Feb 26 Special Event: Legendary Locals & Queens History

Special Event: On February 26 at 7:30 PM, celebrate diverse achievements & Queens history by learning about legendary locals linked to Forest Hills, Rego Park, & Richmond Hill. RSVP: www.facebook.com/events/124918757894710

A presentation & book signing will be led by Michael H. Perlman, a 33-year Forest Hills resident who is an author, columnist, and Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council. Michael will personalize copies of his book, "Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park" (foreword by Jerry Springer)

Admission is FREE & his book is available for purchase. Refreshments will be served. The event will be held at the Leonard Center at 86-13 112th Street in Richmond Hill. Please invite your friends.

This event is being coordinated by the Richmond Hill Historical Society to commemorate the history of Richmond Hill, which has been recognized as a preservation priority through the Historic Districts Council's "Six To Celebrate Program" - www.6tocelebrate.org

All Aboard The QueensLine! Petition Drive For A 21st Century Queens Destination!!!

A fragment of the 3.5-mile stretch of the LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch Line is the Fleet Street trestle, which sits abandoned since 1962, Photo by Michael Gannon, Associate Editor of the Queens Chronicle.

Are you a fan of historic & environmental preservation, and recreation? Queens has a treasure waiting to happen! Visualize a mixed-use leafy & colorful path, offering a commanding view of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and Ozone Park. As part of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030, every community resident should be within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Well... It takes moments to sign and post a comment on the PETITION to grant new life to the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch Line as the "Queens (High) Line," which could become one of Queens' greatest assets. Please help spread the word through today's many methods of social media, and inform as many family members and friends as possible, to help reach a goal of 1,000 signatures as a start:

http://www.change.org/petitions/queens-borough-commissioner-nyc-parks-and-recreation-create-a-greenway-along-the-abandoned-rockaway-beach-branch-right-of-way

Follow & comment on "Envisioning The Queens High Line," which began as a blog by Anandi Premlall: http://queenshighline.blogspot.com

It greatly expanded into a 560-member Facebook Group, which began not long ago... Nov 13th, and I take pride in being one of the admins: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/queenshighline

The cause has caught wind on Twitter too:
http://www.twitter.com/queenshighline 

According to Peter Beadle, it would link the above Central & Southern Queens communities with Forest Park and the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, and to nearby bike lanes leading to the recreational spaces of Rockaway Beach and Jamaica Bay, including the Shore Parkway path, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Gateway National Recreation Area. It would also connect at least five subway lines and numerous commercial districts, shops and schools.

As a case in point, at the NYC High Line, some only saw a structure unkempt for decades and called it an eyesore, calling for its demolition, but civic-minded NYC residents realized that beneath the grime, there was detail that read N-Y-C all over it. The High Line is a unique inspiration. It initiates greenery, spares a historic site from demolition, provides some recreation, hosts historic tours, connects and bonds our communities, creates jobs, and enhances community character and property values. It is a backyard treasure that becomes easily accessible.

A creative vision, teamwork, and perseverance resulted in the great success of the High Line in Manhattan, and the same can be achieved for a "Queens (High) Line." The wishes of the Queens community can be fulfilled through some of the same ingredients, and much can be accomplished through volunteers from all age groups, who walk Queens with every heartbeat.

This is a landmark opportunity to eliminate the heavy mass of litter at the site (wrecked cars, aluminum cans, plastic bags, tires), and sensitively and creatively reuse this 6-decade abandoned stretch for the 21st century. Imagine... how you can take your family and friends on a polished industrial relic bonding our Central & Southern Queens communities, and walking or bicycling through a 3.5-mile park and trail with some native vegetation and edible gardens, while reuniting with old friends and making new ones from Queens' diverse communities.

Trestle on Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills of the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Line - A golden opportunity awaits! Photos by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council

The trestles of the conceived Queens (High) Line were designed by the well-known American Bridge Company in 1908, at least in Forest Hills and Rego Park, which was when the company was only 8 years old. The company also played a role in the development of the Chrysler Building in 1929 and the Henry Hudson Bridge in 1936. We need to give more recognition to our industrial history. This is a photo tour on Old NYC of the LIRR Rockaway Line through the Whitepot Junction & Underjump (Whitepot was Forest Hills pre-1906), 63rd Dr to Fleet St, Fleet St to Yellowstone Blvd, Yellowstone Blvd to Metropolitan Ave, and other stops to a full-speed ahead to the Rockaways : http://www.oldnyc.com/rockaway/contents/rockaway.html

A plaque reading "American Bridge Company of New York" with the date of manufacture, often goes unrecognized, as it lies in the corners of some of our neighborhood's trestles.

As a historic preservationist and conservationist, and as Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council serving Rego Park and Forest Hills, which are 2 communities the conceived Queens (High) Line would run through, I am willing to lend my expertise, and explore and further develop the visions of my colleagues and I.

- Michael Perlman

Daniel Eldridge House Landmarking Testimony By Queens Preservation Council

Daniel Eldridge House, Photo by Landmarks Preservation Commission

 As a board member of Queens Preservation Council, I represent Rego-Forest Preservation Council. We endorse the below testimony by QPC Chair Mitchell Grubler. We urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the circa 1867 Daniel Eldridge House, 87-61 111th St, a rare survivor in Richmond Hill and for Queens at large, and we are grateful for the June 28, 2011 public hearing:

      As Chairman, I am speaking today on behalf of the Queens Preservation Council, a consortium of historical societies, civic and neighborhood groups that advocate for the protection and preservation of traditional neighborhood character.

The Queens Preservation Council is pleased to see the Landmarks Preservation Commission considering a house in Richmond Hill, one of Queens' most historical communities, yet sorely lacking in Landmark protections. Although the community boasts many historical houses of significance, the Daniel Eldridge House is an extremely rare surviving example of the mid-19th century Italianate style. In addition to its scale and form, the four ornate bracketed oriel windows, bracketed door hood and low-pitched roof with prominent cupola together make it architecturally impressive.

Daniel Eldridge of the infamous Tweed Ring, purchased the land from Charles Paulson for $600 in 1867, and had the 40' by 60' house built. A clerk in the Water Department, he was arrested on the property and charged with embezzlement. The story goes that after the hearing, the police were on their way to arrest him, and with no place left to hide, he simply sat up in the cupola and watched with binoculars as they came to arrest him.

The Queens Preservation Council, in memory of the indefatigable champion of Richmond Hill, Nancy Cataldi, urges the Landmarks Preservation Commission to continue to focus its attention on this historical community, and do more designations in the near future.

- Testimony delivered by Mitchell Grubler, Chair of Queens Preservation Council on June 28, 2011. Endorsed by Rego-Forest Preservation Council & posted online by RFPC Chair Michael Perlman.

Landmarking Restores Church of The Resurrection: A Case Study!

Church of The Resurrection Episcopal, Richmond Hill/Kew Gardens, circa 1910, courtesy of KewGardensHistory.com

The Church of The Resurrection Episcopal in Kew Gardens has a new chapter in its history text! It is a case study showing how State & Federal Landmarking served as a catalyst for historic commemoration and funding for restoration work. It now has a new roof, and there's no reason why the church cannot live on for another 137 years!

 According to the Forest Hills Times, "The church was able to replace the roof thanks to a $10,000 grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, which was given to the church because it is both a state and federal historic site. A $250,000 matching grant was also awarded to the church by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation."

The article then explains, "While in the process of replacing the roof, the main stained-glass window, which features four archangels, was found to be in bad shape. The window was carefully removed, restored and reinstalled."

http://foresthillstimes.com/bookmark/13197347/article-Church+of+the+Resurrection+gets+a+new+roof

Landmarks are cornerstones of all communities. It requires teamwork and creativity to preserve, and adaptively and creatively reuse them, if a site has to accommodate a new use. 

If you have an interest in exploring such landmarking and funding incentives, please e-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com 

Which other historic religious and non-religious sites are on your wish list for a similar restoration?

A Memoir of Historian Nancy Cataldi: A Community Leader We Can All Take Inspiration From

October 29, 2009 marked the one year passing of Historian Nancy Lucia Cataldi, who was a friend, a community leader, dedicated preservationist, curator, author, and professional photographer. I learned about her passing while checking my e-mail the following morning, and was additionally shocked since no ailments were known, and she was only 55. Despite her relatively young age, her name is attributed with many great achievements.

Nancy Cataldi was the President of the Richmond Hill Historical Society since 1999, and on behalf of neighborhoods residents and borough-wide preservationists, she heroically advocated for the creation of a Richmond Hill Historic District, which first began in 1997 with her role as a founding member. The Richmond Hill Historic District is essential to commemorate, preserve, and revitalize one of the most significant meccas of Victorian homes countrywide. However, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission had their own agenda, and repeatedly rejected calendaring the District for a public hearing, without quoting any provisions of the Landmarks Law. She related to all generations by organizing educational programs for children, community events, and parties.

I first befriended Nancy in 2002, while working on a Trylon Theater feature story for my journalism class. I interviewed her, admired her heartfelt responses, and how she dedicated her time to neighborhood causes beyond her immediate vicinity. She submitted my paper into the archives of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, and in Oct 2005, she participated in my rally/press conference to preserve the 1939 World's Fair-inspired Trylon Theater in Forest Hills. In May 2006, we participated a rally to preserve the 1847 St. Saviour's Church and its historic land in Maspeth, and in April 2007, we participated in the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District LPC Hearing, which was successfully designated. We were also board members of the Queens Preservation Council. I recall participating in her March 2006 Richmond Hill rally/press conference, to call for Historic District status. It was well-attended by not only locals, but by borough-wide preservationists. Speakers included Nancy, other organizational leaders, and elected officials. What a close-knit feeling of community!

In 1994, Nancy purchased a 1905 Victorian, which she lovingly restored, and her home received one of the first Queensmark awards. Some of her other profound achievements include writing "Images of America: Richmond Hill," which was co-authored by Historian Carl Ballenas, and one of her two books where history was showcased in a creative manner. In conjunction with the Richmond Hill Historical Society, she achieved Individual Landmark status for the Richmond Hill Republican Club on December 17, 2002. That same year, she achieved State & National Register (of Historic Places) status for the Church of The Resurrection, Richmond Hill's first church, which made it eligible for grants to restore its architectural features. She also created the Richmond Hill Museum. On June 20, 2003, the mostly intact RKO Keith's Richmond Hill Theatre became part of the State Register of Historic Places. She was also the historian of Maple Grove Cemetery, which became part of the National Register, thanks to her diligence. In 2005, she was granted a Grassroots Preservation Award by the Historic Districts Council, where she served on the Board of Directors. Practically a month prior to her passing, she announced on NY1 News that she will be the curator for an Italian American exhibit in Little Italy.

I greatly commend the October 24th ceremony which co-named the intersection of 109th St & 86th Ave in Richmond Hill, "Nancy Cataldi Way." The dedication rekindled the devotion and unity of her prior gatherings, and it was touching how her family was presented a NY City Council Proclamation, complemented by performances of Sacred songs and students of P.S. 66 reciting her poetry. It is important for us to remember and continue to fulfill the legacy of Nancy Cataldi, in order for her legacy be fulfilled by future generations. Now it is imperative that the Landmarks Preservation Commission realize the vision of Nancy Cataldi and her followers, and the authenticity of a Victorian neighborhood that's few and far between, by designating a section of Richmond Hill a Historic District.

We lost one of our city's "greats," and an emptiness fills our hearts, but may her spirit live on. Let's continue to be educated by her teachings, take precedence, and honor a devoted community leader and diverse, remarkable individual. For more information on the life of Nancy Cataldi, please visit http://nancycataldi.com/ In addition, to join the Richmond Hill Historical Society, please visit http://www.richmondhillhistory.org/  RIP Nancy Cataldi!

- Michael Perlman
Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chair
Four Borough Preservation Alliance Corp, Queens VP