Celebrating former Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Gene A. Norman

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Gene A. Norman testifying in 1984 to protect the NYC Landmarks Law.

Credit: Albany Press, 1984.

In 1988, Gene presided over a 16-hour marathon public hearing at the Fourth 

Universalist Society, which led to the 1990 designation of over 2,000 buildings 

in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District.

Please join

LANDMARK WEST!

for a very special evening

to celebrate former

Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair

Gene A. Norman

 

the *25th Anniversary of the

Upper West Side/Central Park West

Historic District

and the 30th Anniversary of

LANDMARK WEST!

Monday, December 14, 2015

6:00 to 8:00 pm

 

Landmark on the Park

Fourth Universalist Society

76th Street and Central Park West

For ticket prices and online reservations, 

please visit Eventbrite

LANDMARK WEST! 45 WEST 67 STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10023

LANDMARKWEST@LANDMARKWEST.ORG     (212) 496-8110

Designate the West End's Historic District Extensions NOW

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

 Question: How could this out-of-context building get built?

 

Answer: These 4 rowhouses were not designated NYC Landmarks when the then-owner of 2 Riverside Drive built on this site. The moral of the story? Please do not take your neighborhood for granted. 2 Riverside Drive is proof of what can happen. It is urgent that you tell the LPC to "Vote yes now on Manhattan's West End Historic District Extensions." The Riverside/West End Historic District Extension II and the West End Collegiate Extension--vital to Manhattan's Upper West Side Historic Districts--have been HEARD by the LPC but NOT designated.

 

Sign this petition to LPC Chair Tierney and ask for the designation NOW of these Historic District (HD) extensions. Please sign soon--sign now--then send on to a friend to sign. The LPC deserves to hear from you.

 

Approximately 194 new landmarks were added to the 2700 existing landmarked buildings when the Riverside/West End HD Extension I was designated on June 26, 2012. Take a moment to join us in relishing the pure pleasure of a job well done. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wrote her own letter to the LPC, dated April 30, 1987 in support of designating the Riverside/West End HD. Mrs. Onassis wrote, "Your designation of [the Riverside-West End HD] will provide future generations of New Yorkers the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this remarkably intact piece of our past, just as we enjoy it today."  Please sign the petition and if you wish, write your own letter and email a copy to LANDMARK WEST!

Designation is just the first step. Help us be the vigilant stewards our neighborhood still needs and deserves. Big or small, your contribution matters. Give online or call LW! at 212-496-8110 to make a financial pledge.
 

Photo above from LW!'s, My Preservation Journal, part of Keeping the Past for the Future Youth Education Program taught by Director of Education Debi Germann, M.S. Ed from the Bank Street College of Education and certified classroom teacher.

From the LW! Archives...1987 Letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Supporting the Original Riverside/West End Historic District

In 1985, when LANDMARK WEST! was founded to advocate for more widespread protection of our neighborhood's architectural heritage, the Upper West Side only had 337 designated landmarks.

With the recent Riverside-West End HD Extension I designation, approximately 194 new landmarks have been added to the West Side's noble roster.Take a moment to join us in relishing the pure pleasure of a job well done. Our smiles get even wider when we look back at this prescient letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to the LPC, dated April 30, 1987.

She wrote: “Your designation of [the Riverside-West End HD] will provide future generations of New Yorkers the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this remarkably intact piece of our past, just as we enjoy it today.”

The district was officially designated two years later, on December 19th, 1989. Don’t take your neighborhood for granted--extensions II & III have been heard but NOT designated. Email LPC Chair Tierney at comments@lpc.nyc.gov and tell him, “I support the designation of the Riverside-West End Extensions II & III.” Sign your name--email it soon--today, if possible. Send a copy to landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org.

Sign on to Help Save the Landmarks Law!

Preservation and protection of our architectural, historical, and cultural assets is one of the most important factors in assuring that New York remains a livable city. Preserving the best of our city's past and adapting it for reuse in the 21st century greatly enhances the quality of life for all citizens. Individual Landmarks and historic districts continue to offer substantial opportunities for economic development, the revitalization of neighborhoods, the stabilization of property values, and the enhancement of the tourism industry.

Last month, LANDMARK WEST! alerted our members, friends and neighbors to efforts by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and others to challenge the City's 1965 Landmarks Law. Since our last email, our colleagues at the Historic Districts Council (HDC) have formed a coalition to support the Landmarks Law. Read their message below, then sign on to the coalition -- we did!

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Original message dated Thursday, July 26, 2012 

... Following on the heels of the contentious designation hearings regarding the Downtown Brooklyn Skyscraper Historic District, the real estate lobby organized into the deceptively-named Responsible Landmarks Coalition and began proposing "reforms" to the Landmarks Law. These amendments were revealed at a City Council public in the beginning of May, where 11 bills were discussed that would, if adopted, mire the Landmarks Preservation Commission in complete bureaucratic status and encourage the City Council to reject landmarks designations on the basis of over-exaggerated and groundless financial concerns. 

... HDC monitors landmark issues throughout New York and we can unfortunately report that the environment for preservation activity has definitely turned cold. We are losing properties which should be preserved and even protected sites are getting hammered by damaging and potentially destructive proposals. Think about the proposal for a residential tower 15 feet away from St. John the Divine, a 9-story hotel development possibly undermining the Merchant's House or the demolition of the Corn Exchange on 125th Street.

How You Can Help:

• Sign Up! Join the coalition of those opposing these changes to the Landmarks Law (for individual listing, please fill out the form on the HDC website). This growing list will be used to show City Councilmembers that these "reforms" are not supported by the people in the community. Even if you testified at the hearing on May 2, please affirm that your group wishes to be listed -- we would rather be too solicitous than list an organization incorrectly.

• Save The Date! This Wednesday, HDC will be hosting a rally to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Legendary Rally to Save Pennsylvania Station. We will be gathering in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 1, by Madison Square Garden to draw attention to the continued threat to New York City's fantastic and imperiled historic buildings and neighborhoods. Stay tuned for more details (or contact HDC at hdc@hdc.org or 212-614-9107).

• Contact Your Councilmember! Visit http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml and tell them "hands off the Landmarks Law!" See http://hdc.org/featured/help-save-the-landmarks-law for more details.

We need you. Your community needs you. Stay tuned for updates via email, and visit http://hdc.org/historic-district-15/help-save-the-landmarks-law to share your thoughts, sign up for the coalition and learn more.