Tuesday, March 25, 2008

W.E.B. DuBois home not landmarked

The exterior of the Addisleigh Park home where Du Bois, 83, wed Shirley Graham, 54, is remarkably unchanged from what the couple's friends would recall. But it also remains unlandmarked at a time when a building boom is sweeping across the borough.

"It's a site that needs some recognition by the Landmarks Commission," said NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, heaping praise upon Du Bois, the organization's co-founder.


House where civil-rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois lived not landmarked

The home's current owner, Helen Baldwin, said her family moved there in the 1970s and has made only minor changes, like fixing the roof and adding a layer of stucco.

Baldwin said she wants to stay in the house, but developers keep calling unprompted to ask if she's selling it. She also said she wouldn't alter its look, adding, "I like it the way it is."

Even if it's sold, high-rise developers need not apply. Recent zoning changes restrict the area to one-family homes, said Yvonne Reddick, district manager of Community Board 12.

But only landmarking would prevent someone from knocking down the historic house.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's really ridiculous. I think this whole area should be an historic district.

georgetheatheist said...

From the "W.E.B. DuBois" entry on Wikipedia:

This famous (infamous?) Queensite wrote: "Joseph Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature." DuBois received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1959 and joined the Communist Party in 1961.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. And Henry Ford was an anti-semite. Do you drive a car? What is your point!

Anonymous said...

""Joseph Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature." DuBois received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1959 and joined the Communist Party in 1961."

You would think that, therefore, Commissar Dumberg would be demanding landmark status.

Anonymous said...

Here's another example of racial bigotry
with an architectural twist from the LPC!

A discriminatory lawsuit against
Tierney & Co. needs to be filed PDQ !

Anyone from Johnny Cochran's law firm
following this ,who'd want to put in
a little pro bono time?

Anonymous said...

Where's councilman Charles Barron when you really need him? If anyone can bring media attention to a neglected African-American landmark, it's Barron.