National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Northeast Region Philadelphia Offi ce Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey New York, NY February 2016 April 2014 This page intentionally blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................iii Part 1: Introduction & Study Process ................................................................................1 Background ......................................................................................................................................1 Study Objectives and Scope ...........................................................................................................1 Evaluation Criteria ...........................................................................................................................2 Part 2: Physical Description & Historic Context of the Survey Area .................................5 Location, Boundaries, Land Use, & Current Ownership ..........................................................5 Description of the Resources .........................................................................................................5 History of Stonewall ........................................................................................................................9 Part 3: Preliminary Evaluation of New National Parkland Criteria ...................................11 Preliminary Evaluation of Signifi cance .........................................................................................11 Preliminary Evaluation of Suitability .............................................................................................12 Preliminary Evaluation of Feasibility ............................................................................................15 Preliminary Evaluation of Need for Direct NPS Management .................................................21 Reconnaissance Survey Conclusions ............................................................................................22 Appendices .......................................................................................................................23 Selected Correspondence ...............................................................................................................23 Contributors and Project Team Members ....................................................................................25 Selected Bibliography ......................................................................................................................27 Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey i ii Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A reconnaissance survey of Stonewall, located on the lower west side of Manhattan in New York City, was conducted by the National Park Service (NPS) at the request of Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Representative Nadler and Senator Gillibrand requested that the properties encompassed by and surrounding the Stonewall National Historic Landmark be evaluated for the likelihood that its resources would meet the criteria for new na- tional parklands. The Stonewall uprising occurred between June 28 and July 3, 1969 over a several block area in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. Stonewall is regarded by many as the single most important event that led to the modern movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights. The area where Stonewall occurred is now designated as a national historic landmark (NHL), signifi cant for its association with events that outstandingly represent the struggle for civil rights in America. This survey evaluated the likelihood that the resources within the Stonewall NHL boundary would meet the four criteria for new parklands: national signifi cance, suitability, feasibility, and need for NPS management. The conclusions of this survey indicate that the resources associated with Stonewall would likely meet all four criteria, and that further study is warranted through a special resource study. A special resource study must be authorized by Congress. National Signifi cance: A special resource study is likely to fi nd that the resources within the sur- vey area are nationally signifi cant. Stonewall was previously designated as an NHL and, therefore, has already been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally signifi cant. Suitability: A special resource study is likely to fi nd that the resources within the survey area are suitable for inclusion in the national park system. While there are a number of sites throughout the country associated with the LGBT rights movement, the majority of those sites are privately owned, not open to the public, or off er no interpretive or educational programming. Those which do off er some level of interpretive and educational opportunities are focused primar- ily on one individual or single event and do not tell the story of the larger national LGBT rights movement. The survey team believes that Stonewall off ers the unique opportunity to interpret a national LGBT story which is not otherwise represented within the national park system or by others. Feasibility: A special resource study is likely to fi nd that the Stonewall survey area would be a feasible addition to the national park system. This determination is based on the assumption that a new park unit for Stonewall would likely become part of the Manhattan sites sub-cluster of the National Parks of New York Harbor, reducing some of the costs that normally accompany the es- Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey iii tablishment of a new stand-alone park. This survey also puts a high value on maintaining existing working relationships with landowners and developing new partnerships to keep costs low and build upon the resources and knowledge of other entities. Need for NPS Management: A special resource study is likely to fi nd that the fourth criterion for new parklands, the need for direct NPS Management, would be met. While the City of New York, the principal landowner in the survey area, provides a high level of resource protection for the Stonewall area, the NPS has the potential to reinforce that protection and bring national at- tention to Stonewall and place stories of the LGBT civil rights movement on a national platform. A collaborative relationship with shared operational goals between the NPS and the city would likely result in a more eff ective management system for the protection and interpretation of this site. iv Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey PART 1 INTRODUCTION & STUDY PROCESS PART 1: INTRODUCTION & STUDY PROCESS Background On August 28, 2015, the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) received a request from Rep- resentative Jerrold Nadler and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to undertake a survey of the resources associated with Stonewall, located on the lower west side of Manhattan in New York City (see Figure 1). By approval of the Director, the Northeast Regional Offi ce of the NPS was tasked with undertaking a reconnaissance survey to evaluate, on a preliminary basis, Stonewall as a potential unit of the national park system and determine if further study through a congressionally-autho- rized special resource study is warranted. A reconnaissance survey team was established by the region and team members conducted a site visit to evaluate the resources within the boundary of the Stonewall National Historic Landmark on September 22, 2015. The reconnaissance team consisted of staff members from planning; visi- tor experience, interpretation, and education; historic architecture; and facilities management programs from the NPS’s Northeast Regional Offi ce; and staff members from the National Parks of New York Harbor. Study Objectives and Scope Areas comprising the present 409 unit national park system are cumulative expressions of a larger national heritage. Potential additions to the system should therefore contribute in their own special way to a system that fully represents the broad spectrum of natural and cultural resources that characterize our nation. The NPS is responsible for conducting professional studies of po- tential additions to the national park system when specifi cally authorized by an Act of Congress, and for making recommendations regarding new areas to the Secretary of the Interior, the Presi- dent, and Congress. A reconnaissance survey determines whether a resource is likely or unlikely to meet established criteria for the designation of potential units of the national park system and to recommend whether further study through a congressionally authorized special resource study should be considered. These criteria include determinations of national signifi cance, suitability, feasibility, and need for NPS management. Should a resource be deemed not likely to meet any of the crite- ria, the NPS does not normally recommend that a special resource study be authorized. Stonewall Reconnaissance Survey Introduction & Study Process / 1 Evaluation Criteria Several laws and NPS policy outline the criteria for establishing the eligibility of potential units of the national park system. To receive a favorable recommendation from the NPS, a proposed addi- tion to the national park system must (1) possess nationally signifi cant natural or cultural resourc- es; (2) be a suitable addition to the system; (3) be a feasible addition to the system; and (4) require direct NPS management instead of alternative protection