DISTRICT LINES news and views of the historic districts council winter 2004 volume XVII number 3

p.1 ~ In the Shadow of 9/11: Planned Transit Center Threatens Historic Buildings p.2 ~ President’s Column p.4 ~ City House Prices Rise in Districts p. 4 ~ Staten Island’s Good Shepherd p.5 ~ Grassroots Preservation Awards p.6 ~ Landmark Demolition, by Intent or Neglect p.7 ~ Explore Our Web Site p.8 ~APrime-Cut Designation: The Meaty Story of Gansevoort Market p.10 ~ District Profiles: Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn p.11 ~ Recent Gifts and Grants

In the Shadow of 9/11: Planned Fulton Street Transit Center Threatens Historic Buildings

Amid the fanfare over the planning of new buildings at the World Trade Center site, a less dramatic project that may jeop- ardize significant historic resources has been moving forward largely out of view. Preparations are well underway for the Ful- ton Street Transit Center, a $750 million development of the Metropolitan Trans- portation Authority one block east of the WTC site. First announced in August 2002, the project’s completion is scheduled for late 2007. This is a proposal separate from the transportation hub for PATH that San- tiago Calatrava has been chosen to design for the Port Authority of and at the WTC site. Intended to cover the entire eastern blockfront of between Fulton and John Streets, the transit center would make it easier to transfer among the A, C, J, M, Z, 2, 3, 4 and 5 subway lines and, by way of a subterranean concourse, to reach the E, N and R lines. These subway lines,

SAVE THE DATE

HDC’s Tenth Annual Preservation Conference The proposed John Street/ Historic District, darkened, lies south of City Hall “Cultural Landmarks: Controversy, Park and east of theWorld Trade Center site. The Metropolitan Transit Authority wants Practice & Prospects” to build a new subway-transfer station—the Fulton Street Transit Center—whose entry hall could result in the demolition of the entire of Broadway from Fulton to John Co-sponsored by Place Matters Street. HDC proposes a smaller footprint for the entry pavillion.

March 5-7, 2004 serving six separate stations, were built venerable buildings stand in its . At Reception Friday, March 5th from 1905 to 1932, when their operators risk are several early skyscraper office Panels Saturday, March 6th were in competition, so convenience was buildings that reflect the commercial- not part of the original planning. development history of Walking tours Sunday, March 7th At street level, the transit center and were designed by prominent architects Visit our Web site at www.hdc.org for details. would feature a conspicuous entry pavil- of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ion. Some of historic Downtown’s most Perhaps the finest is the 1889 Corbin

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 2

Building, designed by Francis Kimball, at gests that MTA and PATH are competing the respected engineering firm Robert the northeast corner of Broadway and John to see who can outdo the other. Silman Associates, which concluded that Street, where the southern end of the pro- In the aftermath of the WTC disaster underground construction could be done posed transit center would be located. in 2001 a group of preservation organiza- without jeopardizing the Corbin. While there is little doubt that the tions formed the Lower Manhattan Recently, an article in The New York transit center would make a desirable con- Emergency Preservation Fund to support Times reported that the MTA has agreed tribution to Downtown, acquisition and preservation projects in Lower Manhat- to try to reuse the building in its design demolition of potential landmarks such as tan and to advocate for the area’s historic but that it is still committed to developing the Corbin seem both costly and unneces- buildings. Consisting of city, state, the remainder of the historic Broadway sary. Although linking the subway lines by national and international organizations, blockfront at the cost of other historic pedestrian passageways is quite feasible, the LMEPF has vigorously drawn atten- commercial buildings. the new connections would all exist Working with our colleagues in the underground, raising the question of fund, the Historic Districts Council has whether a large, elaborate aboveground been advocating for the protection and pavilion is necessary. continued on page 3 It is exactly this aboveground “great hall” that threatens the historic buildings. Variously described in the MTA’s April 2003 Draft Scoping Document as a “new PRESIDENT’ S COLUMN surface presence,” “a central distinguish- ing portal” and a “highly visible focal point of subway transit,” such a street-level In November, the Historic Districts pavilion would mean the demolition of Council joined Landmark West!, early buildings on Fulton Street, Broad- DOCOMOMO (DOcumentation and way and John Street. It sounds as if the COnservation of building sites and neigh- MTA seeks to recast a subway-system borhoods of the MOdern MOvement) and transfer point as a railroad terminus a number of individuals as petitioners in a endowed with the splendor and gravity of lawsuit to save 2 . The law- the late Station. Indeed, the suit challenges ’s sale of the proposed construction of the new PATH building to the Museum of Arts and station one block to the west, with the Design, which plans to alter drastically the creative Mr. Calatrava as architect, sug- historic if controversial Edward Durell photo: Catherine McNeur Stone masterwork commissioned by Hunt- Broadway blockfront threatened by transit ington Hartford and built in 1965. HDC center includes early skyscrapers: 1902 and the other petitioners contend that an Girard Building, left, 1889 . Environmental Impact Statement is DISTRICT required because the building is an impor- LINES tant historic resource despite the fact that tion to Lower Manhattan’s unprotected the city’s Landmarks Preservation Com- news and views of the historic resources, identifying three “cor- mission has refused to designate it. historic districts council ridors of concern” derived from Mayor Afew months before that, HDC filed Bloomberg’s plan for the area. Many prop- a friend-of-the-court brief in a petition by erties that fall within these corridors are CitiNeighbors and Mr. and Mrs. Woody editor ~ Penelope Bareau neither listed on State or National Regis- Allen, among others, in an effort to pre- layout and production ~ Ross Horowitz ters of Historic Places nor protected as vent Citibank from building a tower on editorial consultant ~ Jack Taylor locally designated historic districts. One top of its branch at East 91st Street and contributors ~ Melissa Baldock, Simeon Bankoff, of the corridors, and the one under the Madison Avenue in Manhattan. HDC Penelope Bareau, Hal Bromm, Franny Eberhart, most immediate threat, is the area cover- argued that Citibank’s final proposal was David Goldfarb, Eve Kahn, Edward S. Kirkland, ing Fulton Street, John Street and Maiden so altered from the original that the Land- Catherine McNeur Lane east of Broadway within which the marks Commission should have held a the historic districts council is the MTA plans to place its transit center. new public hearing. The main issue raised citywide nonprofit advocate for new Countering the proposal’s original by CitiNeighbors was whether LPC york’s designated historic districts, suggestion that new development war- action could proceed without an Environ- and for neighborhoods meriting rants a sweeping erasure of expendable mental Impact Statement, which is very preservation. the council is dedicated historic blockfronts, the fund engaged a time-consuming. Although the case lost to preserving the integrity of new design firm to show how the Corbin at the lower Court and Appellate Division york city’s landmarks law and to Building might be preserved as part of the levels, in October it was accepted for furthering the preservation ethic. transit center’s aboveground “great hall.” review by New York State’s highest court, The fund also commissioned a report by the Court of Appeals. Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 3

HDC has continued to be concerned ing of Executive Director Simeon as a palliative if he knew that SHPO about the rapid pace of teardowns in all Bankoff and Preservation Associates would be denying protection to buildings five boroughs, particularly the “urban- Catherine McNeur and Melissa Baldock. in the transit center’s way. suburban” areas of Brooklyn, The Bronx, This new position was made possible by HDC is currently surveying building and Staten Island. The city is los- a capacity-building grant from the Mertz conditions in the district and assembling ing many landmark-worthy buildings, and Gilmore Foundation, to which we are historical research in preparation for an potential historic districts are being grateful. But the ability to sustain our official nomination to SHPO, which nor- destroyed before they can even be con- preservation efforts will be possible only mally recommends listing on the National sidered for designation. In October we with the continuing help of our many Register at the same time as it issues state held forums in Queens and Staten Island Friends and supporters. listing. National listing is important to discuss preservation issues there. —David Goldfarb because it offers additional protections HDC has drafted and is supporting pro- not afforded at the state level. For exam- posed changes to the city’s Administra- ple, under Section 4(f) of the Department tive Code to prevent the demolition of of Transportation Act of 1996, no federal any building 50 years old or older until funding for a transportation project that the LPC chairman and the commission affects a nationally listed historic resource itself have had an opportunity to con- can be approved unless “there is no feasi- sider whether the building is worthy of ble and prudent alternative” and unless landmarking or of being part of a poten- planning is done to “minimize harm to the tial historic district. We plan to lobby historic site resulting from such use.” actively to have this legislation passed by Although Section 4(f) Review, as it is the City Council in 2004. called, has proven useful in protecting his- Finally, I would like to welcome Jay photo: Melissa Baldock toric properties nationwide, it is under Platt, former member of the preserva- HDC President David Goldfarb at a pre- attack from highway lobbyists in Wash- tion staff at LPC, as our new deputy Lion party with honoree Kitty Carlisle Hart. ington. For up-to-date information on director. He joins a strong team consist- this legislation, contact Preservation Action at www.preservationaction.org. HDC has also proposed an alternative In the Shadow of 9/11… buildings mentioned above. Listing on transit-center concept that reduces the continued from page 2 the State and National Registers affords a aboveground footprint and limits the site level of protection beyond that of any to the north end of the Broadway block- designation of a John Street/Maiden Lane local authority, such as the Landmarks front between Fulton and John Streets. Historic District largely within the Preservation Commission, because state This alternative would accept the removal LMEPF’s Fulton Street corridor of con- agencies are empowered to demolish local of two low, undistinguished structures at cern. This area (see map, page 1) encom- landmarks. This is why HDC has not the southeast corner of Broadway and Ful- passes a strong collection of 19th century strenuously pursued local designation, ton Street that together form a footprint skyscrapers by some of New York City’s although a Request for Evaluation was of 16,000 square feet. While fulfilling the most prominent architects as well as a fine submitted to LPC in September 2002. MTA vision of a street-level pavilion, the collection of early 20th century office In March 2003, HDC formally sub- HDC alternative would not require demo- buildings complementary to their older mitted a request for a determination of lition of the Childs or Girard Buildings or neighbors in size and scale. Within this the district’s eligibility for the State Regis- any other significant structures and would proposal the Corbin Building is pre- ter to Commissioner Bernadette Castro, meet all stated goals of the MTA with a eminent, but two structures immediately New York State’s Historic Preservation less intrusive aboveground structure. It is north of it on the transit center site—the Officer. Her office declared the eligibility unknown whether the MTA and its archi- 1911 Childs Building and the 1902 Girard in October 2003 but excluded all historic tects are considering HDC’s proposal. Building at 196 and 198 Broadway, respec- buildings on Broadway between Fulton Robert B. Tierney, who as chair of tively—are also fine examples of early and John Streets except the Corbin. LPC has been consulting with MTA, commercial architecture. Not far away are About the same time as this declara- recently said he was “delighted ... that we two additional significant buildings, the tion was made, Peter Kalikow, chair of the have taken the first major preservation Tyler Building, at 17 John Street, and No. MTA, stated that both the transit center step on the Fulton Street Transit hub by . The latter is an early and Downtown’s historic architecture in securing Francis Kimball’s Corbin Build- commercial building attributed to James general were important to the future suc- ing.” He added that “there are, of course, Bogardus, inventor of cast-iron facades. cess of Lower Manhattan and that he was other important buildings that should In the fall of 2002, HDC nominated pleased to work with preservationists and also play prominent roles in the Fulton this district for listing on the State and the community to preserve the Corbin Street Corridor, and the Landmarks National Registers of Historic Places, Building. Both the MTA and the State Commission is actively engaged in work- incorporating most of the Fulton Street Historic Preservation Office ultimately ing to make that a reality.” corridor, an area that includes the south- answer to Governor George Pataki, so The work is far from over; one build- ern part of the transit center site and the Mr. Kalikow’s remarks could be construed ing is only the beginning. Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 4

length of existing leases. Studies exist for reports, National Register and New York City House Prices other parts of the country and show results City landmarks nomination research, and similar to those in residential studies, but stints as a teacher of local history at the Rise in Districts they cannot be assumed to be applicable to College of Staten Island. Last fall he commercial areas in New York City. received the special Mickey Murphy Since the early 1990s, studies in differ- The IBO created its data set by using Award, a lifetime-achievement recogni- ent parts of the country have shown that statistics kept by the city’s Department of tion, from the Historic Districts Council property values in historic districts Finance, including information on resi- for his accomplishments in studying and increase at a higher rate than those out- dential property sales excluding co-ops saving streetscapes. side districts. Analyses were done for since the mid-1970s, assessed values and From 1981 to 2000 he ran the Staten cities in Indiana, Virginia and North Car- estimated market values. In addition, the Island Historical Society, transforming it olina; but many considered their findings IBO added to the data such variables as from a sleepy attraction to a reckonable irrelevant to special real estate conditions inclusion in designated historic districts, force. He curated three dozen existing in New York City. In September 2003, distance to the nearest subway and mean buildings while overseeing millions of dol- however, the New York City Independent household income in the neighborhood, lars of new construction. In addition, he Budget Office released a study that brings and then focused its analysis on Brooklyn, supervised numerous restorations of his- New York up to speed. which was the only borough with enough toric structures and acquired and relo- Entitled “The Impact of Historic Dis- sales to allow comparisons between simi- cated the 1820 Jacob Crocheron House to tricts on Residential Property Values,” the lar properties inside and outside historic the Historic Richmondtown complex. At paper is a response to a request in the late districts. the Staten Island Historical Society, he 1990s by former City Councilmembers To read the IBO’s background paper wrote definitive architectural histories Andrew Eristoff and Kenneth K. Fisher in its entirety, visit the Web site: and greatly expanded the art and decora- (now an adviser to the Historic Districts www.ibo.nyc.ny.us. tive-arts collections. Meanwhile he has Council) that the city determine whether altruistically been restoring the 1830s it was true that historic districts in New Greek Revival mansion that he shares York have held back growth in residential with his partner Nick Dowen in New property values. The results of the study, Staten Island’s Brighton, from its fluted Corinthian initially a letter published in 2001, sug- porch columns to its lead-lined copper gested they have not. The recently pub- Good Shepherd gutters. The house belongs to the histori- lished background paper adds to the cal society; as the building’s live-in custo- original letter by including documentation On every Staten Island street that dian, he says with typical self-mockery, of the IBO’s research and methodology. Barnett Shepherd travels, he can tell com- “I’ve spent over $100,000 on a house I In fact, the study found that far from pelling anecdotes. Each pristine or don’t own. How’s that for idealism?” having a negative effect on the property decrepit landmark, new tower, McMan- He’s a courtly, mild-mannered prose- values, “prices of houses in historic dis- sion or empty lot elicits a tale of original lytizer, as befits a former Presbyterian tricts are higher than those of similar architects’ visions, adaptive reuses, follies minister. Son of an antiques-collecting houses outside historic districts.” More- over the decades and restoration efforts milliner and a gypsum-company executive over, the study found that “although stymied or rewarded. in Mississippi, he was ordained in 1964 prices for historic properties have at “You see those new cream-colored and first served at the only integrated times increased less rapidly than for simi- wooden windows on Borough Hall, where Presbyterian church in civil-strife-torn lar properties outside historic districts, the dark aluminum frames used to look Birmingham, Alabama. He then trans- overall price appreciation from 1975 like black holes?” he asked excitedly on a ferred to Columbus, Indiana, where the through 2002 was greater for houses recent spin near the ferry piers. “And look Cummins Engine firm had just begun inside historical districts.” at that intact WPA concrete retaining financing high-profile architect schemes The IBO limited its analysis to resi- wall, just past that new stadium with the for virtually all civic buildings in town, and dential properties, more specifically to wonderful Manhattan views, and that that helped spark his interest in design. one-, two- and three-family dwellings, in abandoned gypsum-board plant. And that After studying art history at Indiana order to respond to their owners, who restaurant over there is the last of a row of University and teaching at the University claim that designation would have a Greek Revival mansions; the shoreroad of Florida, he moved in 1972 to a small detrimental effect on property values. runs where their lawns used to be.” commune on Staten Island. While earning In addition, small residential properties Staten Island’s pre-eminent histo- his living as a janitor and legal typist, he are not subject to rent regulations, so rian/preservation-activist, Mr. Shepherd started researching Sailors’ Snug Harbor. analyzing market-value changes in such has been at the battlefront for three In 1976 he became the first historian to buildings generates a more reliable pic- decades. He founded the Preservation attribute the Harbor’s design to revered ture than it would for larger residential League of Staten Island, conducted a classicist Minard Lafever. It had previ- buildings. 2,500-building survey of the borough’s ously been attributed to Samuel Thomson. Commercial buildings were excluded historic properties and helped save Poring through 100 accounting volumes in from the study because sale prices are Sailors’ Snug Harbor. At age 65 he is still a the Harbor’s neglected archives, Mr. Shep- affected by tax considerations and the workaholic, juggling historic-structures herd had discovered an 1831 scrap of paper Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 5 documenting a $50 payment to Lafever for plans rendered. Elated, he quickly pub- lished the information in the Journal of the Grassroots Preservation Awards Society of Architectural Historians, his first scholarly publication of any kind. Last fall was the fourth year the Historic Districts Council has presented its In the mid-1970s, Mr. Shepherd Grassroots Preservation Awards to outstanding advocates for local historic recalls, “There were hardly any preserva- communities. The main body of the awards goes to nonprofessional individuals tionists out here. I started the Preservation and volunteer organizations engaged in local efforts. In addition, two special League of Staten Island in 1977 to help categories honor government or elected officials and print or broadcast media: jump-start the movement. There’s still lit- Friend in High Places and Friend from the Media, respectively. tle academic work here, and the conscious- The special Mickey Murphy Award is given for lifetime achievement to ness isn’t what it ought to be, but it’s someone whose unflagging preservation work has been unusually distinguished. getting better. There are growing circles of It is named for the late Mary Ellen (Mickey) Murphy, a passionate preservation- committed people who realize that land- ist, steadfast advocate for historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and New York marking is the safest way to protect their City and a hardworking Historic Districts Council board member. Ms. Murphy neighborhoods.” died in 2002 at the age of 84. The 2003 award was presented to Barnett When not meticulously researching Shepherd of Staten Island. A profile of him appears at left. Other winners were: landmark nominations for Harrison Street and Mud Lane/St. Paul’s Avenue, • CitiNeighbors Coalition for Historic Mr. Shepherd is promoting a book he just Jurate Kazickas, Carol McFadden, Jane Parshall, Manhattan co-authored: “Sandy Ground Memories,” The CitiNeighbors Coalition led a three-year campaign to preserve the low-rise published by the historical society. He’s character of Carnegie Hill by opposing a 14-story development that would have also orchestrating restoration projects for replaced a one-story building on Madison Avenue at East 91st Street. They were his own mansion; a $150,000 porch over- supported by a large band of neighbors, including movie luminaries haul is the next priority. and Kevin Kline, and succeeded in defeating the original proposal. He is often found tending his garden • Josephine E. Jones, Manhattan as well, which is studded with conical box- Ms. Jones has long been an advocate for and the proposed Mount wood and flowering trees. Three young Morris Park Extended Historic District, where she has lived for 27 years. She magnolias have been espaliered, wired to has campaigned tirelessly to improve and enhance her neighborhood. Her climb an 1890s brick wall. “I’m Southern,” beautifully restored 1887 brownstone is a showpiece of historic Harlem. It was Mr. Shepherd laughs. “I had to have mag- designed by Francis Kimball, the 19th and early 20th century architect of nolias in my yard.” Lower Manhattan skyscrapers, the Corbin Building among them (see page 2). • Senator Street 300 Block Association Ron Gross and Eric Rouda, Brooklyn This block association nominated Senator Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to the National Register of Historic Places and secured listing. This exceptional street of 38 Renaissance Revival brownstones, all designed by architect Fred Eisenia, is the first National Register Historic District in Bay Ridge. • Seaport Community Coalition and Manhattan Community Board 1 Gary Fagin, Barbara Marks and Madelyn Wils, Manhattan The Seaport Community Coalition and Community Board 1 led a 20-year cam- paign to downzone the Seaport Historic District. The success of their effort was one of the major grassroots victories of 2003 and has ensured the continued preservation of one of New York’s oldest neighborhoods.

FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES AWARD • City Councilmember Michael McMahon, Staten Island Environmental campaigns against overdevelopment and traffic congestion have been Councilmember McMahon’s targets. He recently formed a task force on Staten Island to curb sprawl—the first organization of its kind there.

FRIEND FROM THE MEDIA AWARD • The Villager and Albert Amateau, reporter, Manhattan The Villager is a 70-year-old local weekly newspaper covering Manhattan below photo: Jim Romano 23rd Street. A model community publication, it is a must-read for its con- stituency. Albert Amateau is an exceptionally capable journalist who has shown Barnett Shepherd showed Jacqueline that he knows and understands preservation issues, nuances and all. Kennedy Onassis around Staten Island’s Sailors’ Snug Harbor in 1976.

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 6

Landmark Demolition, more on the other side. These two were pulled down around 1989, compromising By Intent or Neglect the Goldmans’ own house and the land- marked Merchant’s House Museum, which had been attached to the demolished prop- In recent years, many landmarks throughout the city have been destroyed with- erties, for row houses are not constructed to out Landmarks Preservation Commission sanction or Department of Buildings stand free from their neighbors. permits. Sometimes the demolition happens on purpose, by workers hired to Mr. Goldman’s estate fell into dispute undermine a building, or by arson. Sometimes it happens when owners allow between his wife and children and was in their buildings to fall into ruins. Either way, the matter is serious not only litigation for seven years, until 1994, when because of its flouting of the Landmarks Law but also, and more important, several dozen major properties went to the because of the vandalism inflicted on the building and its neighborhood. The widow and the rest—including Skid- Autumn 2003 issue of District Lines dealt with demolition by intent; this issue more—went to the children. The house takes up demolition by neglect. languished. A “For Sale” sign had been put up in 1991, but the deal was for the whole parcel, not just the extant house. Estimates Part Two: By Neglect between the and Lafayette Street. were from $12 to $16 million to develop the As the photo on this page indicates, with- property, and one after another deal fell Owners who allow their landmark build- out the massive bracing, it would collapse. through. A plan in the early 1990s incorpo- ings to deteriorate—who make no repairs The building was owned by Sol Gold- rated the landmark into a multi-use proj- when the roof develops major leaks, when man, a developer whose 600-odd proper- ect, but it was never built, and the building architectural elements pull away from the ties were estimated to be worth $1 billion at continued to languish. facade, when window openings gape unpro- the time of his death in 1987. Caring for Neighbors watched as homeless peo- tected from the elements—these owners Skidmore would not have been a question ple moved in, built fires in the reception are committing demolition by neglect. of lack of funds. However, in a real-estate rooms, trashed much of the interior. Their inaction is dramatically different portfolio of such size, Skidmore was small Wa t er collected in caved-in sections of from demolition by intent, which is active potatoes. After Mr. Goldman’s death, the the roof. Cries of alarm and arm-twisting and deliberate. Though total destruction of estate owned Skidmore, the corner lot on by neighbors and the Landmarks Preser- a landmark is the end result of both, demoli- one side of the house now used for public vation Commission resulted in a more tion by neglect takes longer and takes place parking and two row houses adjoining Skid- effective sealing of the building; but by because the owner fails to care for his or her property. New York City’s Landmarks Law addresses this phenomenon in a section that provides criminal sanctions for offenders: “Every person in charge of an improvement on a landmark site or in an historic district shall keep in good repair (1) all of the exterior portions of such improvement and (2) all interior portions thereof which, if not so maintained, may cause or tend to cause the exterior portions of such improvement to deteriorate, decay or become damaged or otherwise to fall into a state of disrepair.” (Section 25-311) Just when has an owner gone too far in the neglect of a building? And what can be done, by the city or by neighbors, to keep an owner from allowing his building to deteriorate? In past years the city sel- dom prosecuted owners in criminal court, the only recourse for demolition by neg- lect under the Landmarks Law. Recently, however, that reluctance has softened, photo: Catherine McNeur and the city is now prosecuting three The landmarked 1845 Skidmore House at 37 East 4th Street, Manhattan, after criminal owners of derelict landmarks. prosecution forced its owner to stabilize it. Neglected for more than 15 years, its roof had Skidmore House was a row house fallen in and it was in danger of collapse. The Merchant’s House Museum, 29 East 4th built in 1845 in the then-fashionable Man- Street, is at left, beyond a vacant lot. It is also a landmark. hattan neighborhood of East 4th Street Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 7 then, to make a long, sad story short, in the fall of 2002 the roof collapsed. Having brought suit successfully as a criminal proceeding, the Landmarks Commission and the New York State Supreme Court are now directing the sta- bilization. Sky is visible through an upper- floor window, but caissons are buttressing the house. Ultimately, one hopes, the Skidmore House will be whole again. It could happen. It has happened elsewhere. At 306 is an Italianate house in an attached row of individual land- marks between Hoyt and Smith Streets in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. In the mid-1980s it was inherited by a woman who was not capable of taking care of it or, for that mat- ter, the other properties she inherited at the same time. Incompetent on her own, she apparently had no surrogate to oversee her property, and the house at 306 State Street was allowed to deteriorate so badly that it became a threat to health and safety, to say nothing of neighboring property val- ues. She relocated to Hawaii and was ulti- mately served papers there. Before the case went to court, she died and her estate photo: Linda C. Jones became the owner, so the city brought suit against the estate. As part of the settle- New Brighton Village Hall on Staten Island, a splendid French Second Empire brick build- ment, the estate repaired the house and ing designated in 1965, fell into disrepair. The developers who bought it in 1985 abandoned then, when the violations were removed, work on it when the federal tax credit dropped from 25 percent to 20 percent in 1986. sold it. New people have just moved in. New Brighton Village Hall on Staten Island, a French Second Empire brick cent, and the owners reportedly claimed Demolition by neglect, therefore, building, was built from 1868-71 at a time the economics of the project evaporated. remains a criminal offense and the city is when this northern neighborhood of Sixteen years later, in 2002, the city sued prosecuting. Let us hope the successful Staten Island was populated by prominent them and is currently negotiating with outcome of other cases will be the ulti- New Yorkers. It was designed by James them to find a solution. It won’t be easy— mate rehabilitation of landmarks, as it was Whitford Sr., also the architect of two ele- last winter the roof collapsed. A potential at 306 State Street. That was the purpose gant police precinct headquarters and a new owner, however, a nonprofit organiza- behind the law. It’s good to see it work. church, all on the island. The New tion, is interested in turning the building Brighton property eventually became a into a nursing home and is waiting to line Explore Our publicly owned civic building and was des- up financing before the sale goes through. ignated in the first year of the Landmarks Each of these stories has evolved over Web Site Law, 1965. In 1985 it was purchased by the better part of two decades, and lately developers who claimed to be specialists in the Landmarks Preservation Commission The Historic Districts Council’s renovating historic buildings. But in the has been on the case, doing what it can following year the federal Historic Rehabil- under the law. In January 1998 amend- Web site has been renovated, expanded itation Tax Credit program reduced the ments to the Landmarks Law were cre- and improved. Now you can find lots of amount of rehabilitation costs deductible ated permitting civil sanctions for information about the work and mis- from income tax to 20 percent from 25 per- violations of alteration permits. At the sion of our organization, upcoming lec- same time, amendments were sought to tures and educational programs and prosecute demolition by neglect, clearly how to become an intern or a volunteer. more serious than violations of permits, in Read the testimony we prepare civil rather than criminal court. However, and deliver to city agencies. Discover representatives of religious organizations resources you can use to help preserve fought that provision and it was dropped. your historic neighborhood. Ironically, it is not usually the stewards of Check it out at www.hdc.org. art: Ann Walker Gaffney religious properties who are the problem. Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 8

A Prime Cut Designation: GVSHP felt that “all or nothing” could too easily end up “nothing,” and wanted The Meaty Story of Gansevoort Market to pursue Gansevoort by itself. An indus- trial area with commercial renters and no legal residents, it could count on scant You could practically hear a cheer go was undertaken to support designation of support from inside, the thinking went, up last September when most of the meat- the waterfront and it was the bedrock of while the rest of the waterfront was filled packing area in Manhattan was designated a the Gansevoort Market research. with resident Villagers known to get pas- new historic district, henceforth to be In the late 1990s, new construction in sionate about causes. No one would take known as Gansevoort Market. The voices the worried residents there up the oar for Gansevoort unless it was would have been those of dozens of people enough that some of them formed the GVSHP. Ultimately GVSHP and who waged an intense campaign for desig- West Village Community Task Force to WVCTF agreed that if the task force did nation over a period of 16 years, with almost seek designation for the entire waterfront not oppose Gansevoort’s designation, as many reverses as advances. from 14th to Houston Streets. The Green- GVSHP would support the task force in Anchoring the northwest corner of wich Village Society for Historic Preserva- its later effort. from West 14th Street to about five streets south, Gansevoort Market consists of a dozen or so city blocks that in the mid-1800s had become the site of the Gansevoort Farmers’ Mar- ket. Later in the century it hosted a wholesale-produce and dairy-products market also and since the 1930s has been home to meat wholesalers. Its name comes from Gansevoort Street, the back- bone of the area, and the fact that it has been a market for so long. For some years, the area had been watched by Regina Kellerman, Ph.D., an architectural historian, former director of research for the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and a founder and the first executive director of the Greenwich Vil- lage Society for Historic Preservation. The Gansevoort area had many fine photo: Penelope Bareau examples of prominent 19th century Three small mid-19th century buildings, 3, 5 and 7 Ninth Avenue, with Gansevoort Street architects’ work, and its vernacular archi- receding on the left. On the right is Little West 12th Street; the restaurant Pastis located tecture was remarkable; but it looked too later on the corner. Beside it, meatpacking businesses in two- and three-story buildings enticing to developers, sitting there on reduced from four and five stories in the 1930s. the edge of the Hudson with its rundown meat-market buildings. Indeed, one landowner, William Gottlieb, had accu- mulated property in parcels that looked tion (GVSHP) was worried enough to Dr. Kellerman’s book provided the for all the world as if he were assembling focus its institutional role on advocacy. research. Representatives of the NoHo, development sites. He owned more than People who worked in the Gansevoort Ladies’ Mile and Historic Dis- 100 properties in Manhattan, 14 in the Market were worried, especially Florent tricts made suggestions. Vicki Weiner, meat market alone. But he couldn’t be Morellet, a Frenchman with a degree in then executive director of the Historic reached, wouldn’t talk to anyone. He urban planning whose 24-hour bistro, Flo- Districts Council, said support of prop- bought and bought, but he never sold. rent, on Gansevoort Street opened in 1985 erty owners was most important; also What was he waiting for? and brought many outsiders to the neigh- storefront leaseholders, since they would Unwilling to wait to find out, Dr. borhood in the wee hours. They were be the regulated ones; and elected offi- Kellerman pulled together funding and a astonished to see the meat-market activity. cials. Linda Yowell and Arbie Thalacker, staff that researched, photographed and They told their friends and came again. co-chairs of GVSHP’s preservation com- wrote up every single building not only in In July 1998 the board of trustees of mittee; Tony Zunino, its president; and the Gansevoort area but on the entire GVSHP voted to pursue landmark desig- Kim Stahlman Kearns, then its executive West Village waterfront, using original city nation for Gansevoort. A potential part- director, met with Jennifer Raab, then records. “The Architecture of the Green- ner, the West Village Community Task chair of the LPC. She was reported to be wich Village Waterfront, an Archival Force (WVCTF), had an all-or-nothing “receptive” to the idea of a designated Research Study” was published in 1989. It stance regarding the entire waterfront. Gansevoort district and urged GVSHP Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 9 representatives to talk with the City Plan- ning Department and with Bill Gottlieb, the property owner. And then Bill Gottlieb died suddenly. T Mr. Morellet, whose restaurant Mr. Gott- enth Avenue lieb frequented, had been talking to him a

couple of weeks before he died, saying he Ninth Avenue West 14th Street wished he could do something to safe- guard the neighborhood. “What this dis- trict needs,” Mr. Gottlieb said, “is landmarking.” It was a stunning remark coming from a property owner. At the end of November 1999, Jen- Little West 12th Street nifer Raab took a walk of Gansevoort wearing high-heeled shoes to tread the Gansevoort Street cobblestones. She was not impressed. A separate organization was formed under the aegis of GVSHP to administer the movement. It was called Save Ganse- voort Market and it needed leaders. Jo Hamilton, a resident of nearby Jane Street, was considered a politically savvy activist on the community board. She was a clear pick. Florent Morellet was another obvious choice. Well known in the com- Gansevoort Market area at the northwest corner of Greenwich Village. Light-shaded area munity, well liked and vitally interested in was proposed; dark-shaded area was designated. the market as a viable entity, he was already talking about doing something to save it. Jo Hamilton and Florent Morellet Council on the Arts, architectural histo- made a convincing argument and said that agreed to work as co-chairs of the Save rian Tom Mellins was hired to write a his- one district was still in the pipeline before Gansevoort Market Task Force. In August tory and a case for designation of the area. Gansevoort would be considered. 2000 Mr. Morellet had estimated that Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Morellet met with Everything was stalled by the terror- $65- to $70,000 would be needed to sup- elected officials. A logo was designed by ist attacks of that September 11th, but port the project for the next year; $11,000 Tw o Twelve Associates, stationery was eventually work continued. It was all was in hand through grants and pledges. printed by Mines Press—both pro exciting. Some of it was bizarre. Newspa- Alocal group looking to host a coun- bono—and a press kit was put together by per articles had begun appearing in 1999 try-and-Western music-street festival in the task force. Diane von Furstenberg, a and more were being published; television Gansevoort was seeking a nonprofit fashion designer and celebrity with a local spots showed Michelle Dee, proprietor of organization to donate the proceeds to, an showroom and offices, agreed to host a Hogs & Heifers , talking about why estimated $5,000. A deal was struck, and fund-raiser in May 2001. It netted Gansevoort should be designated; meat- on the day of Beefstock, GVSHP had a $85,000. market workers were filmed unloading table near the sidewalk with fliers, post- Although support was building in the sides of beef; the boutique Jeffrey was dis- cards (“Dear Jennifer Raab, I support community—Community Boards 2 and 4 covered as a place where one could buy a GVSHP’s work to designate Gansevoort had pledged support—nothing coming blouse for $500 (a sleeveless blouse). And Market”) and two large fishbowls. Five out of LPC was overtly stated, everything candidates for every office in the upcom- hundred bright red can’t-miss-’em post- was nuance. So when Linda Yowell of ing mayoral election were approached, cards had been printed to last a few GVSHP and Tom Mellins met with staff informed about Gansevoort and lobbied. months. All were used up in one day, many at LPC in May and were told that the Aubrey Lees, then chair of Commu- dropped in the fishbowls along with dollar commission had been looking at one nity Board 2, which includes Gansevoort bills as big as $20. Support was enthusias- building in Gansevoort to be an individual and the Village generally, started a series of tic and widespread. Everyone was sur- landmark, they took it as a sign that the meetings with Sherida Paulsen, acting prised how many people loved greater entity was not being considered. chair of LPC appointed to fill out Jennifer Gansevoort, how many even thought of it But then the staff said they were “quite Raab’s term when she resigned. Ms. as their very own. interested” in Gansevoort, so what was Paulsen thought Gansevoort was “diffi- Mr. Morellet hosted a kick-off party what? Staff even said they would consider cult.” Around December 2002, LPC told at his restaurant in November 2000, and wider boundaries to include the former the Save Gansevoort Market Task Force 250 people came, raising $10,000. With a Nabisco factory on West 15th Street. that it was “holding off on all new projects” grant from the Preservation League of By June 2001 Mr. Mellins had a draft until after Mayor-elect Bloomberg and his New York State and the New York State of his report to show LPC staff, who felt it continued on page 12 Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 10

DISTRICT PROFILES

Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn

Attached to lampposts in several blocks of this historic district are signs saying, “This landmarked district ZONED. Houses on this block restricted to one family only.” It must be that visitors to Prospect-Lefferts Gardens are so charmed by the neighborhood that they frequently ask passing residents how to get an apartment there, and the residents put the signs up in self-defense. Zoned it may be, but the houses are sin- gle-family because of a covenant written by James Lefferts when in 1893 he subdivided the family farm. The development was to be called Lefferts Manor, near the old Lefferts Homestead at Flatbush Avenue between map: courtesy Landmarks Preservation Commission Midwood and Maple Streets in the north- Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District was formed around Lefferts Manor, the 18th ern part of Flatbush. Much new construc- century Lefferts family homestead. An 1893 covenant written when the land was developed tion was going on in Brooklyn at the time, restricted buildings to single-family houses. The covenant is still in effect. but not as far south as Flatbush; and Lef- ferts, anticipating its arrival, wanted to and peaceful streets making up this pros- Though subdivision took place in make sure his development was high quality perous and stable, racially integrated mid- 1893, the earliest construction in the new and geared for middle-class professionals. dle-class neighborhood. development was in 1897-99 when 160 According to the Landmarks Preservation houses went up. Sales were slow, how- Commission’s designation report (1979), ever—those 160 houses may have flooded “By restricting the area to fairly substantial, the market—and building ceased until although not exorbitantly expensive or 1905, when it resumed with a frenzy. In excessively grand houses, Lefferts hoped to the following six years more than 500 attract a stable middle-class population that houses were built. would give the newly developing area an During the 19th and early 20th cen- aura of respectability.” turies revivalist architecture was the order The covenants prohibited commer- of the day, and this district is a virtual dic- cial and manufacturing uses, apartments tionary of revivals—Romanesque Revival, and tenements and, as the designation neo-Renaissance, neo-Georgian, neo- report quotes Lefferts, “ ‘any noxious, Federal, even neo-Medieval, with Tudor offensive, dangerous, unwholesome ... arches and half-timbered gables. Only 20 business whatsoever.’ ” architects were involved, but among them Moreover, the covenants restricted were some of Brooklyn’s most important the houses to single family habitation, to practitioners: Benjamin Dreisler, Axel be at least two stories high and built of Hedman and the firm of Slee & Bryson, stone or brick. No house was to be worth for example. Partly because of the less than $5,000—they go for a good deal covenants and partly because of the small more than that today, of course—and number of architects, this district has a there were more restrictions in the degree of cohesiveness unusual even covenants relating to setbacks from the among designated historic districts. street, outbuildings, fences and so on. The One gem is missing from it, the Lef- Lefferts Manor Association, founded in photo: Penelope Bareau ferts Homestead itself. Lefferts is an old 1919, renewed the covenants, and they are Neo-Renaissance house at 37 Rutland Road Brooklyn name, going back to Leffert still in effect. That they are may have next to a neo-Tudor, partly visible at left. Pietersen van Haughwout, who emigrated something to do with the well groomed from Holland in 1660 and settled in Mid- Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Winter 2004 ~ page 11 wout, now Flatbush, Brooklyn. (“Flat- Government: New York State Coun- rigno, Kenneth K. Fisher, Naomi Freis- bush” is a transliteration of the Dutch cil on the Arts, Manhattan Delegation of tadt, Ken Foreman & Danielle Brooks, word, “vlackebos,” or “wooded plain.”) the New York City Council. David Freudenthal, Ann Walker Gaffney, Eventually the family acquired huge tracts Local groups: Carnegie Hill Neigh- Jill Gill, Linda Gillies, Karen Ginsberg, of land in Brooklyn and raised many lead- bors, Douglaston/Little Neck Historical David & Liz Goldfarb, Gloria Gottschalk, ing citizens of their days—senators, Society, East Side Rezoning Alliance, Christabel Gough, Paul D. Graziano & judges, congressmen. The Lefferts Home- Fiske Terrace Neighborhood Association, Heidi Klukas, Eugenie Cowan Have- stead was built in the late 17th century and Friends of Cast Iron Architecture, Friends meyer, John & Diana Herzog, Marilyn was burned by American soldiers in 1776 of the Historic Districts, Horne, Phyllis Cynthia Huyler, Linda C. during the Revolutionary War. Family Block Association, The Jones, Aida A. Koundakjian, Florent members salvaged timber and hardware Green-Wood Cemetery, Hamilton Morellet, David I. Karabell & Paula A. from the wreckage and rebuilt the house Heights/West Harlem Community Moss, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen M. Kellen, between 1777 and 1783. Presumably some Preservation Organization, Preserve & Robert Kornfeld Sr., Mr. & Mrs. Werner family members lived there for another Protect, Queensborough Preservation H. Kramarsky, Ken Lustbader, Ronald L. 130 years or so, for soon after James Lef- League, Sutton Area Community, Union Melichar, Pauline Metcalf, Danny Meyer, ferts’s death in 1918 the house was ceded Square Hospitality Group. Richard J. Moylan, Lizabeth Newman, to New York City and moved to Prospect Friends: Alan M. Ades, Thomas Norman Odlum, Evelyn & Everett Ort- Park, where it still reposes. Agnew, Oliver & Deborah Allen, Eric Wm. ner, Lois Osborne, Kate Burns Ottavino & Allison, James & Elois T. Banks, Penelope Neill Parker, Frederic Papert, Virginia Bareau, Sharen Benenson, J. Joel & Judith Parkhouse, William & Susan Rifkin, Eliza- Recent Gifts I. Berger, Andrew Berman, Minor Bishop, beth B. Rogers, David Rosenberg & Ber- Leo J. Blackman & Kenneth T. Monteiro, nice K. Leber, Joseph S. Rosenberg, Mr. & And Grants Louis Blumengarten, Françoise Bollack & Mrs. Edwards F. Rullman, Susan Sanders, Tom Killian, Ed Botwin, Ann Bragg, Brian Julia Schoeck, Thomas F. Schutte, Martin The Historic Districts Council is Breyre, Hal Bromm & Doneley Meris, E. Segal, Mr. & Mrs. Frederick R. Selch, I. grateful to all the Friends and institutions Lisa Burcham, Roger Byrom, Doreena M. Barnett Shepherd, Teri Slater, Beverly that make contributions. Without them, Chan, Jane Forbes Clark, Christopher Moss Spatt, Martha Roby Stephens, Jim our work would be severely handicapped. Collins & Robert R. Kulikowski, Eliza- Stratton, Jack Taylor, Eugene & Clare The most recent donors are: beth Rose Daly, Joan K. Davidson, Phillip Thaw, Helen S. Tucker, Philip Tusa, Anne Foundations: Gramercy Park Foun- Dodd, Andrew Scott Dolkart, Florence Van Ingen & Wesley Haynes, Elise Ward, dation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, D/J D’Urso, Franny & David Eberhart, Mr. & I. Donald Weston, Madelyn Wils, Gloria McManus Foundation, New York Com- Mrs. Richard Eckfeldt, Eleanor Edelman, Withim, Anthony C. Wood, Richard & munity Trust/Fosdick Fund, Arthur Ross Constance Eiseman, Stephen A. Facey, Melmie Young, F. Anthony & Sally Auer Foundation. Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Falco, Marjorie Fer- Zunino.

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A Prime-Cut Designation… strong presence in the campaign. At the the LPC chair in January. Many people continued from page 9 end of July, LPC promised to take action from the community spoke: no property by the end of the year, and by September owners, but many business people and the issue had become boundaries and what community figures did. staff were in office and that “Gansevoort would be included in the district. Almost Property owners did show up at the Market was no longer on their agenda.” all the area north of 14th street was public hearing LPC scheduled in March. This news stunned GVSHP. Aubrey Lees dropped. Bill Gottlieb’s heirs did not appear, but notified Ms. Paulsen emphatically and Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Morellet and now three speakers represented two other perhaps loudly that CB2’s top priority was Mr. Berman never let up. At each setback, owners. They and a representative of the still Gansevoort, and by the end of January they redoubled their efforts. GVSHP Real Estate Board of New York were the 2003, the market district seemed back on secured the support of the National Trust only negative voices among the 30 or so track. At any rate, in one of the CB2 meet- for Historic Preservation and applied for who spoke, and they protested that they ings with Landmarks, Ms. Paulsen said and received eligibility for listing on the would never be able to alter their build- they would “put something together in six State and National Registers of Historic ings or realize the development potential to twelve months.” Still, nothing was defi- Places. The Preservation League of New their property held. But much of LPC’s nite, and the signs were alternately encour- York State cited Gansevoort Market as work is involved in hearing, checking and aging and depressing. one of its “Seven to Save” sites. approving new buildings and alterations In the meantime, alterations were Then more good news: in December to existing ones in historic districts, and taking place all over Gansevoort. Some 2002 Landmarks scheduled a community potential is never guaranteed in life. The were okay, some were discouraging. meeting to talk about Gansevoort. It was commission voted to designate. In January 2002 Andrew Berman, for- their first really solid show of commitment Dirty, rundown, sometimes smelly as merly chief of staff to New York State and it fell on a night from hell. Bitter cold, it may be, Gansevoort has an indisputable Senator Tom Duane, joined GVSHP as its fierce winds blew sheets of rain horizontal, sense of place, and that is the basic reason new executive director. As Jo Hamilton but almost 150 soaked people showed up. it was designated. What is sense of place? put it a few weeks later, “He caught up to Sherida Paulsen led the meeting accompa- We l l, it’s like love: everybody knows what speed in a nanosecond” and became a nied by Robert B. Tierney, who would take it is but nobody can define it.

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