Roomy Ridgewood flats that marked a historic departure from the infamously overcrowded tenements of the lower East Side may soon gain city landmark status. Rows of the innovative dwellings - built between 1908 and 1911 by German developer Gustave X. Mathews - fall into a proposed 91-building district that would bar demolitions and major alterations.
City Councilman Anthony Como (R-Middle Village) vowed to back an impending move to landmark the Mathews flats, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
"It's actually very rare to see blocks upon blocks of very consistent buildings like that," said Mary Beth Betts, research director of the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Betts said the commission hopes to designate the area - bounded largely by Forest Ave., Woodbine St., Fairview Ave. and Linden St. - in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009.
Ridgewood's iconic Mathews buildings up for special status
Great, the district has been put on notice to get in all the alterations they can before next July. Then LPC will say it has been "too altered" for designation. And what's with only 2 1/2 blocks? Oh yeah, that's right, when Queens preservation gets fed, it's only peanuts. Almost forgot.
And let's be aware that this neighborhood is being put on the back burner, because LPC has more important buildings to focus on right now.
1 comment:
What ?
I thaught this was done already ?
We Shot "The Wanderors" over there 28 years ago. (Scenes under the M train)
Cant make out the map on PDA. What was that Palmetto and Seneca ?Up to North to that old German mans drug store by JHS 93.
(The guy that cracked jokes about Frenchmen in the rain when you had to buy rubbers)
Brewers, Bowers, somtin like that
...?
-Joe
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