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.

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.

Quaker Meeting House update

"Issues still exist, but building behind graveyard is going up. A very old maple tree had to be removed after damage to porch." - The Flushing Phantom

Bigger problems at Quaker Meeting House

From the Queens Chronicle:

Problems at the Quaker Meeting House range beyond the below-ground utility pole base, reported by the Chronicle last week.

Ongoing issues with a neighboring construction site include shifting borders caused by a 28-foot-deep retaining wall supported by 10 large steel I-beams. The wood and cement barrier has effectively moved 80 feet of the Meeting House’s property line back 3 feet.

The planned apartment building at 136-33 37 Ave. has been in limbo after a stop-work order was issued following the invasion into the Quaker house’s property.

The incursion also included the destruction of a previous retaining wall, with the extent of the damage at the property’s western corner still unknown.

“They didn’t tell us about their plans to put this retaining wall on our property and get our permission, as they are required to do,” said Linda Shirley, member of a committee designed to address ongoing problems with the adjacent construction site. She added the retaining wall provided extra real estate to the project — on the cheap.

“This was unquestionably a planned intrusion, and it’s also undeniable that they purposefully ignored our property rights and their moral responsibility to respect the cemetery and the National Historic Landmark,” she said in an email exchange.

Quaker graveyard still has pole in it

From the Queens Chronicle:

There is some unfinished business at Flushing’s Quaker Meeting House.

The concrete base of a misplaced utility pole buried on the house’s property stands as the sole remnant of flawed construction work next to the house.

The concrete support is 8 feet below the surface, at the southern end of the house’s historic cemetery. Members of a committee designed to address ongoing problems with the adjacent construction site want it gone, but lack the means to remove it.

Work at the planned apartment building at 136-33 37 Ave. has been suspended by a stop-work order issued as a result of its incursion into the Quaker house’s property. The Chronicle first reported in April the work was being carried out by Pinnacle Engineering without Meeting House members’ knowledge, necessary archeological testing and permits from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Workers on the construction site tore down the Quaker Meeting House’s chain-link fence and erected a makeshift plywood barrier about 4 feet onto the historic property. They also slapped a utility pole into an old graveyard dating back centuries.

The LPC must approve any construction work at or near a historic graveyard, a process which typically includes archeological testing to see if any remains are below ground.
The apartment project’s owner, Jeff Huang, quickly responded after the LPC informed him he could face substantial fines for the work, with the utility pole’s above-ground portion taken down and the fence moved back.

He then paid for the cost of an archeological assessment of the disturbed area in May, a process that involves sifting and sonar to search for any remains. Remains were not found in the area, though the site’s age could be a reason.

The LPC does not require the pole’s base be removed, a process that has the potential to further disturb the cemetery. The Meeting House committee plans otherwise...and is working on an alternative plan that would see it taken out.

Close call for Flushing's Quaker Meeting House

Big old Norway Maple branch hits Old Quaker Meeting House's porch...lucky...looks like no significant damage.

- The Flushing Phantom

Developer will pay to test for Quaker graves

From the Queens Chronicle:

Members of the Quaker Meeting House in Flushing are breathing a sigh of relief after a developer behind their property removed a utility pole and fence he had put on sacred burial ground dating back more than 300 years.

The Queens Chronicle broke the story in its March 29 edition that Pinnacle Engineering, without members’ knowledge or permission and without conducting necessary archeological tests, had erected a construction fence four feet onto the cemetery property. Even more invasive was the utility pole, as Quakers feared it had been drilled into graves.

The Chronicle sent photographs to the city Landmarks Preservation Commission, which contacted the developer and told him to immediately remove the pole or face a fine. The pole was taken out expeditiously and the construction fence relocated shortly after.

On Monday, members of the meeting house met with the project’s owner, Jeff Huang, representatives from the LPC and area officials for an update. Cheshire Frager, a member of the Flushing Quakers, said two archeological studies will be made to determine if any remains have been disturbed.

First, an archeologist will sift through the ground to see if anything has been disturbed and then sonar soundings will be taken to determine if there are any bones in the disturbed area. “It is a noninvasive procedure and Huang has agreed to pay for the archeology work,” Frager said.

In addition, the archeologist will report to the LPC, not the developer. Any construction work at or near a historic graveyard must be approved by the LPC. It usually involves archeological testings.

Developer violated Quaker burial ground

From the Queens Chronicle:

Quakers are known to be peaceful people, but a construction job gone awry has the Flushing contingent furious.

Construction workers for a planned apartment building at 136-33 37 Ave. behind the Quaker Meeting House and burial ground, erected a temporary fence and a utility pole onto the historic property.

Linda Shirley, a meeting house trustee, said work was carried out by Pinnacle Engineering without members’ knowledge or permission and without conducting the necessary archeological tests or obtaining the required permits from the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Workers tore back the Quakers’ chain-link fence and erected a plywood construction barrier about four feet onto the property. That is the location of the group’s graveyard that dates back more than 300 years.

Any construction work at or near a historic graveyard in the city must be approved by the LPC. It usually involves archeological testings to ascertain that remains are there.

Shirley, and members of the Committee with a Concern for the Cemetery, James Cleary and Cheshire Frager, wrote to the LPC, the Department of Buildings and the developer for help.

After receiving photos of the site from the Queens Chronicle last week, the LPC instructed the contractor to take down the pole. It was supposed to have been taken down Friday, but was finally removed Monday afternoon.

Lisi de Bourbon, spokeswoman for the LPC, said the contractor responded immediately after her agency informed him that a failure to remove the pole could lead to a violation and fines. “We are very pleased we were able to help resolve this matter quickly given the historic importance of the site,” de Bourbon said.

Quaker Meeting House still needs more $$$

From the Queens Chronicle:

After 315 years, it’s not surprising the landmarked Quaker Meeting House in Flushing needed some repairs. With the exterior work recently finished, the Religious Society of Friends still needs $75,000 for serious interior updates.

Although the Friends group has only around 29 members, they have managed to raise $25,000 to match a grant from the Landmarks Conservancy. But a total of $125,000 is needed to install a modern sprinkler system at the meeting house at 137-16 Northern Blvd. “We are determined to get the money,” said Linda Shirley, who heads the Fundraising Committee.

Members are thrilled at the completed exterior work, which includes a new roof, wooden shingles, Yankee gutters, a few new windows and a restored porch. “It looks like it always did, which is the way it’s supposed to look,” said Wendy Burns, the incoming co-clerk of the Flushing group.