Michael Perlman Receives 2014 Grassroots Preservation Award by the Historic Districts Council

For those who missed my speech at the Historic District Council's 2014 Grassroots Preservation Awards (or wish to relive it), you can view the video clip. Preservationist Jeffrey Kroessler spoke with much grace and spirit, and presented my award at the time slot of 9:45. The text of my speech is below:

Good Evening, Everyone,  As a 31 year-old native Forest Hills resident and Chairman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, I feel honored to receive the 2014 Grassroots Preservation Award. I am also encouraged to become an even stronger historic preservationist of Forest Hills and Rego Park, among other neighborhoods.

I founded Rego-Forest Preservation Council in 2006, in response to the 100^th anniversary of Forest Hills, and the parcel which became known as Rego Park in 1923.  Landmark-worthy buildings and stretches of Forest Hills and Rego Park faced a growing number of insensitive alterations and demolition. We seek to preserve and commemorate our architectural and cultural history by advocating for Individual Landmarks, Interior Landmarks, and Historic Districts, as well as State & National Register of Historic Places sites, and by assisting property owners in the acquisition of funding to restore their properties. 

As a Forest Hills Times columnist since 2012, I take pride in featuring preservation, an often underrepresented topic in local media.  Preservation is my civic duty and religious calling.

1. I conducted a PR campaign and petition drive in 2010 in response to the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium’s potential sale for condos. This contributed to its iconic stadium’s partial restoration and creative reuse in 2013 as a concert venue.

2. I assisted Rego Park Jewish Center and the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in the acquisition of National Register status. Presently, I am co-organizing concert fundraisers, to help restore the church.

3.  I founded Friends of TheRidgewood Theatre, and succeeded in obtaining Individual Landmark status.

4. I assisted in landmarking campaigns for Engine Company 305 / Hook & Ladder Company 151 in Forest Hills, as well as the Forest Park Carousel and the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District.

5.  Jay Dee Bakery in Forest Hills offered a great slice of Americana, but when it shuttered in 2009, I brokered a deal to have the huge neon sign salvaged.

6. I founded committees and brokered deals to spare the Moondance Diner in SoHo, and the Cheyenne Diner in Chelsea from demolition. Respectively, they were transported on flatbed trucks to Wyoming and Alabama. I then earned the nickname, “Diner Man.”

    

Forest Hills and Rego Park have numerous properties which fit the criteria for landmark status, but since 2005, the Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected properties for a public hearing. Despite an over 100-year history, current official landmarks are the Remsen Family Cemetery (designated in 1981), the Ridgewood Savings Bank facade (designated in 2000), and the Forest Hills firehouse facade (designated in 2012). 

I extend an invite to Mayor de Blasio and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to see Forest Hills and Rego Park from our perspective at a walking tour and meetings. Let’s work collaboratively on a city official to constituent basis, before experiencing any further architectural losses.

Extending much gratitude to the Historic Districts Council for this true honor!

Michael Perlman, Chairman of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council

Nadezhda Williams with Simeon Bankoff of the Historic Districts Council 

Preservationist Jeffrey Kroessler

Preservationists and friends of Rego-Forest Preservation Council

The Tea Garden: A Long-Lost Treasure Meets Controversy

This is Michael Perlman's feature story on the classic yet abandoned Tea Garden in the Forest Hills Times/Queens Ledger.  Will a century-old Forest Hills Gardens enclave which once hosted weddings, afternoon teas, plays, and dinners to the sounds of cellos and violins rise again?

Please feel free to post a comment on the article link, & share it with your friends:

http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/18044815/article-The-Tea-Garden--A-Long-Lost-Treasure-Meets-Controversy 

Forest Hills Gardens holds a secret awaiting a new lease on life.

The back of the century-old Forest Hills Inn at 1 Station Square is home to a long-lost treasure known as the Tea Garden, of which the majority of Forest Hills is unaware.

Situated on Greenway South behind an ornate gate, a fantasy-like enclave would open in 1912 to the delight of Inn guests and residents. In 1909, Station Square was the center of social life in a planned garden community, with Grosvenor Atterbury as the Gardens’ principal architect, and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. as the landscape architect for public spaces and parks.

The Forest Hills Inn’s Tea Garden played host to numerous weddings, performances, and dinner dances, in addition to afternoon tea. Today, it is a shell of its former glory, and is prone to controversy between residents who wish to see it revitalized for social functions versus those who prefer restoring it as a private garden.

The Tea Garden borders the Forest Hills Inn and 20 Continental Ave, both of which are co-ops.

Nature has caused the monumental trees to flourish, but nature also cast a toll on the garden’s decorative features. The cascading fountain and pool has vanished. The “Ring For Tea” stand and rocking chairs, which were replaced with tables and umbrellas, have also vanished.

The central brick fountain is non-operational, the flagstone tiles are faded and cracked, and a gazebo bears rust. Upon first glance is a sad reality, but then the magic of what was and what could be resurrected becomes evident.

It is difficult to grasp how an integral feature could fall into abandonment and disarray, but not entirely surprising. In 1967, the Forest Hills Inn became apartments, which went co-op in the 1980s.

In 1977, it was announced that the U.S. Open would move from the nearby Forest Hills Tennis Stadium to Flushing Meadows Park. And music festivals in Forest Hills reached their peak in the 1960s.

With the change of occupancy of the Forest Hills Inn, and fewer tennis and music celebrities visiting Forest Hills, the Tea Garden was forgotten.

The July 12, 1924, edition of The Forest Hills Bulletin read, “The Tea Garden of the Forest Hills Inn is a veritable fairyland, when lighted with Japanese lanterns, with the trickling fountain heard in the background, and a new moon shining overhead. There is no more delightful place in Greater New York for one to spend the dinner hour.”

During the warmer months, every evening between 6:30 and 9 p.m. a delectable dinner was served, to the music of the Inn Trio, featuring selections such as Dvorak’s “Humoreske” and Albeniz’ “A Night In Seville.”

Ballroom dancing was featured on Saturday evenings, and the Tea Garden also hosted early performances of the Garden Players.

In a circa mid-1950s brochure uncovered in the Forest Hills Inn’s Historic Committee’s archives, the Tea Garden was then referred to as the Patio-Garden, and its glory continued. It offered “a bubbling fountain, candlelight, large umbrellas, and tall trees” with “violin strings in the spring and summer.”

Jade Eatery & Lounge holds a lease at the Forest Hills Inn, and the Tea Garden sits outside their back space.

“Many younger generations asked when the Tea Garden is opening, since they want to hold their weddings here like their ancestors,” explains manager Raymond Taylor. “We also want to hold community events, and allow the Inn and 20 Continental Ave to use the space as a common area. Jade has met some resistance from residents.”

Taylor visualizes “an authentic restoration of the garden, with possible outside funding.”

“If the fountain is approved in the plans, we would be delighted to resurrect such a tranquil piece of history,” he adds.

“Nothing can bring back the gentility of the Tea Garden,” says Martin Levinson, co-chairman of the One Station Square Historical Committee. “Instead of cellos and violins, the current era includes amplified music, liquor served to boisterous patrons, and people screaming on cell phones.”

He feels Jade’s public Tea Garden is “a security risk for those who live in the back of the Inn, since their apartments can be accessed by pranksters via terraces, trellises, air ducts, drain pipes, and roofs.” That said, Levinson does not mind a private garden.

George Hoban, co-chairman of the One Station Square Historical Committee favors re-implementing the Tea Garden, but states, "We need to communicate with our neighbors first, since its future involves them,” he says. “We are in litigation to determine who has use of the Tea Garden, which could be for Jade, our tenants, or both. We’re hopeful we will have all or partial use, since we plan to restore it."

“We are open to grants, and won’t allow work which doesn’t keep its integrity and historic character,” he adds. “Some work would be conducted off-site, to minimize on-site construction and noise. In summer 2011, we cleaned up the Tea Garden for optics purposes.”

An aesthetic and functional restoration can co-exist, with the establishment of bylaws and security measures, to appease Jade’s patrons and residents of the Forest Hills Inn and 20 Continental Ave. 

To A Happy 2012... But Not Without Glimpses of Forest Hills A Century Ago

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my Rego-Forest Preservation Council members & friends, friends' friends, & their families!!! Oops, I am 100 years too early......

Let's countdown to 2012, a year of health, happiness, and advocacy for the historic preservation & conservation of Rego Park, Forest Hills, and adjacent neighborhoods, and the hopes of many history-related events and a tree giveaway to come.

 

 These photos are on display at Nick's Pizza at 108-26 Ascan Ave, & capture the feel of Forest Hills in the early 20th century... A window to our past! Thankfully, our fine craftsmanship and green landscapes have not changed much in some sections of our neighborhood.

An audience of children pose in a public space in Forest Hills, presumably in the auditorium of Public School 3. Note the early 20th century fashions.

A classic out front of "small town feel" rowhouses

The residents of Forest Hills were fortunate to have a trolley line among the dirt roads of Queens Blvd. Hop on & journey back in time!

Snowy Queens Blvd when it was less civilized, & offered a field perspective towards the Forest Hills Inn of the Forest Hills Gardens.

Based in the Cord Meyer Section, Public School No. 3 was Forest Hills' 1st elementary school, & today it is known as PS 303. It was also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse.

East side of Continental Ave towards Austin St & Queens Blvd. Spotlight on the Forest Hills Theatre, which was our first theater, which witnessed silent films & the advent of talkies. This early 20's theater had an organ too! Today it is more predictable as Duane Reade & Staples. In the foreground is a wood & brick Tudor style business building. It was one of the first buildings to grace Austin St, circa 1910. It housed Garcia Grande Cigars & Sporting Goods in this image.

The Continental Garage & Service Station was conveniently situated just west of Continental Ave, serving motorists on Queens Blvd. It housed a Texaco shop. Note how garages & gas stations were embellished in Colonial design, & how the medians of Queens Blvd had tasteful stonework. Lane Towers sits at this site today.

Pennsylvania Drug Company was a famous community pharmacy which offered a soda fountain, a commonality of the times. Note the Tudor feel of what was called Forest Hills Village, at the foot of the south side of Queens Blvd & Continental Ave. Today, the building on the right proudly stands, but sadly the charmer on the left is now home to the mundane black glass Cord Meyer office tower.

1 Continental Avenue Building, a Tudor commercial & residential gem at the entryway to what was known as Forest Hills Village, on the SW corner of Continental Ave & Queens Blvd in 1936.

Forest Hills Inn at Station Square, Forest Hills Gardens. Celebrities & tourists would stay at the Inn, which could conveniently be accessed by the classic Pennsylvania Station. Many postcards and ads boasted that it was 15 mins to Manhattan. The Davis Cup, Wightman Cup, & US Open were played at the nearby Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which boosted profits at the Inn. Today the Forest Hills Inn houses apartments.

Sage Foundation Home Company truck - In the teens, it was praised how admirable a planned community, the Forest Hills Gardens (1909) becomes, when it's designed on the principles of an architect and a gardener working in harmony.

Greenway Terrace, Forest Hills Gardens

East side of Continental Ave between Austin St & Burns St. On the left is the 20s era Corn Exchange Bank, & the right is a route to the Forest Hills LIRR train station, based in the Forest Hills Gardens.

Man & his best friend in a Forest Hills park

Save Our 600 Trees At The Kew Gardens Interchange - Open Letter To NYS DOT

Highway Plans Will Uproot 600 trees, 600 trees will fall, Queens Chronicle cover photo by Peter C Mastrosimone, Sept 29, 2011

   

Time may be running out to save 600 trees, which the NYS Dept of Transportation reportedly plans to cut down at the Kew Gardens Interchange, affecting Kew Gardens, Briarwood, & other Queens communities and beyond. Below is an open letter originally sent on 10/28 to Landscape Architect Jim Lau of the NYS Department of Transportation, & now Landscape Architect Scott Levy. Please publicize & add your voice.

 

From: Michael Perlman
To: jlau@dot.state.ny.us

slevy@dot.state.ny.us 
Subject: IMPORTANT: Kew Gardens Interchange Project - Creative Options To Rescue The 600 Trees Slated For Chopping

Dear Mr. Jim Lau & Mr. Scott Levy,
I understand you are the landscape architects of the NYS Dept of Transportation, who are assigned to the Kew Gardens Interchange Project. Many of my colleagues and I have read in local papers such as the Queens Chronicle, that 600 trees would be slated for the chopping block, as the roads undergo reconfiguration in Kew Gardens and Briarwood. I have some creative ideas, which I encourage you and the NYS Dept of Transportation to consider.
 

We feel there is no replacement for our beautiful, mature trees. The September 2010 tornado and the August 2011 hurricanes was responsible for the loss of about 4,000 trees cumulatively in our borough. Natural disasters are beyond our control, but proactively preserving our trees is within our control. The NY State DOT's plans to cut down 600 trees goes against my morals as a citizen and humanitarian. What may be "as of right" is not always right for the citizens. Trees convey life, beauty, are nature's pride, purify our air, keep the ground cool, are home to wildlife, and are historic to our Queens landscape.
 

Statistically speaking, the significant and very successful tree giveaway event that I coordinated in MacDonald Park in June 2011, as well as the tree plantings and giveaways occurring citywide through MillionTreesNYC, will not exceed the beauty and benefits posed by our mature trees in our lifetime. Applying measures towards the preservation and maintenance of our mature trees is most beneficial towards our community.
 

I urge the NYS DOT to creatively revise their Kew Gardens Interchange plans, in order to preserve the endangered trees. The roads can be reconfigured alternatively. In sections where revision is not at all possible, then Plan B would be to have the endangered trees moved by tree moving companies that specialize in commonly moving medium to larger size trees. Then they can be planted either in parks or on private property which lost a plethora of trees, and they could be named in honor of victims of 9/11, or in the memory of loved ones in a broader perspective. It could be financed by any combination of the State, Parks Dept, green organizations, banks, elected officials, and citizens. Some of the trees can also be given to the tree moving companies which have nurseries, and they can be sold.
 

Rather than New York State using the funds to chop down these trees, NYS should allocate those funds towards their salvation via transport. As long as our graceful and mature trees along the Kew Gardens Interchange are saved, that is what bears the greatest significance. It would be a sad day or time period in our history to witness the mass destruction of our mature trees, so please work with us by exploring our ideas, and hopefully a compromise can be reached for all parties. Please contact me ASAP. Thank you for your consideration!

 

Sincerely,

Michael Perlman

Forest Hills, NY

America's Tennis Stadium Feature Story in Untapped New York by Michael Perlman

The storied stadium provides dimension to the streetscape! Photo by Michael Perlman

View from the top, as the eagles have a commanding view of Forest Hills, Photo by Peter Dutton

Have a seat in the grandstands & visualize legendary tennis players & musicians, which once again can play at the stadium, Photo by Peter Dutton

May the ball be in our court! Rego-Forest Preservation Council Chair Michael Perlman was presented with the opportunity to cover the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Cause for Untapped NY. 

The feature story consists of a comprehensive illustrated history, and explains the potential for community rewards for collaborating to save a rare piece of Americana:

http://untappedcities.com/2011/07/29/preservation-campaign-underway-for-americas-tennis-stadium/

About Untapped New York: Untapped is about discovering the city anew. The lens is photography, the writing is historical, architectural, witty and hip. We show you not only what is there, but also what once was. We take you to places rumored and places true, locales abandoned and avenues prosaic; but always—cool.

NYC Trees Need Your Help - Any Sum Makes A Great Difference!

A common picture of Hurricane Irene's devastation. Photo courtesy of MillionTrees NYC

When Hurricane Irene hit the eastern seaboard in late August 2011, it was responsible for the loss of over 2,000 trees, according to Million Trees NYC.

Backtracking, the tornado in Sept 2010 was responsible for at last 3,100 fallen trees in our borough, not to mention those damaged significantly. Our trees are an aesthetically & environmentally beneficial component, as well as historic component of all neighborhoods citywide. They become members of our extended family.

Fortunately, Million Trees NYC is the face behind an endeavor to raise funding for the replacement of the loss trees throughout NYC's 5 boroughs. Please consider donating to assist NYC street and park trees, or to assist tree planting on private property such as schools, and housing. This is a noble cause, so please take a few moments to also spread the word. Even a few dollars would be appreciated: 

http://milliontreesnyc.org/html/donate/donate.shtml

One of the few remaining historic Elm trees in Central Queens, which survived the tornado but not the hurricane. It sustained a large collapsed limb, which damaged the trunk. Sadly, this 7-story graceful Elm tree, which was at least 60 years old & was loved by many local residents, was taken down within days. All that remains is barely a stump on the corner of the Howard Apts on 66th Rd off the north side of Queens Blvd. Perhaps routine pruning would have paid off, & the tree would have still been around today. Photo by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council.

The purple oasis of Cherry Plum trees was compromised at Parker Towers along Queens Blvd in Forest Hills. Let's hope these trees will be resurrected. Photo by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council

 

A once bold Maple tree, which provided much beauty & shade in Forest Hills' Federoff Triangle falls. Photo by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council.

Forest Hills' historic MacDonald Park was struck again, after losing around 70 trees during last year's tornado. This tree was likely planted by volunteers when MacDonald Park received some upgrades in the 1980s. A tree we will miss. Photo by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council.

 

 

 

 

 

September 11, 2011 - We Are Stronger Than Ever!

We will always remember our heroes, our survivors, our victims, and all families and friends of September 11th. 

It is hard to believe it has been 10 years. I remember waking up, and witnessing the unbelievable on TV, along with my family. We were in denial, not knowing what may be the next target. First the Twin Towers and then the Pentagon, not to mention all those who perished as the planes crashed, and the hero who saved the White House. As we experienced the largest attack in American history, it showed how caring and brave Americans are. Under crisis, we unconsciously and consciously looked out for each other. I remember the fire crews, police, and the Port Authority who rushed to the Towers to save who they can. The heroes inside the Twin Towers became one family, helping each other flee in every way possible.

Mayor Giuliani coordinated the response of various city departments, while organizing the support of state and federal authorities for the World Trade Center site. Within days, stories of the rescue and those who perished emerged. The rescue mission was ongoing between the rubble. Candlelight vigils filled thoroughfares.On September 23, 2001, the World Trade Center Memorial Service was held at Yankee Stadium.

Our Twin Towers fell, but our courage and unity never sunk with it.

This postcard is captioned "April 4, 1973 - Sept 11, 2001"

This pre-9/11 view reads "Long live liberty!" We must keep strong, even when they attempt to reduce our country and its people.

On Thurs, Dec 11, 2008, the NY Daily News reported "The survivors' staircase, the 37 concrete steps that scores of people raced down to flee the World Trade Center attacks, was moved Thursday for the final time. A massive yellow crane hoisted the 22-foot-tall staircase into the air and placed it 150 feet away at the entrance to the future Sept. 11 museum." According to SaveTheStairway.org, "The Stairway stands as a uniquely important historical artifact, and a dramatic symbol of hope and survival." The NY Landmarks Conservancy played a great role in the rescue of this artifact: http://www.nylandmarks.org/programs_services/technical_assistance/projects/preserving_the_world_trade_center_site

Survivors' Staircase, WTC, Courtesy of SaveTheStairway.org

On April 26, 2011, ABC News announced the 9/11 Memorial is set to open on the 10th anniversary of the attacks: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8095409

Superb coverage with 9/11/01 photos on Drake's Edge of The City Blog: http://edgeofthecityblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/remembering-911.html  

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_site

Google News thread on September 11, 2011 memorials: 9/11/11

UNITED WE STAND!

9/14 INVITE: Colonial Revival in Extremis at the Museum of The City of NY - Rego-Forest Preservation Council Discount

You are invited to a special event at the Museum of The City of New York.........

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 6:30 PM

Cherry Trees and Giant Porticos: Colonial Revival in Extremis

Colonial Revival is in many ways America’s national style, with incarnations ranging from architecture to painting, music, sculpture, furniture, gardens, and literature. As with many nationalist expressions, it can at times become exaggerated, humorous, and perhaps even weird.

Richard Guy Wilson, occupant of the Commonwealth Professor’s Chair in Architectural History at the University of Virginia, will examine some of the ways houses such as Washington’s Mount Vernon and portraits of the founding fathers, have been utilized for a variety of purposes, sometimes with strange results. 

Reservations required: (917) 492-3395 or e-mail programs@mcny.org

 $6 museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members

$6 when you mention the Rego-Forest Preservation Council
E-mail Chair Michael Perlman at unlockthevault@hotmail.com with comments or questions.


On a related note, the American Style exhibition began June 14th & will end on Nov 6, 2011. Backtracking, the Colonial Revival Then & Now lecture and discussion took place on July 19th, and was well-attended.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/arts/design/american-style-at-the-museum-of-the-city-of-new-york.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=american%20style&st=cse.

Museum of the City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street

New York, NY 10029
www.mcny.org 

(212) 534-1672

9/12/11 Event: Historic Building Survey Basics, Monday Morning Coffee Talk at Neighborhood Preservation Center

 

~Monday Morning Coffee Talk~

Historic Building Survey Basics

September 12, 2011 at 8:30 AM

The Neighborhood Preservation Center (232 East 11th Street, NYC) will host a Free and Open to the Public event.

The most frequently asked question by community activists is “How do I know if my neighborhood could be a historic district?" It all starts with an architectural survey. Preservation consultant and HDC Vice-President Gregory Dietrich will explain the basics of identifying and evaluating historic properties, as a first step toward neighborhood preservation. This program is intended for community members who are interested in defining objectives, identifying historic assets, and devising an effective strategy to preserve their neighborhood's distinct sense of place.

E-mail sromanoski at hdc dot org (in proper e-mail format) to reserve a space. 

"Colonial Revival: Then & Now" lecture & discussion at the Museum of the City of New York, July 19 at 6:30 PM AND "American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis" exhibition though Nov 6, 2011

Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, Queens Boulevard, Rego Park, New York. Joseph G. Morgan, with New York World’s Fair of 1939-40 Beyond.  Courtesy of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

 Emerging more than a century ago, Colonial Revival architecture continues to influence present-day architecture and design. Join leading New York City architects Gil Schafer and Peter Pennoyer for an illustrated lecture and discussion as they explore historic examples of the Colonial Revival style and the lessons to be learned from them today. Mr. Schafer’s work is featured in the exhibition The American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis, which was designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects. Click here to read a 6/14/11 exhibition review by the NY Times, titled National Design That's Hidden In Plan Sight. 

"Colonial Revival: Then and Now" will take place on Tuesday, July 19th at 6:30 PM

Reservations required: (917) 492-3395 or e-mail programs@mcny.org

 $6 museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members

$6 when you mention the Rego-Forest Preservation Council
To qualify for the RFPC discount, please e-mail Michael Perlman at unlockthevault@hotmail.com 

 It is important to note that the American Style exhibition runs from June 14 - Nov 6, 2011, but Colonial Revival Then & Now lecture and discussion will only take place on July 19 at 6:30 PM.

Museum of the City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street

New York, NY 10029
www.mcny.org 

(212) 534-1672

Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, Northern Boulevard, Queens, New York, 1939.  Photograph by the Wurts Brothers Company.  Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.

American Style exhibition, Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York

Residential Revivalism: Anne Morgan House, Sutton Place between E 57th & 58th Sts, Manhattan, Photo by Berenice Abbott, Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York

American Style exhibition, Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

American Style exhibition, 116 East 55th St, NYC, Photo by Wurts Bros, NY, Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York