THE NEW YORK CITY LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION 1 CENTRE STREET 9TH FLOOR NORTH NEW YORK NY 10007 TEL: 212 669-7700 FAX: 212 669-7780 ADVISORY REPORT

ISSUE DATE: DOCKET #: CRA #: 04/19/2011 11-6144 CRA 11-8764

ADDRESS BOROUGH: BLOCK/LOT:

Grand Army Plaza & the Concert Grove 1117/1 SCENIC LANDMARK

To the Mayor, the Council, and the Commissioner, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

This report is issued pursuant to Sections 3020 and 854 (h) of the New York City Charter and Section 25-318 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, which require a report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for certain plans for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, or demolition of any improvement or proposed improvement which is owned by the City or is to be constructed upon property owned by the City and is or is to be located on a landmark site or in a historic district or which contains an interior landmark.

April 19, 2011, following the Public Hearing of the same date, voted to issue a positive report for a proposal for the relocation and restoration of the Lincoln and Skene Monuments, the installation of benches and paving, and related landscaping work, as put forward in your application completed on March 24, 2011.

The proposed work, as approved, consists of relocating the Skene Monument within landscaping at the northern section of (the Northern Berm) to a section of landscaping at the eastern side of the plaza (the Northeastern Berm); relocating the Lincoln Monument from the Concert Grove, within Prospect Park, to a sidewalk at the northern end of Grand Army Plaza, adjacent to the Northern Berm; modifying the footprint of the southern edge of the Northern Berm in conjunction with installing decorative cobble paving and waterwashed concrete paving, surrounding of base of the Lincoln Monument; installing wood and metal benches at the northern (rear) side of the Lincoln Monument; restorative work at the Skene and Lincoln Monuments; and relandscaping the portions of the Northern and Northeastern Berms, adjacent to the monument relocations, including the selective replacement of plantings and regrading. The work was shown on fourteen presentation boards, labeled L1 through L14 by the Commission staff; dated January 2011; and consisting of drawings, photographs, and photomontages, all prepared by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Prospect Park Alliance and presented at the Public Hearing and Public Meeting.

In reviewing this proposal, the Commission noted that the Prospect Park Designation Report describes Grand Army Plaza as the formal entrance to Prospect Park, a primarily naturalistic style park designed in 1865 by and , and the Concert Grove as an altered portion of the park, originally designed as a formal landscape. The Commission also noted that the Lincoln Monument was relocated from Grand Army Plaza to the Concert Grove during the late 19th century; and that Advisory Commission Report 09-1700 was issued on July 15, 2008, approved the reconstruction of the Concert Grove and the replacement of a building, ice skating rink, and parking lot. With regard to this proposal, the Commission found that the relocation of the Lincoln statue from the Concert Grove in Prospect Park to Grand Army Plaza will return the statue closer to its original placement; that the Lincoln statue cannot be installed in its original location without altering a significant later alteration to the plaza; that the proposed placement of the Lincoln statue will be in keeping with the prominence and context of its original placement; that the placement, design, and materials of the benches and the decorative cobble paving will help reinforce the primacy of the Lincoln statue in keeping with the organization of the plaza, while also utilizing materials and furnishings found elsewhere in the plaza and not drawing undue attention to the benches and paving themselves; that the proposed placement of the Skene statue will be consistent with the placement of statues within the landscaping at the perimeter of the plaza and with the hierarchical organization of these statues within the plaza; and that the proposed work will support the special landscape design and historic character of Grand Army Plaza and the Concert Grove. Based on these findings, the Commission determined that this work is appropriate to the sites and voted to issue a positive report for this work.

PLEASE NOTE: The Commission requests that specifications for the restoration of the statues be submitted to the Commission for review prior to the commencement of work.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: This report is being issued in conjunction with the issuance of Commission Advisory Report 11-8765 (LPC 11-6820), issued on April 19, 2011, supporting modifications to a sidewalk, traffic islands, and the roadway at Grand Army Plaza by the New York City Department of Transportation.

This permit is issued on the basis of the building and site conditions described in the application and disclosed during the review process. By accepting this permit, the applicant agrees to notify the Commission if the actual building or site conditions vary or if original or historic building fabric is discovered. The Commission reserves the right to amend or revoke this permit, upon written notice to the applicant, in the event that the actual building or site conditions are materially different from those described in the application or disclosed during the review process.

All approved drawings are marked approved by the Commission with a perforated seal indicating the date of approval. The work is limited to what is contained in the perforated documents. Other work or amendments to this filing must be reviewed and approved separately. The applicant is hereby put on notice that performing or maintaining any work not explicitly authorized by this permit may make the applicant liable for criminal and/or civil penalties, including imprisonment and fines. This report constitutes the permit; a copy must be prominently displayed at the site while work is in progress. Please direct inquiries to Bernadette Artus.

Robert B. Tierney Chair

cc: Caroline Kane Levy, Deputy Director of Preservation/LPC; Public Design Commission; Christian Zimmerman/Prospect Park Alliance

PAGE 2 Issued: 4/19/11 DOCKET: 11-6144