QCC Members,
The Landmark Preservation Commission will hold a hearing on May 15 to formally remove the Brinkerhoff Cemetery from its calendar and eliminate any possibility of saving this historical and hallowed graveyard. Fresh Meadows Homeowners Association and QCC need your help to demand that the three century old cemetery be landmarked and preserved, and hopefully some day restored. FMHA started landmark requests years ago and LPC calendared the item but it has never either approved or disapproved it, leaving the site in limbo. A developer has purchased the property and requested "decalandering" the item so they can proceed with developing homes on it. QCC members at our luncheon on April 29 heard an impassioned plea by Yvette and Jim Gallagher for our help. QCC testimony will be presented at the hearing and we encourage other civics to get on the record by delivering testimony or to be present to show strength and support for our friends in Fresh Meadows. The hearing is now scheduled for May 15 at 9am at the Municipal Building, 1 Centre Street in Manhattan.
The Brinkerhoff cemetery, located at 69-63 182nd Street in Fresh Meadows, contains the remains of 76 or 77 members of the Brinkerhoff family dating back three centuries. Although the headstones and grave markers have long since disappeared, records from the Queens Borough President's office show the precise location and inscription of each tombstone as surveyed in 1919. With this survey, and deed records it cannot be denied that the site is a cemetery and the City, which took ownership, improperly sold the site.
There are several articles available on-line by searching. QCC's testimony will be posted before May 15. Meanwhile we hope you will look into it and if you are available, please either testify of appear with FMHA and QCC on May 15.
Thank you.
Rich Hellenbrecht
Newtown Historical Society calls on Queens elected officials to fund acquisition of Brinckerhoff Cemetery
The Newtown Historical Society stands with the Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Association and other civic and preservation organizations across the borough in opposition of the proposed de-calendaring of the Brinckerhoff Cemetery by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The cemetery holds the remains of some of the earliest settlers of Queens and, as an important historical reminder of our borough’s past, should be designated an official NYC landmark. However, designation is not enough to ensure preservation.
Therefore, NHS calls on the elected officials representing the Fresh Meadows area, the Queens Borough President and Queens delegation of the City Council, to allocate funding toward purchase of the property and return ownership to the City. The property cost $100,000 to purchase in 2000, but that opportunity was unfortunately not capitalized upon. Over the course of the following 10 years, no funding was allocated for this purpose, although elected officials went on record during that time to claim that they supported public ownership of the land as a park or historic site.
The property was sold in 2010 for $105,000 – an increase in price of only $5,000 after 10 years. Surely, most - if not all - of this funding can be raised during the City’s upcoming June budget cycle to purchase the property from the current owner and assure that this land is forever saved from the threat of development. The Queens delegation recently allocated a lump sum of $3M toward purchase of a schoolyard in Jackson Heights for part-time use as a park. It is time for Queens’ elected officials to step up to the plate and put their money where their mouths are so we will not need any more hearings or rallies to push for a solution which should have come to pass decades ago.
Brinckerhoff Cemetery was also once known as "Black Stump Cemetery" and is located at 69-65 182nd Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens.
Rally videos are here.
6 comments:
Although the space at 164 street/46 avenue was public property in 1840 , bought by Flushing residents for $400.and named "PAUPERS CEMETERY", it became Parks Dept .property ,eventiually named "MARTINS FIELD". documents state that majority African -Americans..."OR"...Native-Americans, POOR WHITES and WEALTHIER INDIVIDUALS were buried there.
Recently it was renamed "YE OLDE FLUSHING BURIAL GROUND" after Queens Borough Pres. Helen Marshall and former Cm. John Liu lobbied for and got $2.7 million of nyc capital funding (citizen's taxes) to refurbish it.
One wonders why the space at the "Brinckerhoff Cemetery" is so difficult for these same local politicians to acquire, when the price is so low ? ONLY $105,000. The cost (to taxpayers) to house so many local dem.politicians, with medical and dental coverage, in prison must exceed this cemetery space cost greatly?
It's not difficult. No one bothered to try.
The politicians simply didn't try. Let's see how many of them will speak at the May 15 hearing.
Better yet- why was Liz Crowley present at the Brinckerhoff protest? She has some nerve being there after abandoning Saint Savior's! Don't be fooled.
Where did the "WEPRIN BROTHER'S POLITICAL MACHINE " disappear to ? This is their neighborhood.
One of the other political "land grabs" in Queens was the attempted theft of 25000 sq.ft. of playground,basketball courts and park space,@ F.L.B./ 42 avenue. Namely, the closing of P.S.130Q in 1981, stated that only the school building would be auctioned for $1.5 million. Well, after six years of community legal battles, the N.Y.C. Commissioner of Real Estate, MOAN ,INADVERTENTLY added the 25000 sq.ft. parcel to the auction dimensions.
After the Community Activists,Auburndale Improvement Assoc./ C.P.B.11 exposed this theft ,the parcel became off-limits to the gov. thieves and no one showed up for the auction of this desirable property.
Warner.American Cable/(B-Q cable-Manes-Dinkins-Sutton), St Nicholas Greek Church/School and U.N.School had shown interest in the property.
One wonders who would have gotten 25000 sq.ft. for nothing and who would have gotten campaign donor $$$$$$.
Presently the teens play basket/baseball ,the tots swing and slide,but sadly the local pupils across the street are bused a mile away to school, while the building ,now controlled by C.S.D.25 and S.E. Dist 75, buses pupils from Main street ,Flushing into the building ????
The F.MH.A. should use this gov.land grab and the "Ye Olde Fushing Burial Ground" site (also a nyc gov "land grab"), as a precedence for the landmarks debate.
this data is public info from nyc dept.parks and B.S.A.records and Q.C. previous comments on posts.
good luck ,but beware of the masters of deceit amongst you .
RE: More on N.Y.C.Deputy Comm.Div. Real Estate ,Terrence Moan....
NY Time,7/1987,Selwyn Raab,"Real Estate Officials Deal Questions Over Ethics". ( D.O.I. involved).
8/7/87, "Koch Aide Resigns Post Over Inquiry".
NY Times, Robt. Mc Fadden
The official in charge of commercial real estate for N.Y.C. submitted his resignation yesterday, saying he would suffer a "severe financial loss "if forced to to give up PRIVATE real estate interests that have prompted a city inquiry into his official conduct. After seven years as Dep. Comm. of Gen. Svces. in charge of Real Estate, the official,TERRENCE MOAN, said he would leave the $ 87,000. a -year-post Sept.11, rather than divest himself of ALL his OUTSIDE real estate interests under a plan proposed by the city.
If it were an old Jewish cemetery the Weprin brothers would have been on it long ago.
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