Letter to Tony Avella re: landmarking Old St. James Parish Hall
I wrote letters to State Senators Toby Stavisky and Council Member Danny Dromm regarding the lack of landmark status for Old St. James Parish Hall on Broadway, as they represent Elmhurst. I also sent the same letter to State Senator Tony Avella. Only Mr. Avella responded. I recently received a response from the LPC indicating that they were taking a look at what was submitted. Unless more elected officials show concern over the status of landmarks in their communities, there really isn't much of a chance or preserving what's left of Queens history.
Christina Wilkinson
President
Newtown Historical Society
27 comments:
Is there nothing sacred anymore in this God-forsaken borough?
PS Steinway Mansion Historical Heritage Site update as of yesterday, Sunday, September 13 here.
[Addressing the catatonic Queens citizenry]
Keep your eyes on the swinging watch. That's it. Back and forth. Now sleep, sleep, sleep.
Senator Avella is the only one that stands up for quality of life issues. All the rest want to just build bigger buildings fill them with potential new voters and keep on over developing.
Good for Avella!!
The Steinway mansion was saved only because the Friends reached outside the borough - the local officials, the community board, the community's leadership gave two shits.
The needs of the developer trumps everything else.
The old Balkan and Italian peasants only do what the padrone tells them having never learned the elements of engaged citizenry, but the real scare are the stepford hispters who, coddled from life by their parents, are walking through their lives without every understanding the importance of thinking.
It is beyond shameful how borough hall, and most Queens politicians, show no interest in landmarking.
Why is that? They show plenty of interest in the developers who contribute money to their campaign coffers.
These same developers also have little interest in protecting Queens historic heritage.
If razing a historic church means mega profits to them, they will do it and lose little sleep over it.
Over and over again , in my many years seeking to protect Queens' heritage, it seems to be the same old story.
Most politicians simply do not care enough....save one or two. They might put on a good show but they WILL NOT support any measures, such as landmarking, that might put a roadblock in a developer's path....the same developer whose money they need to get elected and re-elected.
In my opinion Toby Stavisky is one of your typical political lifers. She is good at issuing statements, writing letters...but after that what?
The Stavisky dynasty has been in business for a very long time ....since the 1960s! For that matter so have the Vallone's.
Can their political ambitions to have lifetime civil service employment with great perks be the root of the problem?
Please prove me wrong.
As for Danny Dromm....he is certainly not a leader. He is a follower of the orders handed down from the county clubhouse.
At one time, when I knew Danny in younger days, I really thought that he had promise as a reformer.
Change my opininions. I expect Toby Stavisky and Danny Dromm to both be writing letters of support for landmarking the Elmhurst church.
Isn't that the least you can do? Then you can tell the voters, "Hey, I support historic preservation".
Shame on Queens' elected officials. Shame on its voters for electing these self serving dullards. I am getting tired of having to bite my lip when I tell people that I live in Queens....the Archie Bunker borough.
If I ever win the lottery, I'm otta here in a flash for Manhattan.
That's the only borough that the LPC really cares about, and we've got the evidence to prove it being #4 on the list of landmark sites and districts.
P.S.
Senator Avella can't do everything by himself. Pitch in!
EVERYONE should be putting the heat on Dromm and Stavisky, Katz, De Blasio, and the LPC
to landmark this site.
Come on people; Hizzoner demands more affordable housing in NYC....Making this parcel available for a new residential development will go a long way towards that goal - alfster
I demand our borough historian to make a statement.
I demand Mitchel Groublers group make a statement.
I demand the boro president make a statement.
If not, f*k them bigtime.
Thanks, Tony and Christina, for caring about the history of Queens.
Can you imagine if we had many Tony Avella's instead of the fucking cheap whores we do have. But then the idiots put these whores in office.
Ironic how we do not tear down those fucking store fronts churches that multiply like 99 cent stores.
This borough and city sucks.
"The Steinway mansion was saved only because the Friends reached outside the borough - the local officials, the community board, the community's leadership gave two shits."
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Yeah? Reached out where? The Friends of Steinway Mansion (aka Greater Astoria Historical Society) were and (so far) are completely ineffective. Now on their Facebook page they promote the Steinway & Sons Company - an entity that hasn't done a thing to preserve the Mansion or the surrounding acreage.
Has anyone considered the possibility that our useless politicians (Tony Avella excluded) are profiting in some way by this colonization of Flushing, Whitestone and the surrounding areas ? The same thing is going on in NJ just over the GW Bridge. Check Fort Lee and Palisades Park. I even saw a Chinese bus labeled "Flushing / Fort Lee Express".
This is an orchestrated effort. It's not just a random influx of Chinese and Koreans. We have watched this cancer spread over the past 40 years. How is it that off-the-boat (or 747) immigrants who don't speak a word of English can buy a $900k home FOR CASH ? If they leave China with cash, it's in Yuans. So, if they have to go to a USA bank to convert their Yuans to dollars, why don't they use the convenience of a bank check ? It's because it's filthy money. Either they get the money from their puppetmasters in China who want to buy up NY real estate anonymously or because the local criminal element is laundering their cash generated from the whorehouses placed in residential areas (look up the police raid on the whorehouse in the Whitestone village earlier this year), or from their drugs or other illegal activity.
Our politicans are being paid to look the other way. If not, they are even dumber than Donald Trump says they are. Either way, this movement is too big to fight. Might as well get your big price for your home and move to a better part of the country that the politicians haven't screwed up yet.
"The Steinway mansion was saved only because the Friends reached outside the borough - the local officials, the community board, the community's leadership gave two shits."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Yeah? Reached out where? The Friends of Steinway Mansion (aka Greater Astoria Historical Society) were and (so far) are completely ineffective. Now on their Facebook page they promote the Steinway & Sons Company - an entity that hasn't done a thing to preserve the Mansion or the surrounding acreage.
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They are not ineffective because they chose not to deal with the local 'talent' but around them. (They are not promoting Steinway & Sons - S & S does not need that.)
You guys calling the shots are too damn stupid even now to realize what happened. So lets explain it to you - and we will not use big words. We promise.
The lesson learned is that no matter how big the fish, there is always bigger fish. As big as Queens is, there is a much bigger world out there, and in some circles, the leadership of Queens is quite irrelevant.
The leadership of Queens has lost big time on this one - electeds, community board, etc. the whole megilla was completely blindsided. All that was needed was a drop of intelligence applied at the right moment to the right spot (and yes, honestly a dollop of luck) and their proud arrogant boot stomping machinery got tripped up.
But the real ominous thing is not their defeat or getting one upped, but the example that was set.
You CAN beat the machine. This never happened before. And the people will not forget that.
Thank you for your clarification. The Steinway Mansion was landmarked long before Friends of Steinway , and possibly Greater Astoria Historical Society , even existed. So tell us , Friends of Steinway and GAHS WTF did you have to do with saving Steinway?
It looks very much like nothing! And the crap in front of the mansion that's being built....did you prevent that? A resounding, no!
So how exactly did you save Steinway. I'd like to get my hands on some of that great weed you've all been puffing.
Don't blame the Asians. A politician will sell out to any nationality, any color, any religion that pours money into their campaign war chests.
"They are not ineffective because they chose not to deal with the local 'talent' but around them. (They are not promoting Steinway & Sons - S & S does not need that.)"
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Just how did Steinway & Sons "deal around them"? Huh? How? Please explain it? S&S has been completely absent in this whole sordid enterprise.
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"You CAN beat the machine. This never happened before. And the people will not forget that."
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How was the "machine" beaten? The "machine" was beaten? Are you nuts? (Yeah gimme a toke on that joint as well.)
Readers, look at the last 3 entries on the Friends of Steinway Mansion's Facebook page. All 3 promoting the "Conservatory" of Steinway & Sons. (And prior to those a cutesy photo of the young Shirley Temple sitting at the piano.) What does all this have to do with saving the Mansion and the surrounding land.
(heh) See what happens when people are told what to think? Their ability to see and understand atrophies.
Where do you see Steinway & Son in the postings on Steinway Conservancy?
Let's see, the church gets bulldozed, zoning gets changed (with behind the scenes deals) and they put up a high rise with some "affordable units".
The tax income goes from ZERO to WOW in an instant.
More tax money for the useless politicians to waste and distribute to their friends with homeless shelters, a Win win for all except those who work.
What does it matter, we are kept too busy working working so we can pay "our fair share" of taxes.
Just keep working...
Why do you keep on bringing up, Mitchell Grubler? It's Dr. Jack-off Eichenbaum , the borough historian, who needs reaming to get moving.
Grubler lives in Manhattan, anyway.
"Where do you see Steinway & Son in the postings on Steinway Conservancy [sic]?"
So? Who then is running this "conservatory"?
"Might as well get your big price for your home and move to a better part of the country that the politicians haven't screwed up yet." You hit the nail on the head. Live with the change or move it's the only choice.
GAHS and Friends of Steinway are dillusional if they think that they saved Steinway.
Where is the proof....a video about the Steinway company? A Facebook petition? C'mon you self absorbed phonies.
The Steinway company itself, did not give a crap about its own heritage. GAHS is one big gas bag , collecting ephemera and hosting pompous events that they think will raise the awareness of the need to preserve Astoria's history.
They are relying on Kevin Walsh's celebrity ("Forgotten New York") to promote their anemic organization.
When was the last time that he published? His "forgotten New York" book is poorly printed on low grade paper. Who buys a book of photos when they are muddy? I spotted the book at Barmes & Noble and was eager to buy it until I opened it and saw the so so printing quality...and the price I would have to pay for that. I passed. His website was more impressive than his book. When was it updated last?
My, my, my....hysterical societies are full of legends in their own minds.
GAHS and Friends of Steinway are dillusional if they think that they saved Steinway. blah blah
Sounds like one of those removed library trustees who had not opened a book since they slept through their last year of school in the 10th grade.
That church has a cemetery around it.
Blah, blah, blah! No this is not one of those library folks.
I was a former member of GAHS and ought to know the truth.
And old GAHS gas bag is at it again.
If you do not like criticism then do you damn job.
Talk, talk, talk. Lecture, lecture, lecture. Exhibit, exhibit, exhibit.
Then there is a brief pause for kissing political ass.
Gotta get that funding even if they have brown nose it.
You didd not save one beam of Steinway.
Illusions, dillusional, and excuses. That's what you're good for.
LOL! Go and save those millstones.
Move the church. Some Asian developer could make better use of all that land.
At least two thousand Chinese could be living in a nice condo building on that site.
Religion is dead. History is dull.
Mao's Red Guard would have torn it down with their bare hands.
Decadent Western religion. Recycle all of those gravestones for building materials.
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