Weeping Beech Park invaded by homeless

From the Times Ledger:

The Bowne House Flushing is calling on the city Parks Department and other city agencies to address the growing homeless population and the drinking and drug activities in the adjacent Weeping Beech Park.

An officer on the board of directors of the Bowne House Historical Society said the homelessness and accompanying problems at night have been occurring during the last year in the park, located 143-20 37th Ave.

This has had an adverse effect on the Bowne House, whose property has been littered with liquor bottles thrown over the fence and debris, she said.

She has been reaching out to social service agencies to assist the homeless people and has notified the police of the criminal activities.

“They (Parks) said they come twice a day, but it’s not adequate,” she said. “You’re dealing with essentially a very small space that’s heavily utilized by people in the neighborhood and other groups.”

Bowne House visitors center being designed

From the Times Ledger:

The long-awaited visitor’s center for the historic Bowne House in Flushing is currently in its design phase, according to the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

The 1,250-square-foot center, which will be on the southeast corner of the property and face the 17th century house, located at 37-01 Bowne St., will consist of a gallery and education space, accessible restrooms and an office for the administration of the property.

The center’s location on the southeast corner is intended to limit views of the center from Bowne Street and allow for views of the house from inside the new gallery space.

The Parks Department said it anticipates having a final design for the center by early fall.

The department initially planned to break ground on the center this spring but decided to hire specialized consultants given that the project is taking place on a historically sensitive site, a Parks spokeswoman said.

Construction causes problems at Bowne House

From the Queens Chronicle:

Although the Bowne House — shuttered for 15 years — is about to be open to the public for regular tours following the recently completed $3.2 million exterior restoration to the historic site, cracks are appearing in the structure due to nearby construction.

“The vibrations from trucks idling have caused the damage,” said Anne Perl de Pal, an architect and resident manager of the Bowne House.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Community Board 7 district cabinet, Perl de Pal said the cracks were caused by “incorrect machines” she said were used for pile driving, which has since stopped, and the continuing problems with idling trucks.

Rosemary Vietor, vice president of the Bowne House Historical Society, confirmed there are cracks in the plaster and blames the large number of trucks that idle outside the house at 37-01 Bowne St. for a 14-story apartment project on nearby 37th Avenue.

Meng gets bill passed that might fund historic sites

From the Times Ledger:

U.S. Rep Grace Meng’s (D-Flushing) bill to study the viability of the National Park Service supporting Queens historic sites associated with the signing of the Flushing Remonstrance passed the Senate last Friday night.

The Flushing Remonstrance Study Act would require the secretary of the Interior, who oversees federal parkland, to consider the possibility of giving Flushing sites, such as the John Bowne House and the Old Quaker Meetinghouse, support from the National Park Service.

The bill passed the House 20th century in September. If President Barack Obama signs the bill, the National Park Service will be able to look at whether the sites meet the requirements for national significance, suitability and feasibility.

It could also lead to the sites becoming either a national historic park or a national historic site or creating partnerships to support the facilities.

While this sounds like something positive on its face, the reality is that the National Parks budget is frequently subject to budget cuts, and more often it's the local governments that have to step up with funding to save national parks than the other way around.

It's happening because of us

Editorial from the Queens Chronicle:

It’s a shame that “The Triumph of Civic Virtue,” the 1920 statue by famed sculptor Frederick MacMonnies, which has been stationed outside Borough Hall since the 1940s, is being moved out of Queens.

But the fact is we don’t deserve to keep it.

The statue, commonly just called “Civic Virtue,” has not been well maintained. It’s not respected by many residents here; most probably don’t even know what it is. It was controversial even before it arrived at the corner of Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike. And its pending move to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, while unfortunate, may provide the impetus for the residents of this borough to be more protective of our treasures.

“Civic Virtue” comprises a male figure wielding a sword and towering over two writhing female figures, sirens of Greek mythology, meant to symbolize vice and corruption. Those who want to keep it where it is understand the symbolism.

But from day one the sculpture has been misinterpreted, both knowingly and not, as sexist. Elizabeth King Black of the National Women’s Party is one who decried it, saying, “Men have their feet on women's necks, and the sooner women realize it the better!” That was no recent comment made by someone ignorant of history; she said it at a hearing in the 1920s.

So while we sympathize with those who know what the sculpture is meant to convey, we also understand the view of those who look at it and just see misogyny.

That, however, is not the main reason people in Queens should throw up their hands and just let “Civic Virtue” go. The main reason is that we let our officials allow it to all but fall apart over the years, and now it’s too late to do anything about it. Those who wanted it preserved should have demanded that funds be allocated for that years ago.

Instead, in typical Queens fashion, no one got it done. Now that the statue is just days away from being moved to Green-Wood — which will pay to restore it with private funds and let those who want to admire it afterward do so — we get a too-little, too-late press conference, led by two City Council members trying to stop the process.

The hearing was held, the decision was made, and all we can say now is that Queens residents should do a better job protecting other borough assets, such as the New York State Pavilion from the 1964-65 World’s Fair, the Bowne House, the Steinway Mansion and so many other endangered landmarks. If we lose another, the fault again will be not in our stars but in ourselves.

Bowne House - when will it be fixed?

"Hello Crapster:

I enjoyed your post about the Mott House entitled, "How the Bloomberg administration destroyed an extremely important piece of Queens history." Queens is at the butt end of the LPC list of priorities.

However this has nothing to do with the LPC. It concerns one of the few Queens landmarks, the Bowne House a 17th century structure that you are probably familiar with.

The house is owned by the Parks department and has been closed to the public for about 10 years. You can only get inside by appointment.

This historic structure is home to Religious Freedom in the USA. Bowne allowed Quakers the use of his house for their worship, was banished to Holland and you know the rest of the history. If intense re-hab is not performed on this building soon it will rot away to nothing and be impossible to repair. Bloomberg and his minions again do not care.

Apparently the Parks department will not spend the money they have already alloted for repair of the landmark because they have more important matters to deal with such as spending $90 million on Manhattan's High Line park. Out of curiosity, has the parks dept erected the already paid for rest stations (toilets) in Little Bay Park?

As usual I enjoy your Blog. Keep it up!"

Anonymous

Flushing crap disgusts activist

I am writing regarding a once very beautiful and serene garden apartment complex of four, 4-story walk-up buildings on Bowne Street between 37 Avenue and 38 Avenue, right across from an extremely important American landmark, "The Bowne House". Anyone who knows of the Flushing Remonstrance knows how important this landmark is to American history as well as the world's history. We have to protect and preserve this very precious landmark and we have to promote the history and what it represents to the American public of all ages.

However, what happened to a housing complex right across from the Bowne House undermines the beauty and importance of the House. It is because the landlord, who is a rather recent immigrant and who is obviously very ignorant of American values and way of life, totally disrespected his property and practically destroyed the beautiful old garden apartment complex that sits just opposite the Bowne House.

What this landlord did and is still in the process of doing is that he uprooted all the trees and shrubs of various sizes, flowers and grasses from the gardens in the front and back and side and in between buildings. There used to be beautiful court yards with benches to sit around with/without your neighbors to enjoy the garden and listen to birds. There were even a couple of stray cats living in the gardens and it was such a pleasure for me to look at those kitty cats while sitting in those gardens on sunny days.

It is gone, gone forever. All of the small oasis for the residents of the apartment buildings as well as for the little wild lives have been completely paved with cold, inhumane concrete. The gray, cold space has become a parking lot with numbers and markings, and it has been in use for several months already. The remaining small part of the side yard, where one large old tree stands, too, will meet the same fate sooner or later, if we do nothing.

To make it worse, this evil landlord converted all his basements into apartments. They are illegal basement apartments and people seem to be living there. Now by the look of these illegal basement apartments together with concrete-paved court yard, front and side yards, this once serene historic apartment complex has become a slum and this makes this very historic block so ugly and sad, very sad. You don't want to even walk on the block because it makes you so angry and sad.

I tried to organize residents of the apartment but almost all of the residents are Asian immigrants who don't speak English and who are afraid of their landlord. This is a very frustrating situation. At least there is one man who is brave enough to stand up for his rights as a tenant. I am assisting him to file a complaint with the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal. But it will take a very long time and there is no guarantee that the gardens will be restored. It has to be a community out-cry. We need elected officials' interventions to restore the beauty of this very historic block. But they won't do anything unless we pressure them.

So, please, join me in a fight to restore and preserve this very important place in American history.

Please, send e-mails to our elected officials on this subject.

Thank you for your support.

Sunny Hahn, community activist

Marshall pushing for National Historic Landmark status for Bowne House

From the Times Ledger:

One of Queens’ most historic structures, the Bowne House in Flushing may have federal protection soon if Borough President Helen Marshall gets her way.

Marshall has asked that the 1661 house, believed to be the best-preserved example of Anglo-Dutch vernacular architecture in the United States, be designated a National Historic Landmark.

The house at 37-01 Bowne St. is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a New York City landmark, but the national recognition would make the building eligible for grant money, free inspections and other protections that only federal landmark status can bestow.

“The house embodies how a 17th century early settler in the colony of New Amsterdam lived and serves today as a window into the past for young and old to appreciate and enjoy,” Marshall wrote in a letter to Director Paul Loether of the National Historic Landmark Program at the National Register of Historic Places. “Today, more than ever, we need to keep in mind what has happened in the past, so that we build a better future.”

Bowne House funds available again

From the Daily News:

The long-awaited restoration of a 17th-century Flushing home will proceed "full speed ahead" despite funding woes that had threatened to derail rehabilitation, city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said Tuesday.

Plans to construct a visitor's center beside the Bowne House - the oldest structure in Queens and a symbol of religious freedom that was recently donated to the city - are also on target for 2012, Benepe said.

"We probably have a pretty good shot," Benepe said of finishing the restoration and the new visitor's center on time.

The project is funded with $5 million from the city, state and private groups.

Repairs to the Colonial-era home seemed headed for delays when the city announced it was deferring $628,000 allocated by Councilman John Liu until 2013.

But Benepe said the city will "have enough money to do all the pressing work."

He also hailed the stability that comes with the site's transfer from the private Bowne House Historical Society to the city - a move which will be feted today at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony.

"Going under the umbrella of the Historic House Trust will afford all kinds of services and protection and sort of a backstop for bad times," Benepe said.

Bowne House funds not available until 2013

From the Daily News:

THE BULK of the funding for the long-overdue restoration of the historic Bowne House in Flushing remains in place, but a portion will be held back until 2013, city officials said last week.

The Colonial-era relic - one of the city's oldest homes and an important symbol of religious freedom - has been surrounded by controversy amid a series of anonymous e-mails lambasting the city for yanking the funds.

The city is in the process of acquiring the house from the Bowne House Historical Society.

The $628,000 that City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) allocated for the restoration has been pulled by the city, the Parks Department confirmed to Queens News.

That money won't be available until 2013, but department officials appeared to quash fears that the restoration project was doomed.

"We currently have $1.7 million available for the restoration of the roof, siding, windows and doors, as well as structural stabilization of the house," Parks said in a statement.

Photo by Wally G on Flickr

Bowne House in peril

Bowne House Historical Society www.bownehouse.org

Please don't let the city turn its back on America's most cherished symbol of Religious Freedom and the 2nd oldest house in NYC's collection!

After promising a much-needed $604,000 to the Bowne House (circa 1661) restoration project, the city is now trying to cut this commitment right out of its budget. Meanwhile, the Bowne House roof is being protected by nothing but a tarp!

It is essential that the city immediately restore to its budget the $604,000 promised to the Bowne House restoration project.

The city council will be voting on this budget within a matter of days - so we must act fast! Please let the city know you care about NYC's historic sites and structures!

All you have to do to help - is click onthis link& cut & paste & send the message to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today - letting him know that you want the city to immediately restore to its budget the money it promised to the Bowne House restoration project.

Thanks for your help and for supporting historic Bowne House (circa 1661)!

And please be sure to share this email with all your friends & colleagues!



For more information, please visit us at: www.bownehouse.org

or view our Bowne House profile on Facebook.

You can also contact Bowne House at:

office@bownehouse.org | Phone: (718) 359-0528

FYI: I received a follow up e-mail from the president of Bowne House, Rosemary Vietor, stating that she did not authorize this e-mail and this is not an official posting by the Bowne House Historical Society. However, the Times Ledger story seems to echo this letter.