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news and views of the historic districts council spring 2007 vol. XXI no. 1 sunnysIDe uP! CommunIty Is on lPC’s front Burner at last sunnysIde gardens, queens, is poised to plifi ed Colonial Revival or Art Deco style. the residents lost their houses to foreclo- become an historic district, the seventh Intended for lower-middle-class families, sure, and in 1966 the original covenants in that borough. The Landmarks Preser- the houses were arranged to foster a strong imposing design restrictions expired. Many vation Commission held a public hearing sense of community on the principle that homeowners built fences into the common April 17, a preliminary step to designation. the open space, so unusual for that time, gardens, altered facades, constructed decks It has not been an easy journey. more than compensated for the small, if and added driveways. Built between 1924 and 1928, Sunny- solidly constructed, brick houses. Lewis For a time it seemed that this unusual side Gardens was one of the earliest fully Mumford, the infl uential writer and critic ensemble would be lost, but two factors realized examples in the United States of of planning and the author in 1922 of “The saved it. First, in 1974 the Department of the ideals of the British Garden City Study of Utopias,” advised on the planning City Planning made Sunnyside Gardens movement and was the fi rst development of Sunnyside and for ten years lived there a Special Planned Community Preserva- created to express the ideas of the Re- with his family. tion District. This zoning provision was gional Planning Association of America. After such hopeful beginnings, history designed to protect the open spaces by The 77-acre community consists of rows was not kind to Sunnyside Gardens. During requiring permits for alterations. Second, of small town houses and nine four- to the Great Depression nearly two-thirds of some residents formed the Sunnyside six-story apartment buildings, a total of more than 600 buildings, arranged around landscaped courtyards within the street grid of Queens. Its plan incorporates generous open and common spaces. The architects—Clarence Stein, Henry Wright and Frederick Ackerman—combined traditional elements with understated modernism, producing buildings in a sim-

HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL

Many houses, as the one above, evoke the British Gar- den City movement of the 1920’s. Right, map showing boundaries and buildings of the proposed district.

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because he was so prescient then. Our theme—that historic preservation is envi- ronmentally friendly—was demonstrated by his address and by the panel discus- sions, which emphasized that keeping our existing built environment in use is central to preserving our natural resources. This continued a theme from last year’s conference, when our panels on “Race, Place, Money and Art” showed that historic preservation could work hand in hand with affordable housing and com- munity development. Overall, both these conferences point to the same conclusion: historic preservation is a key element in “smart growth.” If we are to plan properly for our urban, suburban and rural environ- ments, we must include the preservation, restoration and reuse of our existing built environment. This will lead inevitably to a “happy, healthy and wise” future. In February we held a reception and auction for a very important cause at the HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL home of Historic Districts Low-rise buildings line verdant courtyards in the 600-building neighborhood of the aptly named Sun- Council adviser Joseph Pell Lombardi. nyside Gardens, being considered for designation as an historic district by the Landmarks Preservation The funds raised went to a new HDC Commission. Its advocates will receive a Grassroots Preservation Award from HDC in May.

Foundation and convinced several courts compliance sufficient to protect them. to protect the original design. For that reason, in 2003 some of the resi- But the special zoning had not been dents formed a new group, the Sunnyside written to preserve design elements, which Gardens Preservation Alliance, with the remained unprotected. Nor was voluntary specific goal of having the neighborhood landmark-designated. The effort has been a rocky one. As DISTRICT historian and television star Barry Lewis, the Historic Districts Council’s 2005 Land- LINES marks Lion, commented for New York news and views of the in 2003, “Almost everyone agrees historic districts council that [Sunnyside Gardens is] a special place, but when regulations are proposed to limit editor ~ Penelope Bareau what people can do with their property, art and production ~ Moom Luu there has always been a fight.” twig editorial consultant ~ Jack Taylor LPC is expected to decide on the David Goldfarb contributors ~ Simeon Bankoff, Penelope Bareau, designation in May. HDC feels that just David Goldfarb, Jeffrey A. Kroessler Frampton Tolbert, Nadezhda Williams getting a hearing warrants an award, and it

staff ~ Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director will present one to the Sunnyside Gardens project aimed at mobilizing “preservation Frampton Tolbert, Assistant Director Preservation Alliance at its annual Grass- voters.” Our pilot project focused on a Lauren Belfer, Nadezhda Williams, Preservation Associates roots Preservation Awards ceremony on special City Council election in . May 10. (See box on page 8.) Although we take no position regarding no part of this periodical may be candidates, we worked with community reproduced without the consent of the historic districts council. preservation groups to hold candidate PRESIDENT ’ S C O L UM N forums and to educate citizens to ask the the historic districts council is the citywide advocate for new york’s designated historic right questions. Later in 2007 and in 2009 districts and for neighborhoods and we will expand the project across the city. individual buildings that merit preservation. In March the Historic Districts Council’s In my humble (and biased) opinion this the council is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the landmarks law annual Preservation Conference “recy- project enhances HDC’s role as the fore- and to furthering the preservation ethic. cled” keynote speaker Donovan Rypkema most grassroots preservation organization from our first conference 13 years ago in the city. When organizing for more city

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 3 funds for the Landmarks Preservation tion works best when it is able to bring Even though she represented only part of Commission, for better-qualified com- in new blood and does not become iden- the latter two neighborhoods, Council- missioners and for legislation to better tified with a single individual or small member Clarke was a strong advocate for protect landmarks and potential land- group of people. As HDC’s board rota- their designation. Their progress was due marks, no group reaches deeper into the tion policy begins to take effect, I hope in no small part to her support. city’s neighborhoods and communities to we will see the positive impact of these Beginning shortly before the No- obtain support than HDC does. principles. Our longest-serving members vember election, when it became clear This is my last President’s Column, as will continue to provide guidance as new Ms. Clarke’s seat would be vacant, HDC HDC’s board will elect a new president at directors and advisers join us. Hopefully reached out to its neighborhood part- its annual meeting in June. I have truly en- our many friends and supporters will step ners to mobilize a coalition focused on joyed my tenure as president and feel that forward to join our policy-making board. preservation and development issues. the organization has made great strides. I With your help and support we will con- Together with the Beverly Square West look forward to watching as HDC strives tinue to grow. Association, Caton Park Neighborhood to live up to the goals it has set for itself in Thank you for that support. I look Association, Ditmas Park Association, its recent strategic plan. forward to seeing you at future events. Ditmas Park West Neighborhood Associ- I believe that a volunteer organiza- —David Goldfarb ation, Fiske Terrace Association, Flatbush Development Corporation, Lefferts Manor Association, Midwood Park Home- HDC Inaugurates Program to Educate owners Association, Prospect Park South Association and West Midwood Com- Electeds Before They Take Office munity Association, HDC organized the Coalition of Concerned Preservation “Only when our political analysis is the 40th Council District in Brooklyn in Voters in the 40th District and prepared as good as our paint analysis can we pro- November 2006, when Councilmember a questionnaire addressing landmarks, tect our pediments from politics.” That Yvette Clarke, who had represented the zoning, building-code and public-involve- conclusion was reached by the Historic district, was elected to Congress. ment issues both general and specific to Districts Council’s chair emeritus An- The 40th District in central Brook- the district. It was then given to all the thony C. Wood, writing in District Lines lyn encompasses at least some of the candidates to answer. Sample questions in 1992 when preservationists were still designated historic districts of Ditmas were, “Would you support increasing smarting from the City Council’s rejection Park, Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces, City Council funding for the Landmarks of a Jamaica Savings Bank designation. Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Prospect Commission so that it can more actively Today, 15 years later, after the rejection Park South. It also covers most of what designate new neighborhoods as well as of another Jamaica Savings Bank building is commonly referred to as “Victorian enforce the Landmarks Law in already and of the Austin, Nichols & Company Flatbush,” which includes neighborhoods landmarked districts?” and “Would you Warehouse, the treatment of historic such as Ditmas Park West and Caton Park push for aggressive enforcement of the preservation by New York’s civic authori- that are interested in becoming historic current building and zoning laws to ad- ties has not changed much. Mr. Wood’s districts, and Midwood Park and Fiske dress the problem of illegal conversions of suggestion on how to muster political Terrace, which were calendared for public existing single- and two-family homes to support for preservation is still valid—by hearings by the Landmarks Preservation use as multiple dwellings?” working on a political level with institu- Commission in September 2006, follow- Of the 11 candidates in the race, tions like community boards in order to ing an eight-year preservation campaign. eight responded in time to publish their build a better-educated and activist citi- zenry in touch with its elected officials. The need for education and activism has not changed. What has changed is that term limits now apply to elected municipal positions. That gives us both the opportunity and the responsibility to educate a completely new roster of elected officials every eight years. Looking forward to the 2009 election cycle, when the mayor, the public advo- cate, four of the five borough presidents and potentially three quarters of the City Council will change, HDC recently began a program to reach out to newly elected CHRIS KREUSSLING, http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/ officials even before they take office. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of HDC, left, meeting with nine candidates for the City Council Employing a questionnaire and a public seat in Brooklyn’s 40th District to discuss preservation issues and how they would act on them if elected. forum, HDC initiated the program in

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 4 answers prior to the public forum, which able reuse or may not be was held on February 8, 12 days before immediately threatened. the election. Answers ranged from full- Both these conditions throated agreement for preservation and would reduce the urgen- contextual-zoning efforts to more cau- cy to designate. tious statements about reviewing and In 2005 the His- revising the Department of Buildings pro- toric Districts Council’s gram permitting architects and engineers Designation Commit- to approve their own work—so-called tee selected 21 HBND self-certification. The full question- buildings to support as naire is posted on HDC’s Web site at priorities. The list was www.hdc.org. posted on HDC’s Web At the public forum, more than 150 site, was sent to LPC preservation-minded residents turned out and was the topic of a despite freezing February weather to hear public lecture last sum- nine of the 11 candidates. They were Mathieu mer. So far, 10 of that list ALL PHOTOS THIS STORY, HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL Eugene, Karlene Gordon, Gerry Hopkins, have been reheard—if Zonobia McNally, Moe Razvi, Harry Schiff- any heard property goes Orchard Beach Bathhouse and Promenade, affectionately known as man, Wellington Sharpe, Joel Toney and undesignated for more “the Bronx Riviera,” was first heard in 1990, designated in 2006. Leithland Tulloch. They discussed neigh- than three years, the borhood concerns such as downzoning and Landmarks Commission insists on an- No. 67 Greenwich Street, a rare four-bay the controversial Atlantic Yards project. other public hearing before making any mansion on what was the city’s prime resi- Although a new election was called decision. The following six have become dential street when it was built in 1811, was for April to straighten out complications landmarks: first heard in 1966, heard again in 1992 and stemming from residency requirements, • 67 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, 2005 finally designated in 2005. Other Feder- the effort of the Coalition of Concerned • Orchard Beach Bathhouse and als, a group of three row houses at 94-96 Preservation Voters demonstrated that Promenade, The Bronx, 2006 Greenwich Street first heard in 1970, were when preservationists raise their voices in • All Saint’s Church and School, heard again in January 2007 but not desig- an election, the candidates pay attention. Manhattan, 2007 nated by press time. Ownership of No. 96 And an attentive candidate is the first step • Drake-Dehart House, Staten Island, is in dispute. One of the purported owners, toward an educated representative. 2007 a developer, opposed designation because • St. Aloysius Church, Manhattan, 2007 he was seeking to tear down the building • Staten Island Savings Bank, Staten to construct a hotel that would also en- Island, 2007 compass 98 and 100 Greenwich Street, but Heard and, Maybe, These are their stories: he promised to restore the other two, Nos. Three public pools and play centers 94 and 94-1/2. Preservation groups, neigh- Designated Later made it to HDC’s priority list: Orchard bors and building occupants—including Beach Bathhouse and Promenade and the owner of the Pussycat Lounge at No. On its way to becoming a New York Crotona Play Center, both in The Bronx, 96 (the other purported owner)—spoke in City landmark, each individual building, and McCarren Play Center in Brooklyn. favor of designation. historic district, interior space or scenic In 1990, hearings were held for these three A number of religious institutions are area goes through the same process at the complexes and eight others built by the on HDC’s list, not surprising considering Landmarks Preservation Commission. federal Works Progress Administration their vital roles in communities and their The steps are calendaring, public hear- and opened during the summer of 1936. Or- special architectural merits. Harlem’s All ing, designation. An astonishing number chard Beach Bathhouse and Promenade, Saint’s Church and School and St. Aloysius of sites have never reached the third step, affectionately known as “the Bronx Riv- Church were heard in 1966 and 2004 be- remaining instead in preservation limbo iera” with its Art Moderne-Classical style fore finally becoming landmarks in January for years, even decades, as heard but not and blue terra-cotta tiles, received another 2007. They are the first Roman Catholic designated—HBND, for short. hearing and was designated a landmark in churches in the city to be landmarked in Approximately 200 such items in all June 2006 along with the Astoria Park Pool nearly 30 years. five boroughs are in this situation. They and Play Center (not on HDC’s list). Four other religious institutions on the are religious institutions, private houses, McCarren, Crotona, and the other priority list are still in preservation limbo. apartment buildings and complexes, pub- seven WPA Play Centers received a hear- The First Reformed Church and Sunday lic pools, even a tree and a neon sign. The ing in January 2007. The Department of School Chapel of College Point, Queens, reasons for the delay vary from strong Parks & Recreation is wholeheartedly be- an 1872 Carpenter Gothic-style building, opposition by the owner, the community hind their designation, but at press time it was the subject of a public hearing in 1980. or a political entity to lack of community had not yet been granted. St. Barbara’s Roman Catholic Church, the interest or support. Sometimes a building Three early 19th century Federal row tall, gleaming 1910 white-and-cream Span- languishes because it does not have a vi- houses also made the HBND priority list. ish Baroque church on Central Avenue in

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Brooklyn, was heard the same year. A very Patrick’s Church, owners of the cemetery, On Staten Island a blizzard of devel- different church, a little one-story clap- were opposed to designation. opment has precipitated a long-awaited board chapel built in 1734 in Elmhurst, One of the more unusual build- flurry of landmarking. The Greek Re- Queens, shares a similar dilemma: Known ings on HDC’s priority list is the IRT vival 1840’s Drake-Dehart House in as St. James Parish House/Old St. James Powerhouse, which occupies the entire Tottenville, heard in 1991 and 2005, was Episcopal Church, it is a remnant of the Manhattan block bounded by West 58th designated in 2006. The Neo-Classi- area’s colonial period and had a hearing in and 59th Streets and 11th and 12th Ave- cal 1924-25 Staten Island Savings Bank 1970 with no further follow-up. The build- nues. The largest powerhouse in the world in Stapleton, heard in 1966 and 2006, ing is now used as a community center when completed in 1904, it reflects the was designated this year. The Rutan- and was recently restored. Paradoxically, City Beautiful movement’s aesthetic and Journeay House, first heard in 1991, had the care its owners have given it may de- is a rare example of a utilitarian design by another public hearing in December ter landmarking as LPC struggles to save architects McKim, Mead & White. The 2006 but has not yet been designat- buildings that are threatened. Beaux-Arts structure was designed to al- ed. Other buildings on Staten Island The United Christian Evangelis- leviate neighbors’ fears of an eyesore with still waiting for their second (or third) tic Association’s church in Manhattan’s details such as smokestacks masquerading chance include Horton’s Row, a group as classical columns. It was heard but not of circa 1880 row houses heard in 1991, designated in 1990. and the Nathaniel J. Wyeth House, a Two sites in The Bronx are on the pri- circa 1850 brick house heard in 1966 and ority list: the Elie Nadelman House at 4715 heard again on April 10 this year, more than four decades later. The Frost Building of the S.R. Smith Infirmary (later the Staten Island Hospi- tal), a turreted, castlelike structure called the “pride of the island” when it was

St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, Brooklyn, heard in 1980 but still not designated.

All Saint’s Church and School in Manhattan, Washington Heights was heard in 1970. heard in 1966 and 2004, designated in 2007. The church was built not as a religious institution but as Loew’s 175th Street The- ater. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb and Independence Avenue and the Noonan constructed in 1932, it is one of the finest Plaza Apartments on West 168th Street and most exuberant former movie palaces and Nelson Avenue. The former, heard by St. Aloysius Church, Manhattan, heard in 1966 in the city. With a profusion of surface or- LPC in 1970, is a circa 1880 Andrew Jack- and 2004, designated in 2007. nament and seating for more than 3,700 son Downing-inspired Gothic Revival people, it occupies an entire city block. brick house. From 1920 to 1946 it was the opened in 1889, was heard in 1983 and again Excellent stewards of this building, the home and studio of sculptor Elie Nadel- in 1991. church authorities have nonetheless op- man. The Noonan Plaza Apartments, With recent increased funding and posed designation in the past. heard in 1992, are a major example of Art staffing LPC has increased its rate of The 1892 Old Calvary Cemetery Gate- Deco Mayan architecture in New York designations. A day dedicated solely to house in Queens is a turreted Queen Anne City. The seven-story building, designed by public designation hearings was held in brick building whose romantic vernacular Horace Ginsbern and built in 1931, features January with much success, and another style complements the style of the cem- an arched portico crowned by Mayan-style took place on April 10. With any luck, etery, built 44 years earlier and now one of pyramids, a motif repeated in the roofline. HDC’s remaining list of worthy buildings the biggest in the country. When the gate- In its 15,000-square-foot courtyard are heard but not designated will continue to house was heard in 1973, the trustees of St. fountains, shrubs and mosaic walkways. shrink.

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s th nnual onference such as window assemblies, saying that HDC’ 13 A C : their components last only ten years, and or a reen uture lant reservation since the components cannot be replaced, F G F , P P the windows need to be. He passed along Focusing on sustainable development, Department of Energy, 27 percent of the a comment he once heard a worker say: “smart” growth and “green” buildings, the existing commercial-building stock went “Anything that is maintenance-free can’t Historic Districts Council’s 13th Annual up before 1960, 45 percent between 1960- be repaired.” Preservation Conference kicked off on 90, and 28 percent since 1990, when green Stephen Tilly is principal of a planning, Friday evening, March 9, with a party hon- technology began to be used. Of that last preservation, landscape and architectural oring the Society for group, only a very small percentage is firm in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and has Historic Preservation for how it marshalls green, which means that of the existing been involved with both preservation and community support to pursue preserva- commercial-building stock, a negligible sustainable design since the 1970’s, includ- tion of its neighborhood. Fittingly, the amount is green. He criticized modules ing recent geothermal housing projects. reception took place in an historic com- Older buildings were designed to conserve munity center in the South Village, an area energy, he said, and have such features as below Washington Square Park on which high ceilings, passive cooling and venti- GVSHP is concentrating. lating systems, recesses and overhangs. On Saturday the keynote address (see Optimally, designers should combine these box on page 7) and discussion panels were traditional methods with such new ones held at the Harold Lewis Auditorium of as cooler-burning lamps and roof tiles that the Hunter College School of Social Work contain photoelectric cells. in Manhattan. Morning sessions might be In the question-and-answer session, ALL PHOTOS THIS STORY, HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL summarized as, “Nothing is as green as old the panelists talked about LEED, an ac- buildings.” Stephen Goldsmith, left, talked about salvag- ronym for Leadership in Energy and Members of the first panel, “The ing in New Orleans. Carl Elefante stressed how Environmental Design. LEED is a rat- Greening of Preservation,” emphasized building renewal contributes to conservation. ing system developed by the U.S. Green that historic buildings already have em- Building Council to establish standards bodied energy and that to destroy them for energy- and resource-efficient build- uses more energy just to get back to empty ings; it issues guidelines to help architects land, after which even more energy will be and builders comply with them. Devel- expended to rebuild. opers may seek certification on various One of the panelists was Stephen levels—Certified, Silver, Gold and Plati- Goldsmith, a sculptor and co-founder of num—which will be granted depending the Center for the Living City at SUNY on their degree of compliance and issued Purchase (New York) College and also a in the form of plaques. LEED also initi- teacher at the University of Utah’s Col- ates legislation and seeks executive orders, lege of Architecture and Planning. He resolutions and incentives throughout the told about going to New Orleans in the United States and abroad. aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to learn After lunch a panel led by HDC Ronald Shiffman, left, criticized the order of the about rebuilding. While there, he saw board member Franny Eberhart consid- development process as backward. Lisa Kersav- miles of destruction and debris fields that ered “Smart(?) Growth: Brooklyn in the age correlated demolitions with rezoning. Carter scrap dealers were being paid to take away. 21st Century” and examined current plan- Craft focused on the city’s waterfront. He helped put together a local communi- ning and preservation issues there. Recent ty organization that became the Katrina development, such as the Atlantic Yards Furniture Project to make furniture of the proposal, the new Ikea in Red Hook, the debris, creating more jobs and a “second plan and the mas- harvest” of materials. sive rezoning in Greenpoint-Williamsburg Carl Elefante, a principal with Quinn were discussed. Carter Craft, director of Evans Architects in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, a and its director of sustainable design, New York-New Jersey coalition, said we spoke next, saying that historic preserva- needed to take a life-cycle approach to the tion does more than the green community waterfront, one that takes into account does for conservation because it empha- cleansing of all waste-carrying water be- sizes building renewal. Less energy is fore it enters the rivers. This is especially required to rehabilitate older structures important as global warming brings more than is needed to tear them down and From left, Jeffrey Kroessler, Roberta Brandes rainfall that flows into bays and canals and build anew, he said. Moreover, only a very Gratz, Alex Garvin and Tony Avella at a lively overwhelms the system. Among several small number of new buildings are green. final panel of the all-day conference. locations singled out, he mentioned that According to figures he cited from the the East River is not a river at all but a

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 7 tidal strait between the Upper Bay and Long Island Sound. As such, it does not Preservation Is Sustainability: flush, and contaminants just move around in it, so it needs to be monitored. Key Keynote Address by Donovan Rypkema things to think about for the future, he Taking a stand infrequently heard in said, were environmental stewardship of discussions about sustainable development, the water, community access to it, commu- Donovan Rypkema argued that one of its nity-based planning, and that waterfronts most effective components is historic pres- open up “placemaking opportunities.” ervation. Maintaining, adapting, and reusing Lisa Kersavage, Kress/RFR Fellow older buildings conserves land and natural for Historic Preservation and Public Poli- materials, he said, contributes to local econ- cy at the Municipal Art Society, examined omies and preserves cultural patrimony in a ten major rezonings in Brooklyn that the way that technology alone cannot. Bloomberg administration had overseen. Mr. Rypkema is principal of PlaceEco- Showing maps that illustrated greater de- nomics in Washington, D.C., a firm that molition in rezoned areas, she said parts advises clients on commercial-area revital- of Brooklyn have become harder to pre- ization and the reuse of historic structures serve because rezoning has put so much both in this country and abroad. He is the development pressure on them. In Green- author of numerous publications and the point/Williamsburg, for instance, she said classic guide “The Economics of Historic the city had identified eight known his- Preservation,” and teaches a graduate course on that subject at the University of torical resources and 12 potential ones. Pennsylvania. MAS in its own survey identified 264 po- In his opening speech at the Historic Districts Council’s conference, Mr. tential historic resources, including 1850’s Rypkema stressed that sustainable development is crucial for economic competi- workers’ housing, churches and factories. tiveness, that new “green” buildings are part of but not synonymous with sustainable In the future, historic resources must be development, and that historic preservation has a central and vital role to play. identified before zoning changes are pro- Sustainable development is a principle used to satisfy a community’s demands posed, she urged, and the Landmarks without using up nonrenewable resources or compromising the ability of future Preservation Commission should act to generations to meet their needs. Environmental protection, economic growth and protect them before zoning changes are socio-cultural enhancement are all tenets of sustainable development. enacted. Twenty-two acres of Red Hook Citing an example of how preservation contributes to sustainable development, were rezoned to allow an Ikea big-box he noted that in older houses wood windows are often replaced with aluminum or store there, and Ikea has begun to fill in vinyl to conserve heat. But most heat is lost through the attic or through uninsulat- a graving dock in continuous use despite ed walls, not through windows, he said, and fiberglass insulation in the attic is more legal action by MAS to save it. Environ- effective as an energy saver than are new windows. Moreover, he said, nearly a third mental-review laws exist, she reminded of the windows being replaced each year are less than ten years old, and the energy her listeners: “Politicians can withhold consumed in manufacturing them is 40 times (vinyl) to 126 times (aluminum) that permits, and we need to insist that they used for wood. Once they are scrapped, the landfill space the old windows take, to do it.” say nothing of the energy consumed getting them there, compounds the waste. Another panelist, Ronald Shiff- Economic development is also aided by historic preservation because instead man, was honored last year by the New of supplying the market with new goods brought in from great distances, it relies York chapter of the American Institute on local workers to rehabilitate existing properties. And, as he noted, “the plumber of Architects for his contributions to gets a haircut on the way home, buys groceries and joins the YMCA—each recir- affordable housing. He is a 45-year vet- culating that paycheck within the community.” eran of city planning who specializes in With a battery of statistics, Mr. Rypkema made the point that rehabilitation innovative community-based financing of historic buildings generates more jobs, more income and more state and local and planning. He said Brooklyn is boom- taxes than building new ones does. And well-maintained historic neighborhoods ing because of its diversity of people, uses attract people who want to visit—tourists—as well as live there, bringing social and and building types. He decried the Atlan- economic diversity uncommon in newer areas. tic Yards development, saying that if land In his conclusion, Mr. Rypkema said, “Sustainability means stewardship. There is publicly owned, the public should be can be no sustainable development without a central role for historic preservation.” engaged in planning before it is brought to the developer and that there should not be one developer in a project of that man said. Speaking of the development and manufacturing jobs that help create a size but a dozen. Many neighbors of the process in general, he noted that we now diverse economy, not just a service econ- project sold out because they were afraid have environmental reviews at the end of omy. We need a mix of places to live and they would lose their property to eminent the process, whereas we need planning work, and we need to rethink density. Pro- domain. “You don’t take private land and first so we can build without displacing duction and residential facilities can now give it to private developers,” Mr. Shiff- jobs or homes. We need job opportunities be next door to each other, he pointed

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 8 out, because now many manufacturing than most panelists. Mr. Garvin heads his operations—printing, for example—have own planning and real estate consulting DISTRICT PROFILES become “clean.” firm specializing in the development of The final panel did not address the the public realm. He was a member of the question in its title, “The Future of New City Planning Commission for nine years York: With Preservation or Without?” and admitted that the city has made mis- but in lively exchanges summed up the is- takes, that planning has not adequately sues earlier panels treated. Starting off the served the city’s needs. However, he wor- Historic District, discussion, moderator Roberta Brandes ried about the costs of preservation and Gratz, a commissioner at the Landmarks even its extent. Preservation decisions Manhattan Preservation Commission and an award- should be guided by historic signifi- Louis Morino, the proprietor of Sloppy winning writer and lecturer on many cance, he said, such as the Liberty Bell; by Louie’s Restaurant at Fulton and South urban issues, wondered whether success aesthetic prominence, such as the Uni- Streets in Manhattan, was talking about in preservation could be its undoing and versity of Virginia (he asked whether we his building to the writer Joseph Mitchell. observed that “people who opposed his- were “cheapening” designations by adding It was 1952, and Mitchell was working on toric preservation in the 1970’s and ’80’s too many); by social/cultural significance, what became the title story of his collec- are now making money on it.” such as the Lower East Side Tenement tion of stories, “Up in the City Councilmember Tony Avella, Museum (but not too many tenements); Old Hotel.” Louie, who was not sloppy at who has represented northeast Queens and by public spaces such as Yosemite all but came by the name from the previ- since 2001 and is chair of the Council’s National Park (but not all parks). ous owner of his restaurant, learned about Zoning and Franchises Committee, spoke In one of the more surprising mo- his building from a title searcher at Title next. A strong supporter of commu- ments of the conference, Mr. Garvin said Guarantee & Trust Company, saying that nity-based preservation efforts and lead that one third of Staten Island had been other sources had not yielded much in- sponsor of the 2005 “Demolition by Ne- downzoned and that, in his view, it had formation about its history. “It seems all glect” legislation, he said that the system to do with keeping people out. “I’m sur- this end of South Street used to be under is still geared to developers and develop- prised the NAACP has not brought suit,” water,” he told Mitchell. “The East River ment. “We let the real estate industry do he declared. Councilmember Tony Avella flowed over it. Then the city filled it in and the planning ... Planning and preservation countered that at least in Queens, minor- divided it into lots. In February 1804 a mer- should be one and the same and should be ity groups were asking for downzoning. chant by the name of Peter Schermerhorn, from the bottom up, but planners at the HDC vice president and historian Jeffrey a descendant of Jacob Schermerhorn, was top won’t let that happen. It shouldn’t be Kroessler said he was “tired of affordable given grants to the lot my building now such a battle for us. We’re trying to save a housing being an albatross around the stands on—92 South—and the lot next way of life for the future—everybody has a neck of historic preservation.” to it—93 South, a corner lot, the corner stake in preserving their neighborhood.” Ms. Gratz rejoined by saying that his- of South and Fulton. ... Schermerhorn put Alex Garvin took a more controver- toric districts are more diverse than new up a four-story brick-and-frame building sial, less preservation-friendly position areas, which are built for the rich or the on each of these lots—stores on the street poor. She next asked the others to com- floors and flats above.” ment on the future of manufacturing Cut to the Landmarks Preservation PLEASE JOIN US zones. “We have light manufacturing,” she Commission’s designation report (1977) said. “We now have furniture manufactur- of the South Street Seaport Historic Dis- ing, lighting, stage production companies. trict: “In 1868, Nos. 92 and 93 were raised 17th Annual Preservation Party Small manufacturing has allowed us to ride from four to six stories and topped by a and Eighth Annual Grassroots the volatility of economic conditions.” mansard roof with gabled dormers. This Preservation Awards She was joined in that sentiment by alteration was made for John H. McKinley, Julia Vitullo-Martin, a senior fellow at the who began running his steamboat hotel at Manhattan Institute and director of the No. 93 (also 2 Fulton) in this same year.” Thursday, May 10, 2007, 6 p.m. Center for Rethinking Development, who Back to Louis Morino: “They [Nos. St. Mark’s Church in-the- said that New York City was now healthy 92 and 93] were designed so they could Garden and Parish Hall and strong. “New York in time of growth be used as one building—there’s a party East 10th Street & Second Avenue is amazingly resilient,” she said. “I fear for wall between them, and in those days St. Mark’s Historic District New York in hard times.” there were sets of doors on each floor Manhattan As a final event for the weekend, on leading from one building to the other. Sunday, walking tours took people to parts ... The name of the hotel was the Fulton of the city discussed by the panels: Down- Ferry Hotel. ... At that time, there were $25 per person, $15 Friends of HDC town Brooklyn; Times Square, Manhattan passenger-line steamship docks all along payable at the door. (new “green” buildings); St. George, Staten South Street, lines that went to every Cash, check, credit cards accepted. Island; Downtown Jamaica, Queens; the part of the world, and out-of-town people East Village, Manhattan; and Red Hook, waiting for passage on the various steam- Brooklyn. ers would stay at the Fulton Ferry Hotel.

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 9

Also, the Brooklyn Bridge hadn’t yet been realized that because Manhattan was sur- Under the Dutch, the port pros- built, and the Fulton Ferry was the princi- rounded by water, its promise lay in trade, pered, but by the time of the Revolution pal ferry to Brooklyn, and the ferryhouse not agriculture or manufacturing. That its wharves could no longer compete with stood directly in front of the hotel. On ac- meant improvement to accommodate the better-maintained ones of Boston, count of the ferry, Fulton Street was like shipping and docks. Landfill, bulkheads, Philadelphia and Charleston. Following a funnel; damned near everything headed piers would all be necessary. Clever fel- the 1776 Battle of Long Island, the British for Brooklyn went through it. It was full lows, the Dutch sold to individuals who occupied the port. When they left in 1783, of foot traffic and horse-drawn traffic day agreed to fill in the land themselves—of- taking many Tory merchants with them, and night, and South and Fulton was one ten with palisades of pilings filled in with the seaport fell on hard times and did not of the most ideal saloon corners in the rubble—and then built on top of it, build- fully recover for another 15 years. city.” ing out into the river little by little. The The designation report again: “Be- Another thing the designation report practice continued into the 18th, 19th and tween 1820 and 1860, five and one half says was that people who built on landfill even 20th centuries. million alien passengers came to the U.S., normally built only one story first, then This was true on both sides of Man- and more arrived at the South Street Sea- waited a year before putting up the rest hattan, but according to the designation port piers than at any other port of entry. of the building so that the structure could report, in the earliest days the southeast- This flood of immigration brought the settle and compact the fill. Schermerhorn, ern shore was seen as the natural harbor fear of disease to the seaport, and a num- however, was eager to get on with his proj- both because a rocky ledge protruded ber of cholera and yellow-fever epidemics ect and erected the whole four stories at from the western shore and also because paralyzed the business of the area. Hotels once, and today, 200 years later, the wis- the East River was narrower than the and boardinghouses were opened in the dom of waiting is still evident on the Hudson, providing better shelter for the district during the 1850’s to accommodate upstairs floors now occupied by the South small ships of the time. this transient population as well as the Street Seaport Museum—they are slanted Originally the eastern shoreline was many overseas merchants.” enough to induce seasickness. Pearl Street, called Queen Street at the Mr. Putnam said of life in the neigh- At one time water lots abounded. time. Then, by the end of the 18th cen- borhood at the time, “Water Street came to During the early 17th century when the tury, landfill took it to Water Street, then be known as the Wickedest Ward in New Dutch owned New York, they laid claim to Front Street to the land under water near the shore. and finally, in the According to Jack Putnam, historian at early 19th century, the South Street Seaport Museum, they to South Street, which is the east- ern boundary of that part of Man- hattan today. Parts of South Street were still swamp as late as 1821.

VIRGINIA PARKHOUSE

Above, 92 and 93 Front Street, once the Fulton Ferry Hotel, later Sloppy Louie’s Restaurant, now another restaurant downstairs and galleries of the South Street Seaport Museum upstairs. Left, map showing the boundaries ADAPTED FROM LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION map and streets of the historic district, designated in 1977 and 1989.

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 10

York, with blood sports, dives, brothels, public gatherings and performances. The gambling joints”—all the accouterments, noisy and sometimes boisterous crowds in fact, of a thriving seaport. These crimi- generated by these attractions created nal elements co-existed side by side with security problems for the shops and oth- more prosperous, legally conducted busi- er businesses that occupied the seaport, ness, just as they have in New York in later and some of them closed. As an enter- decades. In fact, the earliest extant house tainment district, the seaport could not in the district, the charming three-story compete with Madison Square Garden or brick at 273 Water Street, has some of countless other venues in Manhattan, and that history. Built for sea captain Joseph its vitality began to wane. By 2004, Rouse Rose in 1773, the house was rented out by sold its assets, splitting them between the him, according to the designation report, city and a private real estate partnership and at one point “was operated as a small that, like all occupants of the market, are hotel and saloon famed for its staged rat today tenants of the city. fights”—probably one of the blood sports And the next year, 2005, the Fulton Mr. Putnam was referring to. Fish Market moved to The Bronx. By the 1850’s steamships began to Approached from the west by Fulton replace clipper ships. Faster and more Street, the South Street Seaport leaps out predictable than sailing ships, they also visually from the tall, modern buildings needed deeper and wider waters than that frame it. Three Greek Revival ware- the East River offers, and so the Hudson houses built together in 1835-36 are warm, River became the port of choice, its rocky pale red-brick buildings, substantial but ledges presumably having been dealt with. low-rise, on the left. On the right ahead That was when the fishing industry began P. BAREAU are the Schermerhorn Row counting to move in, and for more than 100 years The only frame house extant in the district, houses designed in the Georgian-Federal it dominated the South Street Seaport, this one at 279 Water Street, corner of Dover, style and built in 1811, one of the finest providing seafood for the entire booming is thought to have been built in 1801. Because vistas of 19th century architecture in the city, to say nothing of such institutions as of fire hazards, frame buildings were banned in city. At the end of the street is the river, Sloppy Louie’s Restaurant. the late 1820’s. Many on the filled land of Water its docks and its ships with their pictur- Vital as a thriving fish market can be, Street were allowed because brick was consid- esque rigging. And there’s the sky, too, a it has its downside—the smell—and partly ered too heavy a material for landfill. rare sight in Manhattan. because of that, other commerce lagged, People live in the district. They al- buildings deteriorated. In the 1960’s the ways have, but not in the same degree area was scheduled for demolition when a to the City of New York. of comfort they can expect today. Older private group of history buffs stepped in In the early 1980’s the EDC invited buildings are being renovated with sensi- wanting to save it as an example of early the Rouse Company to come in, a com- tivity and imagination; one of them was commercial New York. They established pany that had started by developing done so appealingly that House & Gar- the South Street Seaport Museum in 1967 suburban and interstate malls but made its den gave it nine pages in its January 2007 as the vehicle to do that, envisioning a reputation with so-called festival market- issue. 19th century sailing-ship district complete places such as Faneuil Hall in Boston and More people are expected to move with piers accessible to old ships. They ac- Baltimore’s Harborplace. Rouse agreed to in. To give you an idea what kind, recently quired a number of ships and buildings, build a commercial mall with architecture the New York City Department of Parks but it became apparent that their proj- appropriate to the scale, style and feeling & Recreation applied to LPC for approv- ect could not be self-supporting, and the of the 19th century seaport. It was called al to construct a playground in Burling buildings were ultimately taken over by the South Street Seaport Marketplace. Slip. Permission was granted. A park was the New York City Economic Develop- Later Rouse dismantled Piers 17 and 18 and proposed for Peck Slip. That decision is ment Corporation, which did a leaseback constructed a new one with a pavilion for pending.

Recent Gifts and Grants

All contributions by government, Government: New York State Architectural Trust. Association, Gramercy Neighbor- foundations, organizations, companies Senator Liz Krueger, New York State hood Associates, The Green-Wood and Friends of the Historic Districts Assembly Manhattan Delegation. Organizations: American Institute Cemetery, Lower East Side Tenement Council are very much appreciated. of Architects New York Chapter, Museum, The Medici, New York Many thanks to those who gave in the Foundations: Gramercy Park The Beaux Arts Alliance, Carnegie School of Interior Design, Prospect period from December 2006 through Foundation, H. Robert Shampaine Hill Neighbors, Douglaston/Little Park South Association, Richmond February 2007: Philanthropic Fund, National Neck Historical Society, Fort Greene Hill Historical Society, Roosevelt

Historic Districts Council District Lines ~ Spring 2007 ~ page 11

Island Historical Society, Society for Byrom, Christopher Campese, Joseph Hirsch, Marsha Jacobs Hogarth, Mr. Pauline Metcalf, Janet Carol Miceli Clinton Hill, Stuyvesant Park Neigh- Capetola, Adrienne Caplan, Alexan- & Mrs. Malcolm Holderness, Tatiana & Michael G. Tekel, George Michael, borhood Association, Sutton Area der Cassie, Merry L. Chang, Nancy Hoover, Susan S. Hopper, Michael Barbara Michaels, Philip Mindlin, Community, Turtle Bay Association, Cogen, Mary Howland Cole, Timothy Hoyt, Elliott S. & Elizabeth Ellis Claire DiNunzio Mirarchi, Gregory The West Village Committee. Coogan, Jonathan Cooper, Julia P. Hurwitt, Ellen & Dan Icolari, Ellen Morris, Craig Morrison, Elizabeth Cowing, Theresa Craig, Michael B. Imbimbo, Sandra & Robert Immoor, Moss, Lisa Mueller & Michael Gannon, Companies: A. Ottavino Corpora- Crowley, Doris N. Cruz, Paul Cushman Rosalee O. Isaly, Robert Iulo & Bridget Rajat & Katharine Flanders Mukherji, tion, Burda Construction, Nilo De La Jr., Janet Cuttner, Karen & Anshel Thexton, Shirley Johns, Jamie Johnson, Mr. & Mrs. Jerrold Mulder, Marian O. Torre/C21 Sunnyside Gardens Realty, David, James S. Davis, Thomas De Kyle Johnson, Linda C. Jones, Audrey Naumburg, Louis Newman, Margue- Felix Chavez Inc., Gallison Books, Martini, Georgia Delano, Fran Dewey, Sisson Kasha, David A. Katz, Herbert rite Nichols, Lesley Nicolucci, Robert Joyce Matz Associates, Kathryn Scott Maureen & Donald Dillon, Andrew Kaufman, Claudia Kavenagh, Betty L. W. Ohlerking, Everett Ortner, Vals Design Studio, Li/Saltzman Architects, Scott Dolkart, Christine Donovan, Keim, Regina Kellerman, Giles Kemp, Osborne, Stanley Paletta, Virginia The Maray Company, Montalbano Ini- Eugenia G. Dooley, Aetna W. Dowst, Laura & Henry Kennedy, Nora & John Parkhouse, Edward B. Parran & Jim tiatives, Page Ayres Cowley Architects, Franny Eberhart, Eleanor & Thomas J. Kerr Jr., Joy M. Kestenbaum, Mark Guidera, Andrew Paul, Marjorie Sommers Consultants, Superstructures Edelman, T. Arden Eidell, Janis Eltz, Kiley, Antoinette King, Timothy James Pearson, Robert W. Phillips, Warrie L. Engineers & Architects, Thomas Fen- Elizabeth Ely, Lynne Ensinger, David Kintzel, Edward S. Kirkland, Ruth M. Price, Rosamond Putnam, Laurie & niman Architect. & Doris Walton Epner, Aline & Henry Kivette, Judith Klein, Edna M. Konoff, Marc Reisch, Betty Reiser, Elisabeth P. Euler, David H. Faden, Lee Gunn John Korolow, Aida A. Koundakjan, Reiter, Christa Rice & Gail Erickson, Friends: Elita Agee, Brian Agnew, Falchi, Susan Fales-Hill, Mary Farrell, Chris Kreussling, John Kriskiewicz & Alice Rich, Lenore Richter, Barbara Annice M. Alt, Daisy & Wilfredo James G. Ferreri, Anthony Fiorvanti, Christopher R. Bianchi, Laura Heim Ritchin, Julie Robbins & Joseph Pier- Alverio, Jacqueline Amey, Jan C. . Henry Flax, Ann Marie Flynn, Thomas & Jeffrey A. Kroessler, Mr. & Mrs. son, Joan V. Rome, Helen D. Roosevelt, Anderson, O. Kelly Anderson Jr., Fontana, Warren J. Forbes, Susan Henrik Krogius, Lora Labovsky-Meyer, Robert Rosen, Joseph S. Rosenberg, Edward D. Andrews, Mary Ann & Fowler & Victor Stanwick, David Margaret Latimer, Layla Law-Gisiko, Melissa Rossner, Toby Rothschild, Frank Arisman, Bernadette Artus, Freudenthal, Stephen Friedman, Ann Ynes Leon, Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Leon- Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Rullman, Diane Gerald Auten, John M. Bacon, Joyce Walker Gaffney, Mary Kay Gallagher, ard, Joseph LePique, J. David Lesenger, Russell, Jeanne Ryder, Stephen Saitas, A. Baldassarri, Leonora M. Ballinger, Sarah Woodside Gallagher, William Richard Levin, Lawrence J. Levine, Dr. & Mrs. Martin Salwen, Frank Penelope Bareau, Sharon Barnes, Gambert, Roberta Gardner, Joan H. Barbara Levy, Meredith Lewin, Barry S. E. Sanchis, Michael Santambrogio, Edith Bartley, Hilary Beattie, Maria Geismar, Lee Gelber, Jill Gill, Brian Lewis, Jennifer C. Loftus, Christopher Gerard Santora, Jeffrey A. Saunders, & William Becce, Patricia Begley & Godfrey, Mark Goldberg, Liz & David W. London, Janet Lumiansky, Monica Sarah Schilling, Julia Schoeck, Mae & George Beane, Anne L. Bennewitz, Goldfarb, dorris gaines golomb, Lorna MacAdams, Christopher Mahoney, David Seeley, Patricia Bakwin Selch, Bronson Binger, Susan S. Binger, Leo & David Goodrich, Jennifer Gordon, Cynthia Mailman & Silver Sullivan, Peter J. Serritella, David M. Shanton & J. Blackman & Kenneth T. Monteiro, Christabel Gough, Tamara Coombs & Jessica Marlow, Katrina Maxtone- Randy A. Sandlin, Barnett Shepherd, Dorothy Blumner, Charla E. Bolton, Chan Graham, Paul Graziano, Mary L. Graham, Rachel C. McBeth, Maureen Linda Shookster, Mel Siegel, RitaSue Ed Botwin, V. Judith Bowman, Alfred & Bradford M. Greene, Carol Greitzer, W. McCarthy, Katharine L. McCor- Siegel, Mark Sielucka, Bruce A. Silberb- H. Brand, Norman I. Brock, Samuel Judith Guttman, Ann Hadley, Joanna mick, Richard McDermott, Gerard latt, Teri Slater, Michael Smith, Patricia Brooks, Mary B. Brown, Phyllis R. & Richard Hahn, Walter J. Handelman, McFeely, Celia & Henry McGee, Iris Stegman Snyder, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Brown, David C. Burger, James Kelly Harris, Joseph Hellmann, Rich- McQuistion, Ronald L. Melichar, Spath, Beverly Moss Spatt, Martha Henry Burke, Sheldon Burke, Roger ard J. Hershner II, James Hill, Claus W. Abigail Mellen, Joyce A. Mendelsohn, S. Sproule, Monica Stabin, David Steinberger, Peter D. Sternlight, Nelson M. Stoute, Eric Streiner, Mr. & Mrs. Become a Friend of the Historic Districts Council! Stanford Suchow, Kristin Summers & Mark L. Andrews, Joseph V. Svehlak, Name Join the Friends of HDC! Become Szilvia & Charles T. Tanenbaum, Jack our partner and help preserve New Address Taylor, Carole Teller, Nina Teng, Leith York City’s significant neighborhoods, City/State/Zip Ter Meulen, Stephen Tilly & Elizabeth buildings and public spaces. Martin, David J. Trachtenberg, Susan E-mail Consider me a Friend of HDC! Here is my & Charles Tribbitt, Susan Tunick, gift of: Philip Van Aver, Irene Van Slyke, Daniel Verdier, Maria & Fernando $50 ___ $100 ___ $250 ___ Other $____ Credit card payments may be mailed to our office or faxed to 212-614-9127. If your billing Villa, Roland G. Wade, Cynthia C. address is different from the one above, please Wainwright, Portia Waldon, Alec Wall- Make your check payable to Historic Districts add it below. Council and mail to us at 232 East 11th Street, ing, Mary & Michael Wanser, Lynne & New York, NY 10003. For information, call 212- American Express ___ MasterCard ___ Visa ___ Avrom S. Waxman, Jeanne Weeman, 614-9107. Ivan L. Werner, Robert White, Nancy HDC is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions Card Number Wilks, Alex & Kevin Wolfe, Norma Sue to it are tax-deductible to the full extent of the Wolfe, Kate Wood & David Sprouls, law. A financial report my be obtained from the Expiration Date New York State Department of State, 41 State Don Yule, Lori Zabar, Janet & Howard Street, Albany, NY 12231. Signature Zimmerman, Lloyd Zuckerberg, Gregory P. Zwahlen.

Historic Districts Council D I S T R I C T LINES

In this issue:

p. 1 Sunnyside Up! Queens Community Is on LPC’s Front Burner at Last

p. 2 President’s Column

p. 3 HDC Inaugurates Program to Educate Electeds Before They Take Office

p. 4 Heard and, Maybe, Designated Later

p. 6 HDC’s 13th Annual Conference: For a Green Future, Plant Preservation

p. 7 Preservation Is Sustainability: Keynote Address by Donovan Rypkema

P. BAREAU p. 8 District Profiles: South Street Seaport Historic District, Manhattan Rigging on the sailing ship Peking anchored p. 11 Recent Gifts and Grants at the South Street Seaport Historic District.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID DISTRICT NEW YORK, NY LINES Permit No. 3732 news and views of the

HIST ORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL

the advocate for new york city’s historic neighborhoods

232 East 11th Street New York NY 10003 tel 212- 614- 9107 fax 212- 614- 9127 e-mail [email protected] www.hdc.org