I hope that Greater Astoria Historical Society mounts an exhibit of all of these well documented photos. That way they can say they've done their best for Steinway. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wake up folks! What landmark will be the next to suffer damage?
The only guy who is doing his job here is George Thanks for these flix George. Maybe a coalition of all of the historical societies in Queens can stage a rally at borough hall , featuring blow ups of these pix. Yawn...I expect the tooth fairy to take action sooner.
Can you imagine the damage if that baby keeled over onto the Mansion? Just like at the other end of the site their backhoe knocked off a good chunk of the warehouse?
And remember folks that this design destruction is brought to you by Queens architect Gerald Caliendo, a member of the local Community Board 1 and President of the Board of Directors of the historic King Manor in downtown Jamaica.
On one hand, you have the Friends who proposed the Steinway Arts District, capitalizing on the legendary Steinway name to create a significant performing arts and education space. People come from all over the world to Steinway piano - where instruments are made for 98% of all recording and concert artists.
This would be perfect on so many levels.
For NYC, the arts and artisan communities are under siege as never before. Loss of space, disbursal of collaborative groups (how can a dance group rehearse if its members live in the four corners of the city?), the increasing heavy thumb on politics intruding on arts funding with money going to good soldiers as opposed to good artists, the role of corporate America that defines an evening of Disney followed by Olive Garden, the bleeding of the arts communities to other sunnier locations (dance to Chicago, theater to Berlin) increasingly augers a cultural future of uber-rich spending a few weeks each year in a midtown of darkened towers and middle brow tourists from Rome Georgia or Rome Italy clogging streets now shunned by native New Yorkers.
The secondary spin-offs from the Steinway Arts District, from artisan craft shops to restaurants featuring the legendary dining of Queens, to say nothing of the inevitable new housing where are artists and artisans would be given preference, would make Astoria a world class destination - served by the relatively inexpensive extension of the elevated trains and the close proximity to both the airport and Triboro Bridge.
Lets set aside this fantasy, and see what the leadership of Queens have given us instead.
Many valuable years were wasted with the Vallones. Papa has a consulting firm and one of its clients was St Micheals Cemetery that wanted to expand. A complicated deal, which we will not get into here, explains Junior's fixation with parks and the Steinway Mansion. When that fell through (surprise) there was no interest in anything else. Thanks guys.
At one time, Queens had brilliant leadership - not in politics for that was always 'tha boys' having fun at the public trough - but in developing the borough based on the sound principles of first rate urban planning. All this was lost gradually to the condition we have today - automatons mouthing empty platitudes and going through the empty motions of government - significant in trappings, but empty in values.
What you see in this picture is what happens when someone shows up with money and other considerations, as the benefits of the Steinway Arts Distinct, or common decency to regard public office as a trust by the public is forgotten. I really believe that the politicians, who are responsible for this, have become so disconnected from the rest of us, that they see no problem with what is happening.
The fact that the local cultural scene is also dependent on them for money, or, like the medieval cultural artists, are dependent on some political figure or developer (can you imagine what DeVinci could have done if he was not forced to waste time on tombs for petty Italian princes and popes?). The Queens cultural scene, instead of welcoming a Steinway Arts District, loath the new bar it would set in the arts of Queens, or the competition it would set on the abysmal cultural budget the borough has thanks to Van Bramer and Katz.
No folks, this need not be the future of Steinway or Queens. We need not give the world yet another excuse to point fingers and laugh at a borough whose image has been tarnished by those at the top.
It’s about time we find our voice. It’s about time we put of foot down and let those, who are getting paid by us to serve our interests and needs, to make it clear that they should, well, serve our interests and needs.
Now, as churlish children corrected by an adult, they will give us all sorts of 'dog ate my homework' excuses. Don't believe it. Don't accept it. Stay on course.
You will be surprised when you find your voice what will happen. As a matter of fact, you might not want to lose it.
Good luck Queens. The only thing to lose is your chains.
Eventually it is going to happen, real damage from all this earth moving and pounding will do damage to the Mansion and it will have to come down. They allowed to much construction to go too close to the building.
Eventually it is going to happen, real damage from all this earth moving and pounding will do damage to the Mansion and it will have to come down. They allowed to much construction to go too close to the building.
Approved by Landmarks. Therefore the city is involved as an accessory and any suit brought will attract lawyers like flies to crap.
The foundation of that mansion (and a few block walls) are going to shift causing irreparably damage that may not show for a wile (no doubt when it to late) depending on the soil and shale below it. This is no doubt an engineered time delay death sentence for the mansion. These people want that land it sits on !!
Not sure who's side George is really on, his rhetoric says he's with us but his pictures tell a different story. They are obviously taken while standing on the property which says he's friendly with the owners.. Well George which is it?
The foundation of that mansion (and a few block walls) are going to shift causing irreparably damage that may not show for a wile (no doubt when it to late) depending on the soil and shale below it. This is no doubt an engineered time delay death sentence for the mansion. These people want that land it sits on !!
There is no shale on Long Island. "Engineered time delay death sentence"? WTF
GAHS has been sitting on this for decades. Blame the politicians? Yes, they are to blame but that cowardly uninspired historical society is their partner. GAHS first sought to kiss the local pols' butts. Being unsuccessful at that what else did they do? A savvy group would have given up that making friends with pols long ago and concentrated on finding a sensitive buyer for Steinway. Of course now they can wring their hands and cry about the great loss. Wah, wah, wah! They are starved for funding. Hmmmm, still blaming everyone for them not finding a teat to suckle upon? Jealous of being booted from mommy's tit while other groups got their share of mamma's milk? Maybe the runt of the litter needs to find another mommy. C'mon! Get creative. Find another cash cow if your pol's and county are against you. Or perish. Hmmmm....perish that thought because who winds up with GAHS's collection of valuable artifacts if they get tossed out of Quonn's funeral home? Ah, ha! Most likely the Queens Historical Society...another blowhard group. If you do not like the comments being made about you, GAHS, try taking some real action. Grow a pair! You seem to spend more time defending yourselves and pointing out how you keep getting screwed by the political funding system. Put that wasted energy to work.
Quote: **Where is this grandiose babble coming from.about shale" Babble ? Are you another product of the NYC school system or NYU.
SHALE: Shale is sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals in this case left here by the glacier million of years ago. It and dirt is what the mansion sits on, and to add SHALE does not have to contain oil ! Did you really think Steinway Mansion's foundation sits on solid bedrock ? Who's stupid now ? Go sit in a corner if your not willing to learn something here!
Thank's for the geology lesson but that won't be saving Steinway only your own grandiose impression of yourself. Get real. Get a life. Go take some real action! Hire a lawyer. Get a restraining order. File an article78. Call Mr. Paulson.
Your antiquated rhetoric and illustrations betray your age and ingnorance in how to mount an effective campaign to help protect the mansion. Honestly, is "sit in a corner" the best comeback you can manage? Keep on rocking in your chair, granny. Let the bedrock preservationists do your heavy lifting for you. Is there any bedrock in the preservation movement? All I've seen is sand and shale.
It doesn't look like anybody is going to let up on GAHS until they see some real movement from them. Silence has been their credo for years. Do not rock the funding boat. Put up or shut up. Oops, you've already shut up for too damn long.
The difference is GAHS is volunteer, while they are getting paid to go to bat - but then it took them two months get get after Con Ed when an entire apartment complex had none so - give 'em time. give 'em time.
By the way, the last time we saw Mike Gianaris he was hoping that they were going to open the place up to the community - a glance at their office certainly explains his blindness.
I am f-----g sick and tired of hearing that not for profit groups like GAHS have only a bunch of volunteers. There are NO volunteers in the preservation army, which GAHS personel agreed to join. There are only those who are capable of achieving the objective and those who are not. There are two kinds of fighters, in military parlance, the quick and the dead. It sounds like GAHS is already on life support. Maybe you should fold up your tents and dissolve your organization. You can fight smarter if you really tried. Goliath has money. Make good use of your sling.
GHS, QHS, yadda, yadda, yadda, refuse to give up the security of their "sterling" reputations and funding sources...whatever they might be. Ya gotta be in it to win it! That means in the trenches. You never saw a warrior of ancient Sparta be afraid to relentlessly push ahead. Come back from a battle bearing your shield or be carried home on it! That is what a Spartan mother expected of her son. If a historical society chooses, in its bylaws, to be a Musem or educational facility they should not complain about losing sites such as Steinway, after relegating their fighting to someone else. I guess they fear doing some heavy lifting. After all, they are the "scholars".
28 comments:
I hope that Greater Astoria Historical Society mounts an exhibit of all of these well documented photos.
That way they can say they've done their best for Steinway.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wake up folks! What landmark will be the next to suffer damage?
"London bridge is falling down....my fair lady".
Where's the LPC?
Catching a snooze with GAHS.
The only guy who is doing his job here is George
Thanks for these flix George.
Maybe a coalition of all of the historical societies in Queens can
stage a rally at borough hall , featuring blow ups of these pix.
Yawn...I expect the tooth fairy to take action sooner.
Shouldn't GAHS be making some calls to these other groups to coordinate a rally?
Shouldn't people be phoning GAHS to pressure them into doing so?
Can you imagine the damage if that baby keeled over onto the Mansion? Just like at the other end of the site their backhoe knocked off a good chunk of the warehouse?
And remember folks that this design destruction is brought to you by Queens architect Gerald Caliendo, a member of the local Community Board 1 and President of the Board of Directors of the historic King Manor in downtown Jamaica.
This lays bare all that is wrong in Queens.
On one hand, you have the Friends who proposed the Steinway Arts District, capitalizing on the legendary Steinway name to create a significant performing arts and education space. People come from all over the world to Steinway piano - where instruments are made for 98% of all recording and concert artists.
This would be perfect on so many levels.
For NYC, the arts and artisan communities are under siege as never before. Loss of space, disbursal of collaborative groups (how can a dance group rehearse if its members live in the four corners of the city?), the increasing heavy thumb on politics intruding on arts funding with money going to good soldiers as opposed to good artists, the role of corporate America that defines an evening of Disney followed by Olive Garden, the bleeding of the arts communities to other sunnier locations (dance to Chicago, theater to Berlin) increasingly augers a cultural future of uber-rich spending a few weeks each year in a midtown of darkened towers and middle brow tourists from Rome Georgia or Rome Italy clogging streets now shunned by native New Yorkers.
The secondary spin-offs from the Steinway Arts District, from artisan craft shops to restaurants featuring the legendary dining of Queens, to say nothing of the inevitable new housing where are artists and artisans would be given preference, would make Astoria a world class destination - served by the relatively inexpensive extension of the elevated trains and the close proximity to both the airport and Triboro Bridge.
Lets set aside this fantasy, and see what the leadership of Queens have given us instead.
(continued)
Many valuable years were wasted with the Vallones. Papa has a consulting firm and one of its clients was St Micheals Cemetery that wanted to expand. A complicated deal, which we will not get into here, explains Junior's fixation with parks and the Steinway Mansion. When that fell through (surprise) there was no interest in anything else. Thanks guys.
At one time, Queens had brilliant leadership - not in politics for that was always 'tha boys' having fun at the public trough - but in developing the borough based on the sound principles of first rate urban planning. All this was lost gradually to the condition we have today - automatons mouthing empty platitudes and going through the empty motions of government - significant in trappings, but empty in values.
What you see in this picture is what happens when someone shows up with money and other considerations, as the benefits of the Steinway Arts Distinct, or common decency to regard public office as a trust by the public is forgotten. I really believe that the politicians, who are responsible for this, have become so disconnected from the rest of us, that they see no problem with what is happening.
The fact that the local cultural scene is also dependent on them for money, or, like the medieval cultural artists, are dependent on some political figure or developer (can you imagine what DeVinci could have done if he was not forced to waste time on tombs for petty Italian princes and popes?). The Queens cultural scene, instead of welcoming a Steinway Arts District, loath the new bar it would set in the arts of Queens, or the competition it would set on the abysmal cultural budget the borough has thanks to Van Bramer and Katz.
No folks, this need not be the future of Steinway or Queens. We need not give the world yet another excuse to point fingers and laugh at a borough whose image has been tarnished by those at the top.
It’s about time we find our voice. It’s about time we put of foot down and let those, who are getting paid by us to serve our interests and needs, to make it clear that they should, well, serve our interests and needs.
Now, as churlish children corrected by an adult, they will give us all sorts of 'dog ate my homework' excuses. Don't believe it. Don't accept it. Stay on course.
You will be surprised when you find your voice what will happen. As a matter of fact, you might not want to lose it.
Good luck Queens. The only thing to lose is your chains.
Eventually it is going to happen, real damage from all this earth moving and pounding will do damage to the Mansion and it will have to come down. They allowed to much construction to go too close to the building.
Shouldn't GAHS be making some calls to these other groups to coordinate a rally?
Shouldn't people be phoning GAHS to pressure them into doing so?
Go after the politicians and the community board.
Why are the neighborhood blogs quiet - we heart astoria and growing up astoria?
afraid ad revenue will dry up if they go to bat for the community?
Eventually it is going to happen, real damage from all this earth moving and pounding will do damage to the Mansion and it will have to come down. They allowed to much construction to go too close to the building.
Approved by Landmarks. Therefore the city is involved as an accessory and any suit brought will attract lawyers like flies to crap.
The foundation of that mansion (and a few block walls) are going to shift causing irreparably damage that may not show for a wile (no doubt when it to late) depending on the soil and shale below it. This is no doubt an engineered time delay death sentence for the mansion. These people want that land it sits on !!
Not sure who's side George is really on, his rhetoric says he's with us but his pictures tell a different story. They are obviously taken while standing on the property which says he's friendly with the owners.. Well George which is it?
Haven't you ever heard of drone photography?
My guess is George self engineered access and took those photos Sunday. Those machines appear to be in the parked position.
Joe
The foundation of that mansion (and a few block walls) are going to shift causing irreparably damage that may not show for a wile (no doubt when it to late) depending on the soil and shale below it. This is no doubt an engineered time delay death sentence for the mansion. These people want that land it sits on !!
There is no shale on Long Island. "Engineered time delay death sentence"? WTF
GAHS has been sitting on this for decades. Blame the politicians? Yes, they are to blame but that cowardly uninspired historical society is their partner. GAHS first sought to kiss the local pols' butts. Being unsuccessful at that what else did they do? A savvy group would have given up that making friends with pols long ago and concentrated on finding a sensitive buyer for Steinway. Of course now they can wring their hands and cry about the great loss. Wah, wah, wah! They are starved for funding. Hmmmm, still blaming everyone for them not finding a teat to suckle upon? Jealous of being booted from mommy's tit while other groups got their share of mamma's milk? Maybe the runt of the litter needs to find another mommy. C'mon! Get creative. Find another cash cow if your pol's and county are against you. Or perish. Hmmmm....perish that thought because who winds up with GAHS's collection of valuable artifacts if they get tossed out of Quonn's funeral home? Ah, ha! Most likely the Queens Historical Society...another blowhard group. If you do not like the comments being made about you, GAHS, try taking some real action. Grow a pair! You seem to spend more time defending yourselves and pointing out how you keep getting screwed by the political funding system. Put that wasted energy to work.
Where is this grandiose babble coming from.about shale, etc. ?
Talk so we can all understand you.
And that "Missing Foundation" guy , who's always commenting, has more missing than his foundation.
Quote: **Where is this grandiose babble coming from.about shale"
Babble ?
Are you another product of the NYC school system or NYU.
SHALE: Shale is sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals in this case left here by the glacier million of years ago.
It and dirt is what the mansion sits on, and to add SHALE does not have to contain oil !
Did you really think Steinway Mansion's foundation sits on solid bedrock ?
Who's stupid now ?
Go sit in a corner if your not willing to learn something here!
Thank's for the geology lesson but that won't be saving Steinway only your own grandiose impression of yourself.
Get real. Get a life. Go take some real action! Hire a lawyer. Get a restraining order. File an article78. Call Mr. Paulson.
Your antiquated rhetoric and illustrations betray your age and ingnorance in how to mount an effective campaign to help protect the mansion. Honestly, is "sit in a corner" the best comeback you can manage? Keep on rocking in your chair, granny. Let the bedrock preservationists do your heavy lifting for you. Is there any bedrock in the preservation movement? All I've seen is sand and shale.
It doesn't look like anybody is going to let up on GAHS until they see some real movement from them.
Silence has been their credo for years. Do not rock the funding boat. Put up or shut up. Oops, you've already shut up for too damn long.
Problem is not GAHS - its the politicians.
The difference is GAHS is volunteer, while they are getting paid to go to bat - but then it took them two months get get after Con Ed when an entire apartment complex had none so - give 'em time. give 'em time.
By the way, the last time we saw Mike Gianaris he was hoping that they were going to open the place up to the community - a glance at their office certainly explains his blindness.
Long Island is gravel, clay, and some smaller rocks brought down from the glacier in Conn.
Shale is in coal country.
I am f-----g sick and tired of hearing that not for profit groups like GAHS have only a bunch of volunteers.
There are NO volunteers in the preservation army, which GAHS personel agreed to join. There are only those who are capable of achieving the objective and those who are not. There are two kinds of fighters, in military parlance, the quick and the dead.
It sounds like GAHS is already on life support.
Maybe you should fold up your tents and dissolve your organization. You can fight smarter if you really tried.
Goliath has money. Make good use of your sling.
GHS, QHS, yadda, yadda, yadda, refuse to give up the security of their "sterling" reputations and funding sources...whatever they might be.
Ya gotta be in it to win it! That means in the trenches. You never saw a warrior of ancient Sparta be afraid to relentlessly push ahead.
Come back from a battle bearing your shield or be carried home on it! That is what a Spartan mother expected of her son.
If a historical society chooses, in its bylaws, to be a Musem or educational facility they should not complain about losing sites such as Steinway, after relegating their fighting to someone else. I guess they fear doing some heavy lifting. After all, they are the "scholars".
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