Sunday, January 18, 2009

Columbia wants to demolish historic buildings

From HDC:

Three buildings slated for demolition by Columbia University have been deemed historically significant by New York State’s Historic Preservation Office. As a result of an application submitted by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, the state’s preservation office has determined that a group of residential buildings on West 115th Street, West 116th Street and Morningside Drive meet the criteria for listing as a historic district on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Taken together, the properties could be listed on the registers as the Morningside Drive Historic District.

The eligible district includes 408, 410, and 412 West 115th Street, some of the earliest built multiunit residential buildings that still stand in Morningside Heights. Last July, Columbia University announced plans to raze these buildings while it considers future uses for the site. O’Donnell strongly opposes that demolition and has urged Columbia to find a solution that preserves the integrity of those residential blocks.


State Office Confirms Historic Character of Threatened Morningside Heights Brownstones

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Columbia wants to demolish historic district-eligible buildings

Queens Crapper said...

What the hell is the difference? If the SHPO is saying they are eligible, they certainly will give them the nod. Unfortunately, the only thing that counts toward protection is LPC designation.

Anonymous said...

More lies from Queens Crap!

The headline is entitled "Columbia wants to demolish historic district", yet the buildings in questions are actually NOT part of any historic district.

All we have is a university exercising its right to expand its campus, while an organization is protesting the expansion by claiming the buildings to be demolished are allegedly historic.

Queens Crapper said...

Now the title is changed. Don't see what the controversy is with the semantics. An eligible building is an historic building otherwise it wouldn't be eligible. Duh.

Anonymous said...

Actually, the SHPO found they were historic.

Anonymous said...

"Three buildings slated for demolition by Columbia University have been deemed historically significant by New York State’s Historic Preservation Office."

“[T]his district is a small part of a much larger whole. I would encourage you and other community preservation advocates to submit documentation on potentially eligible historic districts and individual resources in Morningside Heights.”

It is clear the SHPO is saying this is an historic district. If I am not mistaken, a more extensive environmental review is required even if the buildings are considered eligible and haven't yet been listed.

Anonymous said...

"All we have is a university exercising its right to expand its campus, while an organization is protesting the expansion by claiming the buildings to be demolished are allegedly historic."

Nope, asshole, try reading the post. An assemblyman (i.e. the people's representative) requested that the state examine the buildings and they determined that they are historic.

Queens Crapper said...

In fact, they suggested that the district was much larger than these 3 buildings.

Anonymous said...

Three buildings slated for demolition by Columbia University have been deemed historically significant by New York State’s Historic Preservation Office.

What else do you need to know? It's all there in the first sentence.

Anonymous said...

Everything seems to be historic in Manhattan, whereas everthing in Queens runs the route of Columbia University (delveloper) simply buy and knock it down. Both Queens and Manhattan need to co-opt how the the other has things done for a fairer means to the end.

What I would like to know is what is so special about Columbia to bulldoze everthing in it's path and why so many buildings are potentially historic? Both are in Manhattan I suspect and in Harlem.

Anonymous said...

All we have is a university exercising its right to expand its campus, while an organization is protesting the expansion by claiming the buildings to be demolished are allegedly historic.
-------

spoken like an hdc or mas higher up that are columbia grads and donate lots of money for the school to do blockbusting.

afterall, its not in queens west or brooklyn heights so, as in true preseravtion spirit, whats the issue?

Anonymous said...

This is another attempt by 300 families and 2 wealthy businessmen (a warehouse and a gas station)to get more money from Columbia. Columbia is one of the world's preeminent research institutions- the cure for cancer and much of the worlds problems comes from places like this. Columbia should have pushed for eminent domain 10 years ago, paid off the business intersts fighting to make as much money as possible and moved ahead.

Anonymous said...

What a moronic statement. This is not in Columbia's Manhattanville project footprint, which is north of 125th Street. This is more Morningside Heights land that Columbia already owns and wants to bulldoze.

Anonymous said...

This is more Morningside Heights land that Columbia already owns and wants to bulldoze.
--------

They OWN the land. So sorry, that makes things so much better.

And who financed this octopus? People living in designated districts making donations so someone elses's community is developed.

It seems as if a good portion of the preservation community is involved solely to push development elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

THAT SHPO RECOGNITION
DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT TO COLUMBIA
(OR THE LPC EITHER)!

Didn't President Obama attend Columbia?

If so write him a letter about interceding
(and then hold your breath).

Anonymous said...

The cynical Columbia secret bosses be messing with Obama the way they do with their cynical Bill of Rights and all their cynical superstition based initiatives. Every time something good be going on at Columbia they tried to stop it. This is why Columbia be needing to lose in Manhattanville just like they did in Morningside Park in 1968.