Thursday, August 25, 2016

Queens preservation's situation summed up in one photo

And there we have it.

Photo by George the Atheist

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

As George the Atheist said:
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This is where the Steinway family "held court": entertaining NYC luminaries in the 19th century, planning civic improvement, running a successful local and worldwide business, promoting the arts.

And it has now come down to this.
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But people, look at the good here, we have 'Diversity Plaza' and 'vibrant and diverse' Flushing for the tourists, and the future slum of 'New Harlem' being built in LIC on top of a toxic garbage dump with inadequate infrastructure for the locals.

It is certainly clear to everyone why people in Queens mechanically vote for whatever garbage is placed in front of them.

Anonymous said...

Christopher Grey, of the New York Times responded on Facebook about the Steinway Mansion:

"Failure of Queens citizens to care?"

This is the first notice by any architectural critic of note on this mess and he went right for the jugular.

(sarc) said...

I have seen and learned that good photography is all about the angles.

George the Atheist truly understands...

The Retro Visionary said...

And it could have been so beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Someone noted that every Tom Dick and Harry is mentioned as 'cultural' in Queens: Peruvian flute, Chinese drums, Bangladeshi dance, Kaufman studios, and of course, Louis Armstrong.

Not a hint of the word 'Steinway' in the Queens cultural scene.

Anywhere.

Do developers and their politician sidekicks control everything in the borough?

Even our value system?

Anonymous said...

Not a hint of the word 'Steinway' in the Queens cultural scene.

Perhaps the Vallones are doing everything they can to erase the memory of Steinway so they can get a hand on all that dirt? Look at all those acres!

Pianos? worthless.

Dirt? Priceless!

Jerry Rotondi, disgusted preservationist said...

I guess that the Greater Astoria Historical Society did all that it could to save the site.
But, with the great Democratic machine that runs Queens (most of whom take money from developers) ,
there is little chance that much of the borough's remaining history will remain.
Flushing's got flushed. Now it's Steinway's turn down the port o san in the foreground.
Great shot, George! It does really sum up the crappy situation that exists. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

>I have seen and learned that good photography is all about the angles.

And the composition, and the lighting, and the depth of field, and the dynamic range...

Anonymous said...

Little premature to write the obit. A lot of weird shit is suddenly happening in good ol Astoria. Stay tuned and buckle your seat belts.

JQ LLC said...

Not premature at all. What has happened there is an entombment in real time.

I foresee, especially with the placement of that exceptional government parking sign, the mansion being used for the pleasure of those who will occupy those warehouses and certain official groups. Mainly the offices that approve film, restaurant and building permits in association withe industries that perpetually benefit from them, along with the all the big fucking banks and capital venture firms. And of course the spineless subservient and fawning news media.

It will become a playhouse for the gentrification industrial complex for their private parties and promotional events as the rest of the city collapses under the weight of superficial, artificial luxury and under-reported blight, strife and crime.

Anonymous said...

The description you give the place is pretty much a summery of 'earned income' from space rental that any institution would follow if it could - and only the elite because they are able.

Supplemented by a stunning inventory of collections and furnishings, restored by the top architects and conservancies in the city, a concert series (do you really think the 'Steinway' dimension would be untouched), coupled with education programs and and the like and you have a wonderful grant-fueled non-profit that benefits everyone.

That was part of the plan all along ... as long as they don't set fires or leave snow in open windows or do anything else stupid. But the locals did what they had to do and its time for them to move on.

Those problems should be taken care of when the let the adults back in there ... and 'Steinway' will again be a major player of NYC.

georgetheatheist said...

"... a concert series (do you really think the 'Steinway' dimension would be untouched), coupled with education programs and and the like and you have a wonderful grant-fueled non-profit that benefits everyone."

Where is everybody going to park? The area has developed already into a traffic nightmare. There's no room as it is right now in the vicinity. And wait until the 11 warehouses' employees look for parking. And Big Mother trucks constantly dangerously backing up and beeping.

Anonymous said...

Easy, George.

For special events? Cut Steinway in and you have a shuttle going to parking lot two blocks away.

Sewage plant could use a deck like they did in Riverview by the G Washington Bridge.

Besides, with the new bucks around there how long do you think the local junkyards will remain?

Next question.

georgetheatheist said...

Cut Steinway in...

Cut Steinway in? Where was "Steinway" when billionaire Queens-raised owner John Paulson ("I'm in awe of the name.") was all along MIA? See my open letter to him of almost 14 months ago here.

The 2.6 million for him was chicken feed and he could have developed the acreage into those profitable 24 million dollar warehouses or whatever. Some businessman he.

Cut Steinway in?

Anonymous said...

The problem here is simple - the pols are either ignoring this or enabling this and the local community is too dumb or ignorant to either care or stop said pols from doing this to them.

Anonymous said...

Stop with the Paulson fantasy, already!
If I were he, I wouldn't give a nickel to Queens either.
Why....to have it sopped up by borough hall?
C'mon....this is a forgotten borough.
The only thing we can claim is that the livin' is easy here...fish are jumpin' high in meadow lake...and the nabes are quite safe(compared to Brooklyn) especially in the northeast.Ah, summertime....George.....Gershwin.
Queens is a bedroom borough...no class....just asses voting in the same old pol's that screw them repeatedly.
Wish for what you want, but you ain't gonna get it!

The "Fantasy" John Paulson said...

"I'm in awe of the brand. Just not the company's landmarked domicile a block away."

Anonymous said...

Love the Tudor arch doorway on that port o san.
A touch of class for your ass.