From HDC:...at the very moment the Historic Districts Council is honoring the Friends of the Hopper-Gibbons Underground Railroad Site and Lamartine Place Historic District for their grassroots preservation campaign (tonight at 6 p.m.),*the current owners of the Hopper-Gibbons house at no. 339 W. 29th St. Street have been granted a new (apparently self-certified) building permit by the Department of Buildings to vertically and horizontally enlarge this 4 story row house and to construct a penthouse. For two days there was a cement mixer in their front yard and, today, I woke up to the reality that the owners have begun to enclose the illegal, fifth story.
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Went to the WNYC radio taping today - LPC Chair Tierney talked about saving Peurto Rican shacks "casasitas" or whatever (until someone asked him what is the point if the PRs vanish as the community gets gentrified - they got applause as he had dumfounded look on his face)
All the suspects were there - City Lore (offspring of developer heavy MAS), Pratt (run by a city planning veteran) blah blah blah
Not a big representation of the city: Lower East Side, Ft Greene, Greenpoint, Dumbo, South Bronx. When they discussed minorities, it was Peurto Ricans and American Blacks.
So very 1980s or so.
Lets see ... 450+ neighborhoods in NY - must of had at least 10 of them there.
No wonder the preservation community is in trouble. They just seem to be going through the motions.
I was there too!
Applause for the folks that saved Duffold Street (who were also there).
The are getting an award by HDC?
Now this?
What gives?
PS It will be on the radio tomorrow. Rosie Perez Show.
As long as its approved by the Brooklyn Preservation Alliance who cares.
Its "Official".
The whole thing is awful.
Or should we say offal.
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