More and More Questions Raised About Congregation Shearith Israel's Condo Tower Plan
Congratulations, neighbors! The community made a strong showing on Tuesday, November 27, at the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), during the first of what may be several more public hearings concerning Congregation Shearith Israel's (CSI's) application to construct a 9-story, 105'-tall community house with 5 floors of luxury condominiums stacked on top. Don't let up the pressure! Please plan on attending Community Board 7's full board meeting on Tuesday, December 4, starting at 7:00 PM at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 Tenth Avenue (West 58-59th Streets). The full board will vote on the resolution passed by CB7's Land Use Committee on November 19 rejecting 4 out of 7 zoning variances requested by CSI. Your continued vigilance and support is crucial to help seal this victory against the tower plan.
Here's what happened at the BSA: No vote was taken but CSI received the clear signal that its desire to "monetize" its real estate is not, in and of itself, an acceptable basis for the 7 zoning variances needed to build a tower on the brownstone midblock of West 70th Street. The matter was adjourned until February 12, 2008, after BSA Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan informed CSI's attorney Shelly Friedman that CSI has "a lot of work to do."
And so do we. We're ahead of the game and must continue to push hard. Every ally is important, but our elected officials are especially key. Senator Thomas Duane and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried both came out strongly against CSI's tower plan (their statements are posted at <www.landmarkwest.org/advocacy/70st.html). But where are Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Council Member Gale Brewer? Reach out to them! Tell them your position and ask them to tell you where they stand on this vital community issue. (Contact information provided below.)
Stay tuned to <http://www.protectwest70.org/ for the full BSA transcript and more information on the fight!
Urge Borough President Stringer and Council Member Brewer to state their positions:
Hon. Scott R. Stringer
Manhattan Borough President
1 Centre Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10007
P: 212-669-8300
F: 212-669-4900
Email: bp@manhattanbp.org
Hon. Gale A. Brewer
New York City Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
P: 212-873-0282
F: 212-513-7717
Email: brewer@council.nyc.ny.us
Contact them today!
Preserving the best of the Upper West Side's neighborhood character and architectural heritage.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Crucial Public Hearing on Shearith Israel Tower Proposal
Congregation Shearith Israel: Important Public Hearing at the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals
Don't miss tomorrow's absolutely crucial public hearing, Tuesday, November 27, starting at 1:30 PM at 40 Rector Street, 6th Floor (take the #1 subway down to Rector Street and walk west). Bring photo ID. Congregation Shearith Israel's application is estimated to come up by about 2:30 PM, so time yourself accordingly!
Remember, the BSA is the final word on whether Congregation Shearith Israel gets the 7 zoning variances it wants to build a 9-story, 105'-tall community house with 5 floors of luxury condominiums stacked on top. Even though Shearith Israel can accommodate all of its mission-related activities in an as-of-right building (without getting any special waivers or exemptions), it seeks to violate the low-rise, mid-block zoning that protects West 70th Street and many other blocks throughout the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. Why? Profit.
Tomorrow is your opportunity to make your opposition heard loud and clear (even if you don't plan to speak, your presence will speak volumes). See you there!
Don't miss tomorrow's absolutely crucial public hearing, Tuesday, November 27, starting at 1:30 PM at 40 Rector Street, 6th Floor (take the #1 subway down to Rector Street and walk west). Bring photo ID. Congregation Shearith Israel's application is estimated to come up by about 2:30 PM, so time yourself accordingly!
Remember, the BSA is the final word on whether Congregation Shearith Israel gets the 7 zoning variances it wants to build a 9-story, 105'-tall community house with 5 floors of luxury condominiums stacked on top. Even though Shearith Israel can accommodate all of its mission-related activities in an as-of-right building (without getting any special waivers or exemptions), it seeks to violate the low-rise, mid-block zoning that protects West 70th Street and many other blocks throughout the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. Why? Profit.
Tomorrow is your opportunity to make your opposition heard loud and clear (even if you don't plan to speak, your presence will speak volumes). See you there!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Congregation Shearith Israel: Round 2
Round 2 for Congregation Shearith Israel Tower Plan at Community Board 7
Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM is an important opportunity to make your voice heard before Community Board 7's (CB 7's) Land Use Committee as it considers Congregation Shearith Israel's application to construct a 105'-tall building stacking 5 floors of luxury condos on top of a new community house on the brownstone-scale midblock of West 70th Street. The meeting will take place at the American Museum of Natural History, West 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
The fact that so many concerned citizens packed the house at CB 7's first meeting last month on this application truly made a difference! This time, it's even more important to show our strength since a vote is expected, a vote that may play a significant role in the review of this project by the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, which will hold its hearing on Tuesday, November 27 (more information to come).
Please don't miss this opportunity to join your neighbors in holding the line against out-of-scale development in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District, which is also protected by low-rise, contextual zoning. Shearith Israel is asking for no less than seven zoning variances allowing it to break the rules that all other property owners must follow. If approved, these variances would set the stage for more towers where they don't belong - on top of the New-York Historical Society or another nonprofit institution next door to you? The dam will be broken, on the Upper West Side and communities throughout the city where New Yorkers are fighting for their skies.
Showing up is just as important as speaking up, so please make every effort to attend on Monday, November 19!
For more background and testimony from previous meetings, please visit http://www.landmarkwest.org/advocacy/70st.html and http://www.protectwest70.org/.
Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM is an important opportunity to make your voice heard before Community Board 7's (CB 7's) Land Use Committee as it considers Congregation Shearith Israel's application to construct a 105'-tall building stacking 5 floors of luxury condos on top of a new community house on the brownstone-scale midblock of West 70th Street. The meeting will take place at the American Museum of Natural History, West 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
The fact that so many concerned citizens packed the house at CB 7's first meeting last month on this application truly made a difference! This time, it's even more important to show our strength since a vote is expected, a vote that may play a significant role in the review of this project by the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, which will hold its hearing on Tuesday, November 27 (more information to come).
Please don't miss this opportunity to join your neighbors in holding the line against out-of-scale development in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District, which is also protected by low-rise, contextual zoning. Shearith Israel is asking for no less than seven zoning variances allowing it to break the rules that all other property owners must follow. If approved, these variances would set the stage for more towers where they don't belong - on top of the New-York Historical Society or another nonprofit institution next door to you? The dam will be broken, on the Upper West Side and communities throughout the city where New Yorkers are fighting for their skies.
Showing up is just as important as speaking up, so please make every effort to attend on Monday, November 19!
For more background and testimony from previous meetings, please visit http://www.landmarkwest.org/advocacy/70st.html and http://www.protectwest70.org/.
Monday, November 12, 2007
West-Park Presbyterian: CB7 Supports Landmarks Hearing
Community Board 7 Supports A Landmarks Hearing for West-Park Presbyterian Church
Late on Wednesday night (November 7), after hours of discussion and impassioned public testimony, Community Board 7 voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution calling on the Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a public hearing on West-Park Presbyterian Church, West 86th Street’s imminently threatened Romanesque-style beauty. See below for the resolution approved by CB7’s Parks and Preservation Committee on November 1 and passed by the full board on November 7 (24 in favor; 4 opposed; 2 abstentions).
Thank you, CB7 and everyone who spoke up in support of landmark status, for taking this important first step. Help reinforce this message by going to http://www.petitiononline.com/westpark/petition.html and signing the West-Park online petition. Join the hundreds of people who have already signed, and please forward this link to your friends and neighbors.
Next, send a letter of support to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Robert B. Tierney, Chair of the Landmarks Commission, and key public officials (contact information below). Tell them what you want them to do—and, importantly, ask them to tell you specifically what they will to do get this church building landmarked. Please send LANDMARK WEST! copies of your letters and emails. Sample letters of support, along with additional information about the architecture and history of West-Park, are available on: www.landmarkwest.org/westpark.
Address letters to:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Fax: 212-788-2460
Honorable Robert B. Tierney
Chair, Landmarks Preservation Commission
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Fax: 212-669-7955
Email: comments@lpc.nyc.gov
And Send Copies to:
Honorable Jerrold Nadler
U.S. Congressman
201 Varick Street, Suite 669
NYC 10014
Email: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov
Fax: 212-367-7356
Phone: 212-367-7350
Honorable Gale A. Brewer
New York City Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue
NYC 10024
Email: gale.brewer@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-0279
Phone: 212-873-0282
Honorable Christine Quinn
City Council Speaker
224 West 30th Street, Suite 1206, NYC 10001
Email: quinn@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-564-7347
Phone: 212-564-7757
Honorable Scott Stringer
Manhattan Borough President
1 Centre Street, 19th Floor NYC 10007
Email: bp@manhattanbp.org
Fax: 212-669-4900
Phone: 212-669-8300
Honorable Eric T. Schneiderman
New York State Senator
80 Bennett Avenue, Ground Floor NYC 10033
Email: schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-928-0396
Phone: 212-928-5578
Honorable Linda B. Rosenthal
New York State Assembly Member
230 West 72nd Street, Suite 2F, NYC 10023
Email: rosentl@assembly.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-6520
Phone: 212-873-6368
Honorable Jessica S. Lappin
336 East 73rd Street (Suite C) NYC 10021
Email: lappin@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-442-5503
Phone: 212-788-6865
And:
LANDMARK WEST!
45 West 67th Street
NYC 10023
Email: landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org
Fax: 212-875-0209
Phone: 212-496-8110
The Community Board 7 Resolution (www.cb7.org)
Date: November 7, 2007
Committee of Origin: Parks & Preservation
Re: West-Park Presbyterian Church (Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street.)
Full Board Vote: 24 In favor 4 Against 1 Abstention 1 Present
The following facts and concerns were taken into consideration in arriving at our resolution:
1. West-Park Presbyterian Church at Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street unquestionably meets the criteria for designation as a New York City Individual Landmark. For reasons discussed in more detail below, West-Park merits landmark designation not only because of its architectural importance, but also because of its history as a catalyst for the longstanding tradition of liberal and cultural activism on the Upper West Side.
2. West-Park, designed by architect Henry F. Kilburn and built in 1890, is a unique survivor on the Upper West Side of a building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of ecclesiastical architecture. Further, as noted by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in it Resource Evaluation on West-Park dated November 8, 2001: “The church retains an exceptionally high level of integrity of setting, design, materials, craftsmanship feeling and association on both the exterior and interior.” It is a boldly massed French Romanesque-inspired building with a massive tower anchoring it prominent corner.
3. Additionally, the easternmost section of the building, facing West 86th Street, is an adaptation of an 1884 chapel, which constituted West-Park’s original structure on the site, designed by Leopold Eidlitz, referred to by architectural historian Andrew Scott Dolkart in a statement dated March 2003 submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission as “one of the most important nineteenth-century architects working in New York, who “was also significant for his theoretical writings on architecture, structure and engineering.”
4. From the beginning, West-Park has embodied the spirit of social consciousness of the Upper West Side. Anson Phelps Atterbury, a socially-minded minister who translated Werner Sombart’s writings on socialism into English, became Pastor of what was then called the Park Presbyterian Church, raised the money to move the church from its prior, inadequate site to the current site, and, with the congregation, engaged Eidlitz to design the chapel building.
5. Among other notable activities in the 20th Century, West-Park was the first home of Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare Festival, the birthplace of God’s Love We Deliver and the West Side Food Pantry, the first church in New York City to support gay marriage, and the original home of West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH).
6. West-Park (for whatever reason), was not included in the Upper West Side-Central Park West Historic District designated in 1990, although the Landmarks Preservation Commission staff (as quoted by Christopher Gray in the “STREETSCAPES” column in the New York Times on January 10, 1988) had described it as a “superb” building in 1979. As a result, West-Park has been in imminent danger of partial or total demolition a number of times. The church is currently the subject of a development proposal that would destroy the Eidlitz portion of the building entirely, and would also modify the stairs and entrances on Amsterdam Avenue.
7. Community Board 7/Manhattan, believes that designation of West-Park as an Individual Landmark is an urgent issue not only in light of the development proposal to which it is immediately subject, but also in light of the development pressure on it generally, and the development pressure on other churches and non-profit institutions in the Upper West Side and other New York City locations.
BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board 7/Manhattan requests that the Landmarks Preservation Commission calendar an immediate hearing on the proposed designation of West-Park Presbyterian Church as an Individual Landmark.
Committee: 8-1-0-0. Board Members: 5-0-0-0.
Can One Woman (Still) Make A Difference?
At a recent public forum celebrating the legacy of writer and urban thinker Jane Jacobs, panelist Roberta Brandes Gratz (herself an influential author and member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission) cited LW’s leadership (yours truly) among examples of women who are making a real difference today. Click here to listen to the podcast.
Jane Jacobs led the charge, among others, to defeat the Lower Manhattan Expressway that would have ripped the heart out of the Village and SoHo. Big shoes but, all modesty aside, LW! fills them in a way Jacobs herself might have applauded.
Friday, November 2, 2007
West-Park Presbyterian Church: Landmark Status Update
Near Unanimous Vote to Consider West-Park Presbyterian Church for Landmark Status
Last night, by a near unanimous vote, Community Board 7’s Parks & Preservation Committee passed a resolution calling on the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a public hearing to consider West-Park Presbyterian Church (86th St. & Amsterdam Ave.) for designation as an official NYC Individual Landmark!
A final vote on the resolution is due on Wednesday, November 7, at CB7’s Full Board Meeting. The time is 7:00 PM and the location is the Jewish Home & Hospital, 120 West 106th Street (for schedule updates, visit www.cb7.org). Stay strong! Please make every effort to attend!
The Committee vote was a bold and timely move by CB7 to secure the future of a building that, although called “one of the architecturally most distinguished and historically most important of Manhattan’s surviving Nineteenth century churches,”* has stood in the shadow of possible demolition ever since it was cut out of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District in 1990. Back then, church leaders blocked this magnificent structure from being landmarked. But last night, CB7 decided that West-Park’s time had come.
Thank you, CB7 and everyone who attended last night’s meeting to testify in support of preserving this remarkable anchor of our neighborhood’s past, present and, we hope, future. Your continued vigilance is critical! If you haven’t already, go to http://www.petitiononline.com/westpark/petition.html to sign the online petition urging the Landmarks Commission to hold a public hearing right away!
The time is now to write letters directly to the Landmarks Commission. Hard-copy, personalized letters always work best. For inspiration please visit LW’s website (see link below). Send your letters to:
Hon. Robert B. Tierney, Chair
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10007
F: 212-669-7955
Email: comments@lpc.nyc.gov (not a direct email, so please make the effort to mail/fax a hard copy of your letter as well)
And copy the elected officials listed below and Landmark West:
Honorable Jerrold Nadler
U.S. Congressman
201 Varick Street, Suite 669 NYC 10014
Email: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov
Fax: 212-367-7356
Phone: 212-367-7350
Honorable Gale A. Brewer
New York City Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue, NYC 10024
Email: gale.brewer@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-0279
Phone: 212-873-0282
Honorable Christine Quinn
City Council Speaker
224 West 30th Street, Suite 1206, NYC 10001
Email: quinn@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-564-7347
Phone: 212-564-7757
Honorable Scott Stringer
Manhattan Borough President
1 Centre Street, 19th Floor, NYC 10007
Email: bp@manhattanbp.org
Fax: 212-669-4900
Phone: 212-669-8300
Honorable Eric T. Schneiderman
New York State Senator
80 Bennett Avenue, Ground Floor NYC 10033
Email: schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-928-0396
Phone: 212-928-5578
Honorable Linda B. Rosenthal
New York State Assembly Member
230 West 72nd Street, Suite 2F, NYC 10023
Email: rosentl@assembly.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-6520
Phone: 212-873-6368
Honorable Jessica S. Lappin
336 East 73rd Street (Suite C), NYC 10021
Email: lappin@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-442-5503
Phone: 212-788-6865
LANDMARK WEST!
45 West 67th Street, NYC 10023
Email: landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org
Fax: 212-875-0209
Phone: 212-496-8110
*Praise for West-Park by Barry Bergdoll, Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA and Columbia art history professor. To read a copy of his letter and others by noted experts, please visit www.landmarkwest.org/westpark.
Last night, by a near unanimous vote, Community Board 7’s Parks & Preservation Committee passed a resolution calling on the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a public hearing to consider West-Park Presbyterian Church (86th St. & Amsterdam Ave.) for designation as an official NYC Individual Landmark!
A final vote on the resolution is due on Wednesday, November 7, at CB7’s Full Board Meeting. The time is 7:00 PM and the location is the Jewish Home & Hospital, 120 West 106th Street (for schedule updates, visit www.cb7.org). Stay strong! Please make every effort to attend!
The Committee vote was a bold and timely move by CB7 to secure the future of a building that, although called “one of the architecturally most distinguished and historically most important of Manhattan’s surviving Nineteenth century churches,”* has stood in the shadow of possible demolition ever since it was cut out of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District in 1990. Back then, church leaders blocked this magnificent structure from being landmarked. But last night, CB7 decided that West-Park’s time had come.
Thank you, CB7 and everyone who attended last night’s meeting to testify in support of preserving this remarkable anchor of our neighborhood’s past, present and, we hope, future. Your continued vigilance is critical! If you haven’t already, go to http://www.petitiononline.com/westpark/petition.html to sign the online petition urging the Landmarks Commission to hold a public hearing right away!
The time is now to write letters directly to the Landmarks Commission. Hard-copy, personalized letters always work best. For inspiration please visit LW’s website (see link below). Send your letters to:
Hon. Robert B. Tierney, Chair
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10007
F: 212-669-7955
Email: comments@lpc.nyc.gov (not a direct email, so please make the effort to mail/fax a hard copy of your letter as well)
And copy the elected officials listed below and Landmark West:
Honorable Jerrold Nadler
U.S. Congressman
201 Varick Street, Suite 669 NYC 10014
Email: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov
Fax: 212-367-7356
Phone: 212-367-7350
Honorable Gale A. Brewer
New York City Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue, NYC 10024
Email: gale.brewer@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-0279
Phone: 212-873-0282
Honorable Christine Quinn
City Council Speaker
224 West 30th Street, Suite 1206, NYC 10001
Email: quinn@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-564-7347
Phone: 212-564-7757
Honorable Scott Stringer
Manhattan Borough President
1 Centre Street, 19th Floor, NYC 10007
Email: bp@manhattanbp.org
Fax: 212-669-4900
Phone: 212-669-8300
Honorable Eric T. Schneiderman
New York State Senator
80 Bennett Avenue, Ground Floor NYC 10033
Email: schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-928-0396
Phone: 212-928-5578
Honorable Linda B. Rosenthal
New York State Assembly Member
230 West 72nd Street, Suite 2F, NYC 10023
Email: rosentl@assembly.state.ny.us
Fax: 212-873-6520
Phone: 212-873-6368
Honorable Jessica S. Lappin
336 East 73rd Street (Suite C), NYC 10021
Email: lappin@council.nyc.ny.us
Fax: 212-442-5503
Phone: 212-788-6865
LANDMARK WEST!
45 West 67th Street, NYC 10023
Email: landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org
Fax: 212-875-0209
Phone: 212-496-8110
*Praise for West-Park by Barry Bergdoll, Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA and Columbia art history professor. To read a copy of his letter and others by noted experts, please visit www.landmarkwest.org/westpark.
Save the Date for Preservation Slide Talk!
A slide talk by Anthony C. Wood
“Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect A City’s Landmarks” *
Monday, December 3, 6:00 pm
Christ & St. Stephen’s Church (Columbus & Amsterdam)
122 West 69th Street
Reception will follow in Central Park West Apartment
Reservations are required
$25 for slide talk, $75 for slide and reception
Contact LW! for more details
(212-496-8110; landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org)
Email invitation will follow
* The book will be launched on November 5th at the Museum of the City of New York. Preserving New York is the story of the people and places, the buildings and battles, and the policies and politics that, after decades of tragic losses, led New York City to create a legal mechanism to protect the city’s cherished landmarks.
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