The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) scheduled a public hearing for February 13, 2018, on three buildings in East Harlem ~ and unanimously voted to Landmark all three.
East Harlem has been on The Real Deal’s Top 10 List of the 10 Biggest Real Estate Projects planned for New York City for two years in a row (2017 & 2018). Unbeknownst to most of us, buildings we know and love are here today and gone tomorrow ~ empty lots are disappearing. But on the front lines of the preservation effort is the organization Landmark East Harlem, who for several years has been quietly working to “nominate and landmark buildings, outdoor artwork, and districts of architectural, historical, and cultural significance in East Harlem.” These are the people who show up at the meetings, getting a heads-up on demolitions and permits, and walk our streets gathering addresses of treasured buildings and names of the owners.
Today Landmark East Harlem is speaking out and asking for community involvement and help in an effort to landmark three properties of great interest. They are The Richard Webber Harlem Packing House located at 207-215 East 119th Street, The Benjamin Franklin High School (now The Manhattan School for Science and Math) at 260 Pleasant Avenue, and Public School 109 (now El Barrio’s Artspace P.S. 109).
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has scheduled a public hearing for February 13, 2018, on these buildings.
Landmark East Harlem will be offering public testimony in support of adding these three buildings to the twenty-two buildings in East Harlem that are already Landmarked. If you would like to contribute to this effort by either speaking, or having a prepared letter read, contact Christopher Cirillo (contact info below).
Below is the Press Release from Landmark East Harlem on this hearing.
Over this past one year, we have seen many instances in several neighborhoods throughout this City showing that when voices come together, very often preservation can be accomplished. Such was the recent case of the historic Julien Binford Murals on West 14th Street, The Spirit of Harlem mosaic on West 125th Street (to be restored by April), the African Burial Ground on East 126th Street, several recent buildings in the Meatpacking District #SaveGansevoort, and countless buildings in Greenwich Village & the East Village, and Lower East Side ~ just to name a few, and including beloved small businesses like Coogan’s and the removal of a monument not worthy of our Parks. It takes patience and a great deal of effort, but while The Real Deal has its Top 10 building projects, the National Trust has its Top 10 reasons why communities benefit from establishing historic districts, and preserving buildings of historic or architectural significance.
You can follow Landmark East Harlem at their website or on Facebook.
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