From the Queens Chronicle:
Quakers are known to be peaceful people, but a construction job gone awry has the Flushing contingent furious.
Construction workers for a planned apartment building at 136-33 37 Ave. behind the Quaker Meeting House and burial ground, erected a temporary fence and a utility pole onto the historic property.
Linda Shirley, a meeting house trustee, said work was carried out by Pinnacle Engineering without members’ knowledge or permission and without conducting the necessary archeological tests or obtaining the required permits from the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Workers tore back the Quakers’ chain-link fence and erected a plywood construction barrier about four feet onto the property. That is the location of the group’s graveyard that dates back more than 300 years.
Any construction work at or near a historic graveyard in the city must be approved by the LPC. It usually involves archeological testings to ascertain that remains are there.
Shirley, and members of the Committee with a Concern for the Cemetery, James Cleary and Cheshire Frager, wrote to the LPC, the Department of Buildings and the developer for help.
After receiving photos of the site from the Queens Chronicle last week, the LPC instructed the contractor to take down the pole. It was supposed to have been taken down Friday, but was finally removed Monday afternoon.
Lisi de Bourbon, spokeswoman for the LPC, said the contractor responded immediately after her agency informed him that a failure to remove the pole could lead to a violation and fines. “We are very pleased we were able to help resolve this matter quickly given the historic importance of the site,” de Bourbon said.
26 comments:
Might that developer be Chinese?
John Bowne's body lies in his unmarked grave whilst an illegally installed utility pole might have pierced his chest!
An archaeological dig was required
by law. Was it ever done? will it ever be conducted properly?
Sonar soundings of the graveyard should be performed and a stop work order should be issued immediately by the DOB until this is done!
Now, let's see what kind of "action" Councilman Peter Koo will take regarding this travesty.
Let's cut through all the BS!
Lisi de Bourbon is little more than a public relations flak hack.
What does LPC chairman Bob Tierney have to say and what further action does he intend to take?
Nothing is resolved yet until until this centuries old graveyard is carefully examined.
That is what this most historic site of great national importance requires!
Since the developer has already dug a big hole for his foundation...where are the Quaker bodies that might have been removed in the process?
Follow the land fill!
Wait until the word gets out that the apartment building could be built atop some desecrated 17th century graves.
You know those superstitious Chinese.
That project might not be unoccupied so fast...even after some serious feng shui ghost removal measures are performed.
BOOOOOOOO !!!! BAD LUCK!!!!
Shades of poltergeist!
I guess that the "haunted" word is already out...eh "Crappy"?
Thanks for the post!
Flushing,
the birthplace of religious freedom...what a sham!
The Bowne House lies there almost in ruins and some Old Quaker Meeting House graves might now have been illegally exhumed and removed by a rapacious developer.
Imagine--
all of that valuable "underutilized" land in the Quaker cemetery.
Maybe some barbarian developer would like to dig it all up and build some ugly, oversize condos there.
Forget about it!
The Quakers will NEVER sell--
NOT EVER--for any price.
They remain the staunch, stalwart, stewards of history.
Violate a grave
and its occupant won't rest easy!
Quakers are, indeed, a most peaceful lot...that is,
until their rests are disturbed.
I'm glad this is out in the open.
Property = Quakers'
Developer = Quaking!
These new people dont give a shit, have no respect of anything American.
How many stones (grave markers of blacks and native Americans) did the that Asian church remove from St.Saviors before cashing out the property ?
Anonymous said...
Might that developer be Chinese?
-------
Jeff Huang the owner of Pinnacle Engineering is a Taiwanese and a bundler of John Liu. The Building Department should do an audit on this project.
Will Peter Koo let this slide because the developer is Chinese and a Liu bundler...just like Koo is a Liu bundler, himself?
Let's see if (yawn) sleepy-time CB# 7 gets up in arms.
Calling Toby Stavisky, Gary Ackerman, Grace Meng.
Is anyone home? Does anyone care?
Oh, there will be plenty of lip service from all the polls regarding this.
I think that the state attorney general should be notified PDQ!
Senator Gillebrand should be contacted.
I have my doubts about lame duck Ackerman caring about anything these days.
Maybe Jeff Huang
is also a related to Tommy Huang.
RU kidding...the DOB do an audit?
They've, most likely, already been bribed to look the other way.
DOB=department of bribes.
The "Keeper of The National Trust of Historic Places" needs to be reached.
This site is a national Historic Landmark which is on a par with the Statue of Liberty.
If the meetinghouse weren't privately owned, it would be under the auspices of the National Park Service, I believe.
That's how important this place is!
P.S.
The gentle Quakers
might be bound by a code of peaceful behavior--BUT I'M NOT!
I'll be keeping an eye on all of you elected officials to make sure that this hallowed ground is protected from further abuse!
A warning:
This is a watershed case.
If the developer can get away with this kind of desecration,
there isn't a cemetery around that is safe!
Developer...Taiwanese.
City Councilman...Taiwanese.
Assembly Member...Taiwanese.
Everybody...say your prayers.
Deja vu..."Martin's Field".
PSST. THERE BE BONES BURRIED IN FRANCIS LEWIS PARK
YOU KNOW FROM DEM INJUNS AS WELL AS FROM THE BRITISH AND REVOLUTIONARIES WHEN THE BRITISH LANDED AND WENT AFTER MR. FRANCIS LEWIS HIMSELF
YES SIR THAT WAS WHERE THEY LANDED RIGHT IN WHAT IS NOW THE PARK
RUMOR HAS IT THE MTA FOUND ARTIFACTS AND HUSHED IT UP SO NOT TO MESS WITH THEIR EXPANSION PROJECT
THEY ALSO MOVED THE PARK SO THAT IT WOULDNT BE SO CLOSE TO THE ARTIFACTS NEAR THE WATER AND OR THE BRIDGE
SHHHH!!!!!
Ooops...
things that go bump in the night!
"Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones...gonna get up 'n walk around"...dem bones gonna haunt the buyers of these condos!
Boooooo!
If you no kike-eee...then no buy-eee!
What's CM Koo got to say?
What's Assembly Member Meng got to say?
What's Senator Stavisky got to say?
What's B.P. Marshal got to say?
What's Congressman Ackerman got to say?
Forget that last one.
He's non-caring and non-functional now that he's retiring.
And the developer is Chinese, so Gary would never wish to offend his Asian campaign contributors.
SHHHH?
Too late!
The story is rapidly getting "legs".
A good bet is that Washington D.C. has already been notified of this violation.
Check out yesterday's "New York Times" article regarding this.
While you're at it,
you might also want to look up the DOB's stop work order on line too.
Apparently the developer encroached upon the historic Quaker graveyard by removing approximately 3 feet of earth along their property line down to about a depth of 25 feet.
Could bits and pieces of human remains now be in a landfill somewhere?
Let's see what Koo's gonna do?
With a Chinese owner involved...
probably as little as possible.
It appears that a lot of Bowne descendants are up in arms over this.
Brava!
Well played, Ms. Rosemary Vietor!
This is going to make prime time TV network news soon.
Mark my words.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Time magazine should pick up on this scandal.
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