From Capital New York:State Senator Tony Avella has asked the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the site where Major League Soccer would like to build an arena, Related Companies and Sterling Equities would like to build a mall, and the United States Tennis Association would like to expand its National Tennis Center.
On February 20, Avella sent a letter to Robert Tierney, the chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, requesting the park be added to the city's list of scenic landmarks, like Central, Fort Tryon, and Morningside parks.
"The Park is a valuable asset for the city not only because of its green space and natural areas, but also due to its embodiment of historical structures and leading cultural and educational institutions," he wrote.
The park is home to a number of World's Fair relics that have fallen into disrepair, including the Philip Johnson-designed New York City Pavilion, the New York City Building, which for several years housed the United Nations, the Queens Museum of Art, and the Unisphere, which was granted landmark status in 1995.
"We’ve long felt that Flushing Meadows Corona Park is of historic significance for many different reasons, and while I'm not ready to say should the whole thing be landmarked, but goddamn, obviously, there are areas of the park that are historically significant and deserve to be protected," said Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council.
17 comments:
Yawn!
LOL!
A snowball in Hell has a better chance!
Bad news guys - because Avella is running agains4t the machine they will make sure he does not get this request fulfilled. They cannot let him have anything that can benefit his race.
Aren't the Fountains near the Unisphere (Which is landmarked) considered to be a part of the Unisphere Installation, and as such also landmarked?
It would be one of the saddest looking landmarked areas on the landmark list
"...because Avella is running..."
We all know that as a politician Avella is using this as a campaign opportunity. It's something all politicians do. He and we know this designation will never ever happen.
I wish that Avella and other candidates would focus on other Queens issues such as mass transit (how about the 7 line being shut down almost every weekend? Keeps the bridge and tunnel scum out of Manhattan), the filth of our streets and highways, the deterioration of ALL our parkland (How long are the fields in Cunningham going to be fenced off?), our jam packed schools, the physical neglect of downtown Flushing, etc., etc.
Avella could be a good advocate for the borough but he needs to stick to real issues and not pie in the sky crap like landmark status for Flushing Meadows Park. It'll never happen. Not in a hundred years.
He stole my thunder. I was just about to propose that myself.
The 7 line is more than 100 years old, it needs weekend maintenance. Jam packed schools are the result of anchor babies and the UFT who thinks there should be 10 students to each teacher. The deterioration of our parkland is due to the fact that a miniscule amount of the NYC budget goes toward the expense budget of that agency. Press conference after press conference has been held about these issues, yet nothing is done about them because people like to be given free shit. If you continue to give free shit away, you'll get re-elected in this town. It's that simple.
"...yet nothing is done about them because people like to be given free shit."
No kidding. But wouldn't it be refreshing and enlightening if a candidate would actually be serious and address the important issues of the Borough instead of the "free shit" that he has no control over? It's the pandering BS that turns the pols into jokes.
As for the 7 line, do the work at night. After all the city is paying OT for weekend work too. And the 7 is just approaching 100 not over it and didn't hit Main St. until the late 1920's.
As much as I dislike the UFT and Mulgrew they are not responsible for 25-30+ kids in Queens school classes.
And the press conferences about our parks goes nowhere as will the Landmark status of Flushing Meadows.
Perhaps it's time for daily noisy protests outside City Hall whenever the city council is in session. The media loves stories like that and the council leader Quinn hates them. But the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Love the idea! I'm behind it 100%!
Anon No. 9:
You would need to close the 7 line every night of the week for months to do the work being done on the weekend.
Most of the 7 line opened in 1917 - it's not 100 years old, only 96. But the Steinway tunnel was built before the rest of the line - for trolleys - and is over 100 years old.
Anon No. 9:
You would need to close the 7 line every night of the week for months to do the work being done on the weekend.
Most of the 7 line opened in 1917 - it's not 100 years old, only 96. But the Steinway tunnel was built before the rest of the line - for trolleys - and is over 100 years old.
50 years too late buddy. Why do politicians only come up with these ideas when they are running for office?????
Because they know idiots in Queens will always vote for pie in the sky....
I wish that the landmarking law was on the books in 1940, and I could go into my time machine and show them the Queenscrap blog and twist the timeline for the betterment of Queens and preserve it.
And I want to win Mega Millions!
Anything goes in an election year, I guess.
The more you plaster your face in the media, the more the dumb voters think you'll be a great choice.
Groan...I'm moving to Brooklyn.
The New York State Pavilion is a New York State Landmark.
About a month or so ago I responded to an article in Queens Courier, I believe, to volunteer and help fix up the New York State Pavilion. John Piro, I believe, replied that he's away for a week and will get back to me. He never did. I lost his email. Wish I still had a way to contact someone about it again.
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