From the New York Times: Commissioners Set the Record Straight RE: 2 Columbus Circle

Challenging the assertion that 19 members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) from 1996 to the present had each come to a negative decision about the merits of 2 Columbus Circle for landmark designation, former LPC Chair Beverly Moss Spatt and current commissioner Roberta Brandes Granz have responded to an op-ed piece by former Chair Sherida E. Paulsen ("The Black Hole of 2 Columbus Circle," New York Times, July 30th 2005). Click Here for Spatt's and Gratz's letters to the editor, printed in Saturday's Times (August 6, 2005, pA12). Paulsen's op-ed is included at the end.

The People's Hearing for 2 Columbus Circle

Big thanks to all of you who helped make yesterday's People's Hearing for 2 Columbus Circle such a success. The fact that over 150 people filled the library of the General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen -itself an inspiring Landmark building - to testify before 11 empty seats - one for each of the conspicuously absent Landmarks Preservation Commissioners - is living proof that New Yorkers care about the future of Edward Durell Stone's 1964 building and would eagerly take part in a real landmarks hearing, if only given the opportunity. A full record of the proceedings will be available shortly. In the meantime, see New York Observer coverage here.

Co-sponsors for the People's Hearing include: Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; NYS Assembly Members Richard N. Gottfried (represents 2 Columbus Circle area), Pete Grannis, Daniel O'Donnell and Scott Stringer; NYS Senators Tom Duane, Liz Krueger (represents the 2 Columbus Circle area) and Eric Schneiderman; NYC Council Members Vincent J. Gentile, Margarita Lopez, Eva Moskowitz and Bill Perkins; and former Council Member Ronnie Eldridge.

WHAT MORE WILL IT TAKE for 2 Columbus Circle to get the public hearing it deserves?

2 Columbus Circle: Fighting Another Day

Last week on the 2 Columbus Circle front had its highs (links to the excellent New York Times editorial and Tom Wolfe's New York magazine article are included below, in case you missed them) and lows (a permit for the removal of the building's facade).

The outcome is that, for the moment, 2 Columbus Circle remains intact, ready to fight another day. And so are we. But still no public hearing? No more waiting around! Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 14, and the "People's Hearing" for 2 Columbus Circle (time and place to be announced shortly). In response to the inexplicable refusal of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to have formal public input on whether 2 Columbus Circle should be designated as an official NYC Landmark, this "hearing" will be an open forum for citizens to express their views and decide the merits of the case for themselves. What better way to show the Mayor and the LPC that the people of New York want a real public hearing for 2 Columbus Circle? Come and make your voice heard! Stay tuned for additional information...

Tom Wolfe's New York Magazine Piece: http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/12156

Good News, Bad News

Let's start with the good news. Today, the New York Times ran an editorial calling the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to task for refusing to hold public hearings to discuss 2 Columbus Circle, which the Times notes" is already an architectural monument, the work of a major architect, whether the commission likes it or not." The editorial goes on to say that "dooming this building without a hearing is an enormous mistake, one that seriously erodes the Landmarks Preservation Commission's purpose and whatever political independence it has managed to attain since it was first created."

The Preservation League of New York State, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the World Monuments Fund, every major preservation organization in the city, and now the New York Times. The elation was short-lived: we just learned that the NYC Department of Buildings has approved the permit for the Museum of Arts and Design to begin removing 2 Columbus Circle's facade. Right before the start of the long holiday weekend, their timing couldn't be better.

Here's what you can do:
Mayor Bloomberg clearly hasn't gotten the message yet. Your e-mails/phone calls/faxes are absolutely critical TODAY! (see contact information below.)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg212-788-3000 (phone)212-788-2460 (fax)To e-mail the Mayor, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html and type your message.

No one ever said that preservation was for the faint of heart!

Tom Wolfe and Rally Help Turn Up Heat on 2 Columbus Circle

Last Thursday's (6/23/05) "Hands Around 2 Columbus Circle" rally was a hands-down success! Many thanks to all who participated in person and in spirit. This week, your hands have another assignment - get the as quickly as possible on the latest issue of New York Magazine (July 4th, 2005) and Tom Wolfe's article, "The 2 Columbus Circle Game."

This follow-up to his spectacular 2003 two-part New York Times Op-Ed piece is subtitled "Was the Landmarks commissioner a little too close to the side that wants it destroyed? A would-be savior of Edward Durell Stone's building looks at the latest, most dramatic twist in the city's preservation drama." The "twist" is the trove of e-mails obtained by LANDMARK WEST! through a Freedom of Information request (which Wolfe dibs the "Bob and Laurie Letters") between LPC Chair Robert B. Tierney and Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) New Building Director Laurie Beckelman. For an online version of Wolfe's piece, go to http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/12156

To see the e-mails for yourself (and the accompanying legal papers), go to the May 17, 2005 entry on the 2 Columbus Circle timeline at http://www.landmarkwest.org/advocacy/ad_02/2columbuscircle.html

While you're online, go to the June 23rd, 2005 timeline entry to see pictures from last week's rally at 2 Columbus Circle and read statements of support by NYC Council Members Bill Perkins and Margarita Lopez. Nearly 150 supporters joined hands around the building's iconic "lollipop" base for over an hour, celebrated the World Monuments Fund's (WMF) naming of 2 Columbus Circle to its "Watch List" of the 100 Most Endangered Sites on earth and called on Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to give the building the public hearing it deserves (at long last!).

With the crowd and television camera crews looking on, Council Member Perkins announced his intention to sponsor a "People's Hearing" in July (date tba). "The refusal of the Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold hearings on the future of 2 Columbus Circle demonstrates a shameful disregard for the will of the people and the Commission's charter-mandated responsibility...I will Chair the "People's Hearing" to make sure the people's voice is heard on the future of this significant building."

The summer's just begun, but things are really heating up! Stay tuned...
June 21, 2005: World Monuments Fund (WMF) includes 2 Columbus Circle on its 2006 "Watch List" of the world's 100 Most Endangered Sites

First, the Preservation League of New York State listed 2 Columbus Circle on its 2003 "Seven to Save" list, then the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the building on its 2004 list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." Now, WMF places 2 Columbus Circle on a list that includes Ellis Island and the entire country of Iraq. WHAT MORE WILL IT TAKE for 2 Columbus Circle to get the public hearing it deserves?

When the world's foremost organization dedicated to preserving endangered artistic and architectural heritage across the globe identifies a New York City building as among the most threatened resources on the planet, is this good news? Yes, if it helps snap the Bloomberg administration out of its stubborn denial to grant 2 Columbus Circle even a public hearing and the chance to survive for future generations. The bad news is that the building is endangered because Mayor Bloomberg, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear. Are local politics really more important than world heritage?

Mayor Bloomberg, stop stonewalling and let the people of New York speak! What better way to honor New York City's renowned 1965 Landmarks Law and the many communities working at the grassroots to protect their historic landmarks, big and small? Show us that the landmarks process can be open, transparent and democratic. Prove that preservation matters to you.

May 31, 2005: Demonstration in support of 2 Columbus Circle!
Join 2 Columbus Circle supporters for a demonstration in front of the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD, the institution that just yesterday signed a contract to purchase and destroy Edward Durell Stone’s 1964 building) as museum donors gather to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition featuring the collection of Jerome Chazen, MAD’s Building Campaign Chair.

WHAT: Demonstration to show support for a public hearing

WHEN: Tuesday, May 31, 5:30 PM

WHERE: In front of the Museum of Arts and Design, 40 W. 53rd Street

WHY? Good question. Why can’t 2 Columbus Circle get a public hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)? Just a hearing?

With any questions, call LANDMARK WEST! at 212-496-8110 or email us at landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org.

"Collusion is charged in the purchase of a former museum at Columbus Circle."

Robin Pogrebin's article in today's New York Times ("Group Seeks Removal of Landmarks Chairman,") is required reading for the long holiday weekend.

Update: Progress in Communities' Effort to Preserve Preservation

Important steps were made towards reform of the NYC landmarks process at yesterday's City Council hearing on the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Testimony touched on a range of concerns about the LPC's commitment to protect the city's historic places, including 2 Columbus Circle, Harlem's St. Thomas the Apostle Church, and the Far Rockaways' 1830s Mott House (recently demolished, without a hearing). For coverage in today's Daily News, click here. The Gotham Gazette is also running a feature story on "2 Columbus Circle and the Need to Preserve Preservation" by LANDMARK WEST! Executive Director Kate Wood (to read this, go here).

At the end of the 3-hour hearing, attended by close to 100 individuals and representatives of civic organizations citywide, Council Member Simcha Felder (Chair of the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses) concluded that:

1) The landmarks process would benefit from an annual hearing to obtain communities' feedback;

2) The LPC's unequal treatment of applicants and community participants in public hearings is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately;

3) The staffing of the LPC is clearly inadequate.

Council Member Felder's comments recognize and affirm vital points raised in the report, Problems Experienced by Community Groups Working with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (coordinated by the Women's City Club and co-authored by 7 groups including LANDMARK WEST!), which was articulately presented to the Council by former Landmarks Commissioner Anthony M. Tung . To read the report, click here.

Council Member Bill Perkins also keenly observed that the LPC seems to be acting as a real estate development agency rather than a preservation agency.

NEXT STEPS

Recognition of problems is always (but only) the first step towards solutions. You can help move the process forward by a) sending Council Member Felder a note of thanks for holding this important hearing (felder@council.nyc.ny.us , or fax 718-853-3858), and b) assisting us in gathering additional support for the Report . Already, less than 2 weeks after the report's release, 25 organizations from historic neighborhoods throughout the city have signed on to endorse its findings. If you represent or can suggest groups that would like to sign on, please email or call us (landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org , 212-496-8110).

Alert for November 29th City Council Oversight Hearing

LANDMARKS ALERT!

FROM: The Women's City Club of New York (Arts and Landmarks Committee)

PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, Hamilton Heights-West Harlem Preservation Community Organization, Historic Districts Council, Landmark West!, Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, and the Society for the Architecture of the City.

SECOND CITY COUNCIL OVERSIGHT HEARING SCHEDULED

When: Monday, November 29, 10:00 A.M.

Where: City Hall, large Council Chamber on second floor

In response to overwhelming public interest and concern, the City Council's Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses has scheduled a continuation of the October 20th oversight hearing on the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

Please plan to attend and testify on November 29! For those many of you who were prevented from participating in the first hearing due to insufficient accommodations, this is your chance to make your voice heard. Even if you were among the small number of people who were able to testify or submit written testimony on October 20, please come to show your continued support for meaningful improvements to the landmarks process.

REMEMBER·

There is a 2- to 3-minute time limit for testimony·

Please bring at least 10 copies of your written testimony to distribute to the Committee members

Topics may include a) the need for increased funding for the LPC; b) the need for greater transparency, responsiveness and opportunity for public input in the LPC's designation and regulatory processes; c) the importance of sustaining high standards in preserving our landmark buildings and neighborhoods; and/or other matters related to the administrative practices of the agency.

Please confirm that you will attend and send a copy of your testimony to mpfaelzer@wccny.org or 212-228-4665 (fax). With any questions, please call or email LANDMARK WEST!, 212-496-8110, landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org.

Sincerely,

Laura Ludwig and Annette Rosen, Co-ChairsThe Arts and Landmarks Committee of the Women's City Club33 W. 60 th Street, New York, N.Y. 10023

2 Columbus Circle on Nation's Newsstand

Preservation Magazine Cover Story

Nation's Eye on 2 Columbus Circle...Still

For the cover story of its nationally circulated magazine, Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation* asked four experts to discuss the value of preserving Edward Durell Stone's original 1964 design for 2 Columbus Circle.

Not surprisingly, each offered a multitude of insights on why 2 Columbus Circle should--or should not--be saved, underscoring the woeful delinquency of New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission for not having a public hearing to air these issues.

Here's what the experts had to say (for the introductory text, go here):

Philip Lopate, essayist: "When 2 Columbus Circle first opened, it stood across from another, more imposing white element, the New York Coliseum....Now that the Coliseum has been torn down, replaced by the Time-Warner complex, a 21 st -century glass-tower extravaganza, the context has changed significantly. The little white gallery has lost its big white sibling and looks bereft next to all that jazzy, opportunistic glass."

Robert A.M. Stern, architect: "Some critics say that New York is short on world-class buildings by world-class architects. Well, here is one that is full of ideas about site, image, history, and the freedom that comes with modernity. Transforming the building into the new home of the Museum of Arts & Design need not be done at the expense of Stone's design. Can we not live in the present and work with the past?"

Theodore H.M. Prudon, architect: "Perception is as important as reality, and few buildings have suffered from a history of misunderstanding more than 2 Columbus Circle....Many organizations are working very hard not only to save the building but also to help change the perception that many modern or modernist buildings are not important enough to save."

Witold Rybczynski, architectural historian and critic: "...it would be such a shame if 2 Columbus Circle were given a terra-cotta wrapping, or any other up-to-date alteration. Stone's building, though not a masterpiece, is something equally valuable--a rarity, representing an unusual and interesting moment in the history of architecture. It would be sad to lose it."

And even sadder to lose it because the agency responsible for protecting New York's irreplaceable architecture decided not to listen.

*The National Trust for Historic Preservation placed 2 Columbus Circle on its 2004 list of America's "11 Most Endangered Historic Places"

Back to Local Politics: 2 Columbus Circle

Baby Boomers "Taking Revenge" on 1960's Architecture

In last Sunday's New York Times, writer Fred Bernstein honed in on a central paradox of society's present love-hate relationship with buildings like Edward Durell Stone's 2 Columbus Circle:

"In a society otherwise enamored of the styles of the 1960's, the architecture of that decade is rarely loved and frequently reviled. All over the country, 60's buildings are being torn down while much older buildings survive." For the full article, go here.

Buildings that may have value to future generations are falling victim to fleeting tastes, Bernstein suggests. "The charge to eliminate 60's buildings is, in many cases, being led by baby boomers who came of age in the 1960's [and want the opposite of what they knew]... Yet while wealthy institutions are erasing 60's buildings, architecture professionals and 20-somethings consider them hip."

But, as the fact that the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission still has not held a public hearing to even consider the value of preserving 2 Columbus Circle so clearly demonstrates, architecture professionals and 20-somethings do not hold the keys to the city's halls of power. Apparently not even Robert A.M. Stern, author of New York 1960, who argues that 2 Columbus Circle is "a landmark in the history of architectural taste." Not even those like former Landmarks Commissioners Gene A. Norman, Beverly Moss Spatt and Anthony M. Tung, who acknowledge disparate opinions on the building's merits, but believe the LPC has been derelict by not holding a public hearing.Will the powers that be succeed in obliterating the legacy of mid-century Modernism just as it stands on the cusp of re-evaluation and (heaven help us!) appreciation? The final chapter of this story remains to be written. Stay tuned...