O F THE UPPER EAST SIDE HISTORIC DISTRI CTS Voluml! I 0, No. 2 foll / 998 member of Lh c Regime nt, and built in 1880. building is a mo nument 1.0 the city's and Lh c state's military, social, architectura l, and decorntive histo ry. IL represents the pinnacle of architectural expressio n of militar y purpose as well as th e social standing of t11 e New York State Guard. Its crenelated towe rs, imposing b.-ick walJ s, hi ghly decorated interio rs, and soaring drill shed all re fl ect the best of architectural and artistic ta lent found in Nevr York City in that period. The Seventh Regiment itself was considered th e nine­ teenth century's most prestigio us milita ry group and was the first to adopt t11 e name "Natio nal Guards," ~t -'f:;'::..:}"f;,;::i~';;!k}t a 11illelttn1/h.ct'l111iry illustmtfon. after serving as an honor guai·d fo r the Marquis de Many have lo ng been aware of Lhe plight of the Lafayette in 1824. The Seven t11 was later nickn amed Seventh Regime nt Armory o n Park Avenue between East 66th and E..tst 67th Su·eets-Lhe cracks in th e fa cade, the leaking ceilings o n the point of coll apse, the brick that needs repoi,ning-but the fro nt-page article and a later cdiLO rial in the Nn.11 York. Tiu1l!S in March have bro ught to ligln exactly how much danger I.his mo nument faces. This massive fo rtress, il ~' ,..,,,~ ~ built to pro tect the community, is now in need of ' protectio n. Fonunately, there are people who are .. ,, ready to come to the Armory's aid. 'I The Sevemh Regin, cm Armory is perh aps the finest American armory of the ninc teenLh century. It was designed by Charles W. Clinto n, a former TIie &:uen/J1 RL:gimtml Armory today. "the silk slOcking rcgimenl" because o r Lh c drill shecl. Walter Oamrosch its tics 10 such wealthy and prominent conducted a concert or the New York fa milies as the Asto rs, Phe lps, and Ph ilharmo nic there in 1881. Va nderbilts. T he administration building, facing The Armory's su·ucture is composed o n to Park Avenue, is a m uch d ifferent Hallru Rosentml o f two attached buildings - the drill shed structure. The Regime nt hired the most FlrstPresldent(l98l· 1991) and t.he adminisu-atio n building. The prominent decorating firms o f the day, Board of Directors 53,000 square-foot drill shed is one o f including Associated Artists with Louis Tony Rosenthal the la rgest Comfort Tiffany and Stanford White, Honorary Chainnan unobstructed the 1-le n e r Bro1.h ers, Alexande r Rou.x Anne LMll!ard President inLeriors in and Company, L. Marcone Company, Rla.C.Chu the city. and Pouier and Stymus, among others, Vice President Measuring 1.0 produce one of the most stylish and RobertK.lindgren Vi ce President approximate ly e laborate la te nineteen th-century HelenS.Tucktr 200 by 300 inte rio rs in New York City. Vice President O. KelleyAndel"$Oll. Jr. feet, a ma r vel The Armory's exte1ior was designated Treasure r of engin eering a New York Cily landmark in 1986 and RobertC. Q ulnllln whe n ii was the interim-:; of the fi rst lWO sto.-ies of the Secretary constructed, aclrninist.rntion Christopher C.Angell it features building and l<efltLBarwlck the o ldest the interio r of NlcholuA. B.--er ReJa Cash "ball oon shed" the drill .s hed Judith Churchill (a barrel vault were so desig­ ChrlnlruR.Davls suppo rted o n na 1.cd in 1994. Walter longtr.rttt Dlline Andrew S. Dollart visible ribs, These histo ric FnnnyEberhart most o ften interiors have Nou5hin Ehs;i n survived Lionel Goldfnnk Ill fou nd in the Tammy Grimes su·ucture o f largely inlact, E.Willlam judson railroad stat.ions) in the nation. Early although Davidl. KanbeH Arie L Kopelman in its hislO ry, military maneuvers and currentJy in a Henry Lambert marching ell-ills as well as occasionaJ d eteriorated Mimi Levin fai rs, concerts, and balls took place in and endangered NonTW1 Marcus Joyce Maa Allee McGown Bannon McHenry FRJENDS Mourns Loss of a Board Member Richard Meler FrederkS.Papert !\·lark 1-1 :unplon, decorator, arti st, wrilcr, rurnimre designer, style­ Marpret Pu'ker maker, and FRI EN D ' Board Member si nce 1992, died in late July. Li Chung Pe i Peterf'ennoyer In his short life (he was only 58), he achieved st.unning success in the Jud ilhPrice fi eld or imerior decorating. His ta.s tc and style influenced thousands Will!amP.~er or homes. from t.h e While I-l ouse (he was a decor consulLt nt during Genle Rlc e the Bu.sh Adminis1.n11.ion ) to tha r oft.he average American who Khalil R.Rlzk his books AlexandnSchleslnger consulu:d and aniclcs for dccornting advice and i11spi ratio11 . ThomuSchulhof Si nce h~ was a lover or history and a dedicated prcscrv.uionist, PauiWB.Selch FRJENDS was lucky to have had Mr. Teri Slater Hampton serve on our Board. 1-lis Alison Spear Mtult. Hamptorr generosit)' and spirit touched our Jane Stubbs Pa triclll f.51.JIIMn orga niL<ttion. l-l is 1992 watercolor ofFRJENDS' building Margot Wellington (right), which he painted grnti,s, still hangs in our orfi ce. WilllamS.Whyte Those who attended FRJENDS' 1996 lectu re arid luncheon series no doubt remember Mr. l-lampt.on's rn lk at. t.h c Colony lO&st69thStreet. Club. The topic was New fork decor.iting and collecti ng, and NY,NY 10011 Mr. Hampton regaled the packed house with his signature Tel: (lll)515-1Sl6 Fu: (lll) 515-11 55 verve and lhoughtfulness. FRIENDS' Board extends th eir deepest sympatJ1y lo his wile, Nl!U}jkfl8tksig,1/,J Duane, and tJ1 ci r dauglncrs, Alexa and Kate. We will miss him . Mrml(rl'ICrnitiw. 2 FRIENDS o} /lu, Upper En.st Sid, Hi,storir Di.strict.s Fall 1998 slate. Sectio ns or 1.he JirSL-floor ceiling have collapsed Thus, the SevenLh Regiment Armory is 1101 the onl y due to wa1.cr damage. The second-floor hal l has wha1. armory that has fallen into disrepair. seems to be permanent scaffolding- in case 1.he ceiling In response 1.0 1.hese condi1.io ns, there have been and its massive iron chandeliers come down. Two of a number or recem initiatives to u·y to save tJ1is Upper the major reception rooms on 1.he first fl oor are unsafe East Side landmark. A new 11 0 1.-for-profit organiza 1.io n and have had to be closed. Original s1.cncilcd ceilings is in Lhe process of being created under the auspices and walls, ornately carved woodwork, and the Armory's of tJ1 e Municipal Art Society. This Seventl1 Regiment collection or art and anifacts are all in jeopardy until Armory Conservan cy has a board of direcLOrs that the leaks in the b.-i ck walls are repaired. includes ne ighborhood residents, th e President of Unfortunately, the Deparm1ent or Mili tary an d th e Mun icipal Art Society, ve terans of l.h e Seventh Naval Arfairs, which currently operates the Armory Regiment, and o tJ1er concerned ci tizens. T he group and occupies o ffi ces th ere, does not have 1.he fu nds is auempting to crea1.e a plan to revitali ze the buiJding to make the necess.u-y repairs. As a publi c slate and wan ts to see it used by the public and communiLy. organization, it cannot raise private funds for the T he archi tectural firm of Beyer Bli nder Belle has done work needed. Far below market renlal rntes are iniLial conditions surveys and has produced a draft charged for use of the drill shed for an and antiq ue restoration and rehabilitation plan for tJ1e Armor y. shows, and 1.his minimal income goes back to 1.he The Conservancy has discussed its initial ideas wi tJ1 th e srn te. Limited ru nds arc allocated for repair and Landmarks Preservation Commission, Assemblyman maintenance of New York State's 65 armories. John Ravitz, Councilman Andrew Eristoff, and 0 1..her local and st.a te officials, as well as representatives of FRI ENDS oft.h e Upper East Side Histori c Dist:i-i cts, the Lenox Hill Neighbo rhood I-lo use, Hunter College, and Community Board 8. Kirsti'// Moffet/ is fl prf'-SM1}(J. /ion i.sl n 11Tl'ntly r:rms11llillgfor th r Srvt-11//, Rl'gimn1t Armory C,0 11.senm11ry Noll!: The M1mirijx1/ Al'I Society regulmfy .sd,nlllleJ lt>un nf lht! Annory. Cn/1 tlu M.A .S. it/ 935-3%0Jnr more i11for111nlio11. 'l'/ui .~!l!n//r /lq;i,iin11S1NUtdri/J5/1 "1l,11."0/1u11/!11rkillgfo1. President's Message ----------------------- Au August Day in New Yorll City 11.'s a IOI-degree August New York Cit.y clay. As I pee r frorn the room I am a mazed and achn iring of o ur New Yorkers. Now geared in summer alt.i re, tJ1e runners and joggers are still going strong. No mall.er what tempennurc - they still run and ro llcrbladc. An indomitable group. T hi s year seems LO have added a new dimension .