Monday, February 6, 2017
LPC turns its back on another Queens historic site
From the Queens Chronicle:
In a blow to Queens preservationists, a Downtown Flushing building with a rich history involving Quakerism will be replaced with an eight-story mixed-use building.
The Orthodox Meeting House and Cornucopia Masonic Temple are attached at the site, which is located at 137-66 Northern Blvd.
English colonists bought the location from Matinecock Indians in the 17th century, when Flushing was a Dutch New Netherlands colony, according to zoning consultant Paul Graziano, who made a report about the building’s viability for landmarking in 1994 under a contract with the Queens Historical Society.
A British guardhouse was at the location by the end of the 1600s to defend against Native American attacks. The building was demolished for firewood in 1776.
After the war ended, the site was bought by Orthodox Quakers for use as a secret meeting place (which they had used the location for since the 1600s), according to the report by Graziano, who is running in the nascent Democratic primary race against Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside). They built a meeting house there in 1827. It immediately bordered the Quaker Meeting House during that era, which also saw a split in the religious group known as the Separation: Factions were divided between the Hicksite and Orthodox sects.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected protecting the site in 2014, finding that “it did not rise to the level of an Individual Landmark” according to spokeswoman Damaris Olivo. She did not immediately return a request for comment when asked why it was not determined to be deserving of the status or who submitted the building for landmark consideration.
“If it was in Manhattan, it would have been designated 40 years ago,” Graziano told the Chronicle.
The owner of the site today, an LLC, will build 12 units in the planned eight-story structure, according to the real estate news website YIMBY. Retail, medical office and residential space is set to go there, and demolition permits were filed last year.
26 comments:
Another house for more of China. Nothing new .
Reading the story it looks like that building was built in 1905. All of the history, including the Quaker roots, was long ago pulled down. It is an ugly brick building that was a Mason hall.
Rightfully turned down for landmark status in 1994.
Don't waste time on this dud.
Being "ugly" has nothing to do with landmark status, and buildings that are 30 years old or older qualify for designation. Since the back half of the building does date back well before 1905 with its own history, this should qualify.
There are three things you should do:
1. demand the Queens Borough Historian come out in favor of neighborhood preservation, or demand that he step down.
2. demand the Queens delegation on city council come out in favor of community preservation or they will face a permanent opposition that promises to fight them tooth and nail on every issue in social media and public forums.
3. demand that city wide preservation organizations start to notice Queens and make a decision on starting helping community preservation in Queens, or be damned that they are throwing us under the bus out of fear that by doing so, our politicians will extract revenge by cutting their funding.
4. demanding equity in the Landmarks Law that it is applied to support those whose taxes fund it, that is every community in the five boroughs, or its should be overturned as it is not being applied equally throughout the city.
5. finally, get rid of that do-nothing group that meets in Queens Borough hall on preservation, or that laughing stock Four Borough Preservation Alliance that features zany garbage like this:
http://www.nycneighborhoodpreservation.com/welcome-to-a-place-where-what-you-say-counts/
That is right people, the caption "Don’t let this happen to your building as a result of eminent domain abuse" ... with a picture of 9/11.
Of course, you will do nothing of the above. Its so safe to whine and complain and let a batch of losers set up yet another committee whose purpose is unclear except to provide yet another Queens based quote on why we lost yet another building.
Rightfully turned down for landmark status in 1994.
Do tell. How many envelopes changed hands?
Totally outrageous what's allowed to go in Flushing.
The locusts are destroying everything and anything in their path.
Doesn't this need the OK from CB7?
Doesn't this need the OK from CB7?
no
the only person that needs to ok this is your councilman. city council votes on it.
Do tell. How many envelopes changed hands?
Totally outrageous what's allowed to go in Flushing.
ha!
what is outrageous is that the boro preservationists Say the Same Thing over Again to the Same Issue over Again.
the definition of Madness is to Do the Same Thing Again and Again with the Same Results.
How the heck does this not qualify as a landmark? Unlike most of the buildings Queens Crap cries over, this one is actually old, historic, and beautiful.
The agenda is to abolish every aspect of Americas heritage, culture, Constitution and install Riksdag system like Scandinavian country's to unify with Europe.
Universal income and banning ownership and control of private property and included.
..its a mess with no end in sight.
Europe's George Soros his fingerprints on every aspect of this from our schools, federal court judges to now New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Governor Cuomo II.
All out to crush everybody and anybody non liberal, the Governor has even said if you don't like socialism, sharing what you have or believe in certain Constitution rights he don't like (like gun ownership)get the hell out of New York.
-Ned
www.nra.org
what is outrageous is that the boro preservationists Say the Same Thing over Again to the Same Issue over Again.
Maybe because is true.Shill.
what is outrageous is that the boro preservationists Say the Same Thing over Again to the Same Issue over Again.
Maybe because is true.Shill
MAYBE BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEIR POLITICIANS WERE BEING HONEST WITH THEM AND ALL THAT TRUST GOT WAS A SMIRK AND A DEAF EAR.
NOW THEY ARE COMING UP WITH PLAN B, WHICH WILL MAKE THOSE POLITICIANS HOWL. TRUMP IS JUST THE FIRST STEP.
The current Quacker meeting house says it is historic, but most of the wood gets replaced when it rots, so it is in fact a lot newer. THe same is true of many "historic" temple sin Asia.
Chinese and Korean people do not care about American History. Only how to move Americans out of Flushing and put more money in their pockets at your expense. Dumb Americans. Go to the airport and protest for more Chinese and Koreans. How dumb can you be?
Chinese and Korean people do not care about American History. Only how to move Americans out of Flushing and put more money in their pockets at your expense. Dumb Americans. Go to the airport and protest for more Chinese and Koreans. How dumb can you be?
Queens politicians do not care about American history. Only how to move Americans out of Flushing and put more money in their pockets at your expenses. Dumb voters. Go to protests that are scripted by the machine which takes your taxes to support more immigrants (read future Democrats. How dumb can you be?
Hack
You mean to ask our "burro" historian, Dr. Jack Eichenbaum , for support?
LOL! He does not believe that landmarking is always the best way to preserve history and he has said so in print.
Dr. Jack enjoys the pomp and circumstance of his title but is generally misinformed and wimpish in calling for landmark designation.
Besides, if he speaks up too much, Borough President Katz will dismiss him from his post. Borough hall has got to look pro preservation, which historically it is not, so they put a willing pawn in place. Hence, Dr. Jack Eichenbaum, borough historian.
Jerry, just pointing out the obvious does nothing. What is needed is an active push of house cleaning.
Every comment by you is negated by a dozen drones that applaud him when he walks in the room.
This has to stop.
This was likely the house plot of Edward Hart and where the Flushing Remonstrance was written, but what the hell, what does that mean?
Jerry, that's me, has done plenty to clean house since 1986....so FU in spades! Check my record!
Sign your name, anonymous, and get up off of your lazy ass and you do something besides giving marching orders.
Another armchair fighter is the last thing we need.
And if "anonymous" is that wussy guy from western Queens that always tells everyone else what to do in the east, and does nothing but babble.... I say this....I have traveled to the wilds of Queens to stand up and fight the status quo while , you grumbled and refused to travel to eastern Queens to raise a sweat.
Hmm....I know who that so called Edward Hart descendent complainer is, but I respect his privacy so I will not reveal his name.....
COWARD that he is!
Jack Eichenbaum is the official borough historian.
He is a bumbling fool that enjoys wearing his crown.
This doddering old man is the perfect stooge for deveopers' agenda to destroy history.
He will kiss Katz's ass to keep his court jester title.
So much for Dr. Jackoff's ability.
He uses his position mainly to promote his historic tour business, which are lackluster and full of historical errors.
Compare him to the knowledgeable Brooklyn borough historian.
No match!
Ah, but isn't the Queens Borough Historian supposed to be the heavy gun when it comes to protecting our history?
Not in this sleepy borough. The reason our crooked borough president appointed him is that he represents no threat to overdevelopment.
He never offered a challage to their rapacious incursions. Exactly what Dr. Melinda Katz ordered...a weak kneed doofus who does not interfere with developers' cash supporting her political campaigns.
Look....stop masturbating....and get this through your heads.
Chinese developers have been given carte Blanche since the early 1980s.
They drove out people of color and prevented Flushing from going Latino or Black
Morton C. Hillman, former state assemblyman and Stavisky stooge had once said, "Thank God for the Asians. We didn't want Flushing to become South Jamaica".
This has been the agenda of local politicians and downtown property owners for decades.
Schwartz, Mehran, Gerson, Ain, etc.
How do these real estate owners feel about this?
Eichenbaum is exactly the main problem here.
Who needs a mute "burro" historian like him?
Atilla The Hun had more respect for preservation.
He who sits back and does nothing, or says nothing, is an accomplice.
So, Melinda Katz pays for a coat of paint on Philip Johnson's NYS Pavilion towers, and tries to pass herself off as caring for Queens' history, while she lies in bed with any developer who can kickback some money.
A shameless developer's slut is who we have for borough president.
A silent schmoozer is who we have for "burro" historian.
What a perfect pair.
Jerry, where the fuck is Queens Historical Socity?
You served as a board member.
Sitting on their hands doing what most historical societies do, mount hum drum exhibits, serve tea and beg for grants from borough hall.
It's not entirely their fault. History is not considered important in Queens, compared to Brooklyn.
We are seen as a farmer's backwater territory unworthy of anything important.
Believe me, if I could afford Park Slope or Manhattan, I wouldn't be living here.
How about Eichenbaum pushing Katz to move the meeting house behind the Masonic Temple to another site?
Yawn! Right! I won't be holding my breath on this. Grace Meng claims to be highly interested in the Flushing Remonstrance sites.
This is part of Quaker Remonstrance history, though later than earlier sites.
Where the hell are you Comgressmember Meng?
Probably on a few developer's pads like her criminal father , former Assemblyman Jimmy Meng.
He was the one caught by the FBI carrying an $80,000 cash bribe in a gift fruit basket intended to buy a judge for a friend.
The apple, Grace, doesn't fall far from the tree.
LOL! Peter Koo? Out to lunch on Queens' history. He lives in, is it Port Washington?
What a rapacious hang of shady politicians.
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