia University, in preparation for its ceramic that more closely replicates the 250th anniversary in October 2004 and tiles destroyed by the contractors hired Historic tile was torn off the wall at the because the stations service its campus, by the MTA. 116th Street station of the IRT subway. gave $1 million to the Metropolitan Many buildings in the Farm Work has been halted by the New York Transportation Authority, according to Colony-Seaview Hospital Historic State Historic Preservation Office until an article in The New York Observer on District on Staten Island have suffered replacements can be made. July 7th. Columbia wanted the money to demolition by neglect, but the district be used to move the project along so that has undergone demolition by intent as it would be completed in time for the well. In 1999, a 1909 Dutch Revival dor- anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, mitory building in the Farm Colony sec- had been built in the district without the the Landmarks Preservation Commis- tion of the district was intentionally approval of the LPC. Councilmember sioners did not review the proposed demolished at the request of Staten Oddo convinced the city to declare an work; staff-level permits were granted. Island City Councilmember James emergency and demolish the building Upon investigation it became clear that Oddo. The dormitory was located in because he believed it was unstable and the work being done was destructive. By close proximity to two ball fields that posed a threat to the children playing at

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Douglaston, Queens; Charlton-King-Vandam, Manhattan; Fort Please make check payable to Historic Districts Council and Greene, Brooklyn; Longwood, The Bronx are all designated historic mail to: 232 East 11th Street, New York, NY10003. For information, districts, protected from inappropriate alterations and develop- call 212-614-9107. ment. Unfortunately, many more neighborhoods throughout the city are not, though they are seeking designation. That’s where the His- name toric Districts Council can help. As the citywide advocate for New York’s historic neighbor- hoods, HDC works to preserve and protect the city’s architectural address and cultural heritage. We consult with building owners in historic districts to help them understand what Landmarks Preservation Commission regulations mean and how to comply with them. We city/state zip talk with communities that are not designated but want to be, help- ing them with the process and advising them on how to proceed. It’s a big city and our advocacy is never finished. Our agenda telephone would not be possible without you and preservation partners like you. You are the backbone of HDC. fax Yes, consider me a Friend of HDC!

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Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Autumn 2003 ~ page 12 the nearby ball fields. A New York Times Church was leveled shortly after a demonstrated that no other steps could article quoted the councilmember as three-alarm fire. The fire was started by have been taken to secure the building stating that the building “resembled workers who were using heat guns to at least until a salvage plan could be something you’d see in Berlin in 1945,” remove paint from the wooden building. developed. Despite the fire, the struc- and that he did not discuss the issue with Although the church claims to have had ture was largely intact except for the the LPC because he thought the agency permission from the LPC to use the roof, and the walls could have been would be “obstructionist.” Lost forever, heat guns, the LPC has never confirmed braced as an interim measure. the Farm Colony dormitory building this. The church, a landmark since 1967, Demolition by intent is not an easy illustrates how vulnerable our historic suffered severe damage during the fire, thing to prevent. However, with a stricter structures are when up against powerful and it was demolished at 5 a.m. on a Sat- enforcement of the Landmarks Law and and determined opponents. urday under an emergency order of the the imposition of harsh fines when a Another Staten Island landmark Department of Buildings. Although the building owner illegally demolishes a land- was intentionally destroyed in 1996 DOB and the church cited hazardous mark, perhaps an owner will be deterred when the Brighton Heights Reformed conditions, they never persuasively from breaking that law.

Art: Ann Walker Gafney

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