Advocacy How-To: Writing to your elected officials

Informing your elected officials of the issues that matter to you--to your neighborhood--is critical.  Whether you send an email, mail a letter or pick up the phone and speak to a member of staff, your neighborhood needs you to take action! Consider this post your one-stop shop for contacting your elected officials.

STEP ONE: Determine who are your elected officials.
It's easy to learn who is your City Council member, State Assembly member and so on; just click here and type in your address. 

STEP TWO: Get inspired!
Visit the LW! YouTube Channel to watch video from the first public hearing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a refresher on each representatives' comments about the proposed West End Avenue historic district extension. Still need a little help getting started? Here's a sample letter.
 
STEP THREE: Draft a succinct message that shares your concerns 
and requests their support.
If the above-linked sample letter is helpful, terrific!  If you'd prefer to send in something more individualized, that's equally great.  We recommend first offering thanks for support your elected officials have offered to important community issues in the past.  West End Avenue, for example, received early support from Upper West Side elected officials in whose districts landmarking would occur, thanks to the West End Preservation Society (WEPS). Then, request their continued commitment at the public hearing on October 3rd.

STEP FOUR (option 1): Send your email!
One email is all it takes!  Copy-paste the addresses below and share your request for support with all of the West Side's elected representatives at once:

     Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer: bp@manhattanbp.org
     City Council Member Gale Brewer: gbrewer@council.nyc.gov
     City Council Member Inez Dickens: idickens@council.nyc.gov
     City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito: mviverito@council.nyc.gov
     State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal: rosentl@assembly.state.ny.us
     State Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell: oneilln@assembly.state.ny.us
     State Senator Thomas K. Duane: duane@nysenate.gov
     State Senator Adriano Espaillat: espailla@nysenate.gov
     State Senator Bill Perkins: perkins@senate.state.ny.us
     Congressman Jerrold Nadler: form email-only available; click here
     Congressman Charles Rangel: form email-only available; click here
     And be sure add landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org in the "cc" line!

STEP FOUR (option 2): Send your letter!
Prefer to send a letter in hardcopy?  Links to each official's contact page is below:

     Congressmen Jerrold Nadler and Charles Rangel

     Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer

     State Senators Thomas K. Duane, Adriano Espaillat and Bill Perkins.

     State Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal and Daniel O'Donnell

     City Council Members Gale Brewer, Inez Dickens and Melissa Mark-Viverito.
 
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Your support is essential to ensuring that our neighborhood's priorities are shared by our elected officials.  Thank you for taking the time to reach out to them.

Countdown to City Council Sub-Committee Public Hearing: 15 DAYS

The Riverside-West End Historic District Extension I continues on the path to achieving bona fide landmark status! City Council has set a date for the public hearing (Wednesday, October 3 -- more details here).  Now they need to hear from YOU.  This is it! 

Click on the map to read the LPC's designation report.

Your letter is absolutely essential to let the City Council members know just how important it is to preserve this incredible ensemble of buildings.  If they don't hear from you -- NOW -- it could cost the neighborhood its landmark protection.

DON'T WAIT, WRITE! 

Sending an email or writing a letter to your Council Member takes just moments with the help of our call to action blogpost.  Your letter is so important!  Please email or write today!

To Gale Brewer,
UWS City Council Member*:
"Thank you for your leadership on this first of three historic district extensions on West End Avenue; I'm with you!"

To other City Council Members*:  

"Please stand by the West Side's City Council Member, Gale Brewer, and affirm the Landmarks Preservation Commission's unanimous vote to designate the Riverside-West End HD Extension I."

To Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker*:
"The West Side community supports expanded landmark protection of our neighborhood -- people want preservation!"

*Please forward a copy of your letter or email to LANDMARK WEST!

In Two Weeks, Important Hearing for West End Avenue Extension

On June 26th, 2012, by unanimous vote of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the Riverside-West End Historic District Extension I has been designated! This was the first step in a multi-agency process to secure the landmark designation that West End Avenue and its row house-lined midblocks have long deserved. The next step is review by the City Planning Commission. The LPC's designation is forwarded to City Planning which will consider, as the LPC website states: "the effects of the designation as it relates to zoning, projected public improvements, and any other city plans for the development or improvement of the area involved. For historic districts, the City Planning Commission must hold a public hearing prior to issuing their report." This public hearing is open to all; please attend and offer a public statement or lend your "silent support" of this important community effort!        WHAT:  Public hearing of the City Planning Commission to consider                     the Riverside-West End Historic District Extension I                     (W. 79th - 87th Sts. - click here for the boundary map)       WHEN:  Wednesday, August 22nd; Time To Be Determined                     Stay tuned to LW! emails for approximate time as the date approaches;                     you may also consult the City Planning website, here.     WHERE:  City Planning Commission; Amanda Burden, Chair                     22 Reade Street -- Bring photo ID                     (Click here for directions)          WHO:  You, your neighbors, all who support neighborhood preservation!                      Help us spread the word; let us know of others in your building or                      on your block who are interested in learning more about this ongoing                      issue. Attending the public meeting is incredibly valuable; if you're                      unable to attend, please register your support in writing (here's how).

TONIGHT, Community Meeting to Dicuss Threats to Landmarks; NEXT WEEK, Important Vote on West End Avenue

One week from today -- on Tuesday, June 26th -- the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will convene to cast their first vote concerning historic district extensions proposed for the West End Avenue neighborhood. This public meeting is open to all; if your schedule allows, please attend and lend your "silent support" of this important community effort!

              WHAT:  Public meeting of the Landmarks Preservation Commission to
                           Vote on the proposed Riverside-West End Historic District Extension I
                           (W. 79th - 87th Sts. - click here for the proposed boundary map 

             WHEN:   Tuesday, June 26th, 2012 / Time To Be Determined 
                            The LPC usually issues its agenda with approximate times three
                            days in advance of the public meeting. Stay tuned for updates! 

            WHERE:  Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)
                            1 Centre Street, 9th Floor -- Bring photo ID
                            (Click here for directions) 

                WHO:  You, your neighbors, all who support neighborhood preservation!                             Help us spread the word; let us know of others in your building or
                            on your block who are interested in learning more about this 
                            ongoing issue. Attending the public meeting is incredibly valuable,
                            but it is important to note that no public testimony will be taken.

Earlier this month, LW! looked back on the events -- starting as far back as 2010, though momentum for this issue has surely been growing since much earlier -- leading up to the first in a series of what will ultimately be three LPC votes. Click here to revisit that email. Can't make the June 26th public meeting? Write to the LPC and your local elected officials to re-enforce your support of the West End Avenue extensions and to thank them for their strong support to date.

** Before the Vote, Community Meeting to
 support the Landmarks Law**

As LW! and our colleagues in preservation have reported, landmarking -- not just on West End Avenue but throughout all five boroughs -- has recently been under attack. The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) is at the helm of a coalition that would have New Yorkers believe that landmark designation is "over-reaching" and will effectively freeze the city in amber. This "look but don't touch" mentality could not be further from the truth: the number of landmark-protected buildings on the Upper West Side and beyond continues to grow because people want preservation. Individual Landmarks and buildings within historic districts offer substantial opportunities for economic development, the revitalization of neighborhoods, the stabilization of property values, and the enhancement of the tourism industry.

JOIN WITH US TONIGHT as we participate in a community meeting, hosted by the Historic Districts Council, to discuss this attack on landmarks and how each of us can lend our support.

TONIGHT (Tuesday, June 19th) at 6PM

General Society for Mechanics & Tradesmen*

20 West 44th Street

RSVP to hdc@hdc.org

Stay tuned for updates via email, and visit http://hdc.org/historic-district-15/help-save-the-landmarks-law to learn more.

*The General Society for Mechanics & Tradesmen (also known as the Mechanic's Institute) was the subject of an October 2011 guest blog by LW! graduate intern Kate Gilmore. Learn more about this fascinating organization and handsome Lamb & Rich-designed architecture.

At West-Park Church, the Heat is On!

West-Park Presbyterian Church*

As temperatures on the West Side begin to drop low, low, low, the heat at landmarked West-Park Presbyterian Church is going up, up, up!!

LW! learned some BIG NEWS this morning, courtesy of our friends at the West End Preservation Society (WEPS): the beleaguered boiler at West-Park has been replaced and the church's heat is ON!  

From WEPS ...

Last night ... WEPS met and chatted with Rev. Dr. Jane S. Galloway, who preaches at West-Park Church. "Last Sunday, I couldn't figure out what was different, and then I  realized: I wasn't cold!" She praised the new boiler and the efforts of Council Member Gale Brewer, whose dogged determination generated the means and money to get the boiler functioning in the only-recently Landmarked  Building.  Gale's newsletter makes the  announcement, but just in case you missed it, here's the good news: "West  Park Presbyterian Church, 165 West 86 Street, has a working “green” boiler and has heat! Much thanks to West Siders, preservation groups, and Community Board 7 as well as the Dept. of Buildings and ConEd for expediting their inspection schedules. Now we can work toward getting the roof repaired and the scaffolding removed." Thanks  to the New York Landmarks Conservancy for being point-man on the money collection  and in its advocacy for the building. And thank you, Gale, for your tireless efforts in behalf of the well-being, warmth, and preservation of the best of the Upper West Side. 

The interior of West-Park, as seen during the December 2010 volunteer clean up,
organized by Preservation Alumni, West-Park, LW!, Friends of West-Park, and many more.

Together, we -- the community -- have done it!  To all of our friends and neighbors who responded to LW!'s October 2011 call for donations, THANK YOU!  Every penny counts ... and 250,000 pennies (that's $2,500!) made a real difference in helping the West-Park congregation and leadership to meet its fundraising goal.

West-Park has already been host to an amazing collection of public programs.  With the heat now on, we're eager to see the events continue!  For more on upcoming events, stay tuned to our blog (follow the "West-Park" label!) and the calendar for The Centre at West-Park. 

READ MORE: "West-Park Presbyterian Church's New Boiler Boosts Temps, Spirits" by DNA Info's Leslie Albrecht 

* West-Park Presbyterian Church is located on Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street.  Architect Leopold Eidlitz designed the original chapel in 1884, followed by architect Henry F. Kilburn's church addition in 1890.

Return of the Urns

Thank you, David Dunlap and The New York Times for drawing attention to the demon that plagues historic neighborhoods under active consideration for landmark protection.  Too many heedless owners rush to destroy the very fabric that makes buildings in these neighborhoods architecturally significant, but more importantly, fabric that is integral to the quality of life of the people who live here.

“It was one of the most traumatic days of my life,”said Kennedy Fraser, a 35-year resident of 333 West 86th Street, a building located in a proposed extension of the Riverside-West End Historic District (PDF).  Fraser described her feelings as she watched contractors remove 16 magnificent masonry urns from the building's facade last May.

Read Dunlap's article to find out how neighbors succeeded in bringing the urns back (albeit in fiberglass because the originals had been too badly damaged through removal).

It's a crying shame--and an expensive mistake.  Property owners, hear this message:

“Everybody responds to beauty,” Ms. Fraser said. “People think it doesn’t matter, that nobody will see them, that they’re just a poetic detail. But somehow, it’s important to have those things that not everybody notices.”

...but that they will fight for.

Third Time's a Charm :: Recap of final public hearing at LPC for West End Avenue

Last Tuesday, October 25th, LANDMARK WEST! joined with fellow West Siders, elected officials, preservation colleagues, and lovers of landmarks to show our continued support for the proposed historic district extensions anchored by West End Avenue.

Convened by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), this was the last in a series of three public hearings to seriously consider historic district extensions to two existing districts: the Riverside - West End Historic District, and the West End - Collegiate Historic District.

This spring marked the first public hearing (for the Riverside - West End Historic District Extension I on March 22th, 2011); later this summer, on June 28th, the LPC opened the record to discuss the West End - Collegiate Historic District Extension.  And the fall season set the seen for discussion of the Riverside - West End Historic District Extension II, on Oct. 25th.

Click the arrow above to visit LW's Flickr page and experience West End Avenue,
Riverside Drive, Broadway, and the streets between.

To all of our friends and neighbors who came to the LPC; who took to the podium to testify; who sat as "silent supporters" of the West End Avenue proposal; who wrote emails and letters in absentia; and who helped spread the word about yesterday's public hearing far and wide ...  THANK YOU!

Our favorite quote from the hearing has to be the testimony of West Sider (and member of Three Parks Independent Democrats, who hosted the October 12th pre-public hearing info session about the landmark designation process) Steve Max:

The journey is far from over! The public record on the proposed Riverside - West End Historic District Extension II remains open--there's till time to add more emails and letters of support to those recorded at the Oct. 25th public hearing! Use this quick "how to", and share it with your friends.  And if you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION!  Add your name to the list of those who support the West End Avenue historic district extensions.

Couldn't make the public hearing? Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for video of the public testimony and, for photos, to our Flickr photostream.

Tomorrow, We Testify! Come show your support for West End Avenue (and environs)!

WHAT:    Public hearing to consider the Riverside - West End Historic District Extension II
               (W. 89th - 109th Sts. - click here for the proposed boundary map)

WHEN:   TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
                Time approx. 2:30PM*
                *This can sometimes be a moving target, depending on the pacing 
                 of earlier items on the agenda. West End Avenue could be heard 
                 right on time, or it could run late. Patience and flexibility of schedule 
                 are key! Can't make it? See below!  

WHERE:   Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)
                  1 Centre Street, 9th Floor -- Bring photo ID
                  (Click here for directions)

Attending the public hearing is incredibly important; your presence speaks volumes. This is the last of three total public hearings being convened to discuss this important neighborhood issue. Come to show your support not only for the third and final piece of the puzzle, but for all of the area anchored by West End Avenue proposed for historic district designation! Please let us know if you are planning to attend.

And if you haven't already, don't forget ...

(1) Sign the Petition! Add your name to the list of those who support the West End Avenue historic district extensions. And encourage your friends and neighbors to sign as well!

(2) Email the LPC, and copy your elected official(s)! Tell them you support their efforts to expand existing historic districts anchored by West End Avenue. Here's how to do it!

For continual updates on this advocacy issue, stay tuned to the LANDMARK WEST! blog!

We'll see you tomorrow at the Commission!

Living with Landmarks, the sequel!

Got questions? Get answers!

The Upper West Side may soon be home to 800+ new landmarks, as the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) seriously considers landmark designation expansion in the area between Broadway and Riverside Drive, from 70th to 107th Street (click here for a map of the full study area). The third and final of three public hearings (to consider the area between West 89th and West 109th Streets) is this month!

Please join your fellow residents, business and property owners, and a host of preservation partners for an open Q&A program about the benefits and responsibilities of Living with Landmarks.

DATE:  Wednesday, October 12th
TIME:  8:00 PM
LOCATION:  American Youth Hostel, Amsterdam Avenue at West 103rd Street

RSVP to landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org encouraged

This neighborly Q&A will feature a brief presentation by Prof. Andrew Scott Dolkart (Director of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University's School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation) on the history and development of West End Avenue and environs. The program will bring together individuals and organizations experienced in the landmark designation process, as well as the regulatory process for managing landmarks after designation has happened.

Help spread the word! Click here to download a flyer to post in your building's entryway, mailroom or anywhere else that neighbors can learn about this important informational program.

For more on the Living with Landmarks program, click here!

Our sincerest thanks go to the West End Preservation Society (WEPS) for their stalwart advocacy, and to Three Parks Independent Democrats for hosting the October 12th program.

Click the arrow above to visit LW's Flickr page and experience West End Avenue,
Riverside Drive, Broadway, and the streets between.

Click here to view the proposed boundary map.

WHAT:  Public hearing to consider the West End - Collegiate Historic District Extension  (West 70th to 79th Streets; proposed boundary map at right)

WHEN:  TOMORROW, Tuesday, June 28th; Time approx. 1:45PM*
*This can sometimes be a moving target, depending on the pacing of earlier items on the agenda.  West End Avenue could be heard right on time, or it could run late.  Patience and flexibility of schedule are key!  Can't make it?  See below!

WHERE: Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor -- Bring photo ID
(Click here for directions)

Attending the public hearing is incredibly important; your presence speaks volumes.  Please let us know if you are planning to attend.  And if you haven't already, don't forget ...

(1)  Sign the Petition!  Add your name to the list of those who support the West End Avenue historic district extensions.  And encourage your friends and neighbors to sign as well!

(2)  Email the LPC, and copy your elected official(s) ... or vice versa!  Tell them you support their efforts to expand existing historic districts anchored by West End Avenue.  Here's how to do it!

For continual updates on this advocacy issue, stay tuned to the LANDMARK WEST! blog!

We'll see you tomorrow at the Commission!

Landmark Q & A: How to write your elected official(s)?

In less than two weeks, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will be holding the second of three public hearings to consider historic district extensions, stretching from West 70th Street all the way up to West 109th Street, anchored by West End Avenue.

Support for expanded landmark protection received early support from Upper West Side elected officials in whose districts landmarking would occur, thanks to the West End Preservation Society (WEPS).  As the continued support of your elected representatives remains essential, LANDMARK WEST! urges each of our Upper West Side neighbors to put their pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!).

Landmark Q & A: How to write your elected official(s)

Q: Who are my elected officials?
A: Determining in whose district you reside is easy; just click here and type in your address.  Once you know, below are quick links to email our Upper West Side representatives.

          Congressmen Jerrold Nadler and Charles Rangel

          Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer

          State Senators Thomas K. Duane, Adriano Espaillat and Bill Perkins.

          State Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal and Daniel O'Donnell

          City Council Members Gale Brewer, Inez Dickens and Melissa Mark-Viverito.

Q: What are recommended points to touch upon in my email or letter?
A: First, offer your thanks to them for their early backing of this important issue.  Then, request their continued commitment at the public hearing on June 28th.  Consider visiting the LW! YouTube Channel to watch video from the first hearing in March for a refresher on each representatives' comments.  Let them know that the community is looking to them for continued leadership at this second--and the third, coming in October!--public hearing.

Q: Is there any other agency or organization who I should forward my email or letter to?
A: YES!  Be sure to send a copy to the LPC!  The Chair, Robert Tierney, needs to know that the community supports his agency's work on this issue.  Please copy Chair Tierney on your email to your elected representatives at comments@lpc.nyc.gov.  And whether you're emailing or corresponding via postal mail, LW! asks that you copy us, so that we may have a record of your support for this issue as well (landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org).

Need some help getting started?  Here's a sample letter, as well as a copy of LW's statement from the March 22nd public hearing (the first of the three hearings regarding expanded landmark protection along West End Avenue).

Writing to your elected official can take as little as 5 minutes, and will make an incredible difference for the whole of the West End Avenue neighborhood!  For more information on the community's campaign for increased landmark protection along West End Avenue and its row house sidestreets via our blog updates, click here.

UPDATE :: Video of West End Avenue public hearing, for your educational and viewing pleasure

Following up on yesterday's blog post (and email, and NearSay story!) ...

See for yourself!  For those who were unable to attend the Tuesday, March 22nd, public hearing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider the proposed Riverside Drive-West End Avenue Historic District Extension I, and for those looking to relive that public hearing magic, head to our YouTube channel!

We've captured the entire public hearing (all near-three hours of it!), and made it available over six video clips.  Starting with a brief presentation by the LPC chair, Robert Tierney, and Research Department staff, the videos then roll into the public testimony portion of the hearing.  Included in the clips (within each group, in order of appearance):

Upper West Side elected officials and their representatives:

Council member Gale Brewer

Assembly member Linda Rosenthal

State Senator Tom Duane

State Senator Adriano Espaillat

State Senator Bill Perkins

Congressman Jerrold Nadler

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer

Community Board 7 Preservation Committee and Full Board, represented by Mark Diller and Gabriel Palitz

Neighborhood and preservation advocates:

West End Preservation Society, represented by Richard Emery, president

Mary Dierickx, architectural historian and preservation consultant

Prof. Andrew Scott Dolkart, architectural historian and Director of the Historic Preservation program at Columbia University

Historic Districts Council, represented by Nadezhda Williams, Dir. of Preservation and Research

LANDMARK WEST!, represented by Kate Wood, Executive Director

Coalition for a Livable West Side, represented by Batya Lewton

West 80s Neighborhood Association, represented by Melissa Elstein

New York Landmarks Conservancy

And more!

Francoise Bollack, architect and professor in Columbia University's Historic Preservation program

Mosette Broderick, Director of the Urban Design and Architectural Studies program at NYU

Cynthia Doty, district leader for Three Parks Democrats and all-round neighborhood advocate

And the many, many other residents, business and property owners, and visitors to the Upper West Side who testified on the record.

Community: YES! We Support West End Avenue Historic District Extension!

REPORT from the FIELD

By Cristiana P.

The hearing room was filled to capacity (and beyond!) yesterday as the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held the first of, ultimately, three public hearings to seriously consider historic district extensions on West End Avenue.

West Side residents and business and property owners, community advocates, and those who recognize the value of preserving our city's architectural resources came out in force to show their support of the proposed Riverside Drive-West End Avenue Historic District Extension I.  Following a call to order by Chair Robert Tierney of the LPC and a brief overview of the proposed extension's history by LPC Research Department staff (Maryann Percival and Mary Beth Betts), the hearing was opened to the public.

The LPC public hearing room (and the ante room beyond!) filled to capacity!

Over the course of the public hearing--lasting nearly three hours--close to fifty people addressed the LPC.  Together, our overwhelming presence and testimony sent the message loud and clear: The community supports expanded landmark designation on West End Avenue.  To all of our friends and neighbors who came to the LPC; who waited patiently as the West End Avenue hearing was delayed; who took to the podium to testify; who sat as "silent supporters" of the West End Avenue proposal; who wrote emails and letters in absentia; and who helped spread the word about yesterday's public hearing far and wide ...

... THANK YOU!  This tremendous effort could not have been such a success without your dedication and support.  Extra-special thanks to our colleagues at the West End Preservation Society (WEPS, under the incomparable leadership of Richard Emery and Erika Petersen) and the league of other West Side neighborhood groups for rallying their friends and neighbors living, working and owning property in the proposed district extensions.  Sincere thanks as well to our elected officials for their strong support of this important issue.

Left to right: Council Member Gale Brewer, LW! Executive Director Kate Wood, and
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer each testify before the LPC in support of the designation.

The journey is far from over! The LPC will take into consideration the range of testimony provided at public hearing yesterday (as well as letters and emails submitted) and continue their outreach to the community before they make any final decision.  As soon as the LPC releases additional information about their next action on this proposed extension, LANDMARK WEST! will sound the alert.  Stay tuned!

But we're certainly not resting on our heels in the meantime.  As the LPC continues to work through "next steps" for the Riverside Drive-West End Avenue Historic District Extension I, we must begin to rally for the second of these West End Avenue public hearings!  On Tuesday, June 28th, the LPC will hold a public hearing for the West End-Collegiate Historic District Extension (encompassing West 70th to 79th Streets, anchored by West End Avenue).  Stay tuned for more information on this public hearing, as well as public information sessions in advance of this event.

In the meantime, if you haven't already ...

Sign the Petition! 

Add your name to the list of those who support the West End Avenue historic district extensions.  The petition will be submitted to the LPC at next Tuesday's public hearing.

Couldn't make the public hearing?  Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for video of the public testimony and, for photos, to our Flickr photostream.