HURRICANE IRENE ADVICE

To all New Yorkers: Please check for information related to Hurricane Irene on the Office of Emergency Management website. Let's pray everyone will be safe, & the hurricane will "take a swim & drown!"

 

NYC Office of Emergency Management

 

http://www.facebook.com/NYCemergencymanagement?sk=wall 

 

NYC OEM plans for and responds to emergencies in New York City. For more info, visit http://www.nyc.gov/oem For emergency assistance, call 911. For service requests, call 311.

This is an important e-mail from Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi:

Take steps to prepare for Hurricane Irene‏

Dear Neighbor:

By now, it is likely that you have received news that New York City may be hit by Hurricane Irene this weekend, likely Saturday evening into Sunday. While this hurricane has the capacity to cause a significant amount of damage, there are steps you can take to ensure that your homes and loved ones are protected.

The first step you should take in preparing is finding out if you live in an evacuation zone. Click here to see evacuation zones throughout New York City. If you live in one of these zones, when instructed, you should follow these evacuation instructions.

I am strongly urging residents in our communities to take every precaution possible and prepare for the worst-case scenario. Please gather ample amounts of water, non-perishable food, and batteries for flashlights. Secure loose items on your property, consider boarding up vulnerable windows, and bring in any trash lying on your curbs. Do the best you can to prepare for up to 2 weeks of power and utility outages. To report outages to Con Edison, have your account number ready and call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). You can keep up to date on the city’s storm monitoring and response by clicking here or by calling 311. In case of a life threatening emergency, always call 911.

Please review the following links:

• You can view updates from the New York City Office of Emergency Management by clicking here.
   
• The Red Cross has put together a Hurricane Safety Checklist, available in English, Spanish and Chinese. 

If the storm hits, the greatest impact is expected to be felt on Sunday. Please use this time to prepare for the storm by stocking up on resources and reviewing evacuation plans if they apply to your neighborhood. As always, if you are experiencing an emergency, please dial 911.

-Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi
28 A.D. 


More important tips:

* Examine the Office of Emergency Management link above, & see if you are required to evacuate.
* Stock up on food & water for at least 3 days' supply
* Buy flashlights
* Buy batteries & battery-powered radios (in case of power outages)
* Steer clear of windows & consider buying plywood to board them up
* Take all street furniture indoors, since objects can fly & be fatal
* Brace trees
* Contact family, friends, & neighbors proactively to ensure their safety, & SPREAD THE WORD!

Measuring the storm, The Saffir-Simpson Scale (Credit: CBS & AP)

 

 

Forest Hills Post Office History Recognized in Queens Chronicle

The Forest Hills post office under construction in September 1938 and completed in 1940. The topless female sculpture above the door was criticized at the time. The building behind the facility is labeled “Forest Hills Fireproof Storage.” Courtesy of Ron Marzlock, Queens Chronicle Historian

 

A post office deemed risque 1

The Forest Hills post office under construction in September 1938 and completed in 1940. The topless female sculpture above the door was criticized at the time. The building behind the facility is labeled “Forest Hills Fireproof Storage.”

Forest Hills Post Office in September 1938 - Courtesy of Ron Marzlock, Queens Chronicle Historian

2007 photo courtesy of Greg Godfrey

The Forest Hills Post Office is currently the only building in Forest Hills on the State & National Register of Historic Places, making it eligible for federal tax credits and state-matching grants for preservation-friendly upgrades & restoration work. Rego-Forest Preservation Council is currently documenting the Forest Hills Post Office's history and authentic features for a good cause, so imagine how we felt when we discovered the building in the 8/4 edition of the Queens Chronicle's "I Have Often Walked" column, written by Historian Ron Marzlock:

Queens Chronicle: A Post Office Deemed Risque

In the 1930s, most post offices in Queens were little candy store-type buildings housing only a few letter carrier routes in a leased building.

In June 1936, the Emergency Construction Program Act was passed. Politically strong Forest Hills was able to arrange the construction of a federal building to house a post office, at 106-28 Queens Blvd.

The new building was to be a showpiece of the area, topped off with a sculpture called “The Spirit of Communication.” The Art Deco-style work, a bare-breasted woman holding a clock and dove, was denounced by conservative 1938 Forest Hills as bad art in bad taste. But sculptor Sten Jacobson’s creation was valued at more than $150,000 in 1990, and is protected today and cared for by the General Services Administration.

Most other buildings of the era put up by the Works Progress Administration got a painting for artwork. Forest Hills got real sculpture. The other fortunate areas of Queens to secure WPA buildings for a post office were Jackson Heights, Woodhaven, Far Rockaway and Flushing. All of them are protected by landmark status.

Today, the fine 71-year-old structure facing MacDonald Park is dwarfed by the highly-concentrated apartment houses which have since engulfed so much of Forest Hills. At least it’s not one of the five post offices in Queens the United States Postal Service is considering closing.

"The Spirit of Communication" adorns the terra-cotta facade. Recent photos courtesy of Michael Perlman, Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council

Polished brass doors bear Art Deco handles

The Forest Hills Post Office made the grade on the 10th annual walking tour of Downtown Forest Hills in September 2010 by Historian Jeff Gottlieb, President of the Central Queens Historical Association.

Admiring the verticals and cubism of an International Style/Art Moderne Federal building. Most other post offices designed in the 1930s & prior were of (Georgian) Colonial design in Queens. This design would be found in a 1939 World's Fair pavilion, but this predated it! A patriotic mark is made upon Queens Boulevard!

WSTC Issues Request For Proposals For Storied Forest Hills Tennis Stadium - RFPC Seeks Preservation-Friendly Partners For WSTC

On 8/1/11, the West Side Tennis Club issued a Request For Proposals, appealing to developers on potential ideas for redevelopment of our iconic Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. Since Cord Meyer's condo plan was rejected in Oct 2010 by a majority of voting-eligible members, there is now a greater opportunity to preserve & reuse the stadium. Nevertheless, we learned that Cord Meyer Development is once again interested in the stadium and plans to respondto the Request For Proposals. A tour for potential suitors will be on August 15th. 

It is the hope of Rego-Forest Preservation Council and citizens alike, that Cord Meyer will not submit any proposal to alter or demolish our internationally-recognized stadium. Not only would that obliterate a site of historic firsts, but crush an opportunity to landmark, restore, and creatively reuse it as a mixed-use 21st century venue that could be use for tennis, subdued concerts, music & art festivals, charity events, weddings, graduations, school trips, etc. We need to safeguard historic character, boost jobs, and help our local business corridors, and not hinder it. Yes to a destination... No to typical condos. The Stadium Committee of the WSTC will review new proposals in early Oct 2011. 

On August 3rd, Journalist Dawn Wotapka of the Wall Street Journal covered this issue, which features an interview with Chairman Michael Perlman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council:  

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/08/03/forest-hills-tennis-stadium-still-seeking-savior/

Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Petition Seeking Landmarking & Restoration

Courtesy of Michael Perlman

Please sign, post a comment, & circulate the petition to landmark & restore the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium & Clubhouse of the West Side Tennis Club:

http://www.petitiononline.com/FHtennis/petition.html

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Peter Dutton

Courtesy of Pat Lannan

PETITION TEXT

To:  NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, NY State Historic Preservation Office, Councilmember, Congressmember, Mayor, State Senator, Assemblymember, Queens Borough President, Public Advocate (elected official at time of petition serving Forest Hills, NY)

The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium & Clubhouse of the West Side Tennis Club (1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills, NY) has architectural, cultural, and historical significance, and it is of the utmost to designate this complex, inclusive of grounds and interiors, as an official Landmark on city, state, & federal levels. In addition to preserving and commemorating an iconic site for future generations, landmarking will open the door to funding (i.e. grants and tax credits) for a restoration and historically-sensitive upgrades. Mixed-use creative revitalization of the Stadium would hold great potential for the economic benefit of the West Side Tennis Club and greater community, and a 21st century cultural destination would enhance our quality of life.

HISTORY

The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium is an American and International icon, situated in the earliest planned garden community countrywide, the Forest Hills Gardens. The Stadium embodies firsts in tennis, music, architectural, and social history, and was referred to as the "World Capital of Tennis." Designed by award-winning public building architect Kenneth M. Murchison, and built by The Foundation Co. in 1923, it was the first concrete tennis stadium in the U.S. The Stadium features eagles, terra-cotta shields bearing the West Side Tennis Club logo, archways, simplified cornice detail, flagpoles, authentic grandstands seating 14,000, etc. The Stadium was the 1st home of the US Open (through 1978), & was also home to singles championships, the Davis Cup, Wightman Cup, etc. It hosted tennis greats such as Bill Tilden, Helen Jacobs, Billie Jean King, Roger Federer, and Arthur Ashe & Althea Gibson who broke the racial color barrier. The Stadium also played cinematic roles, as it featured key scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers On A Train." The annual Forest Hills Music Festival and concerts took ground in the late 1950s - late 1990s, featuring the likes of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, The Monkees, The Who, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel, Trini Lopez, Peter, Paul, & Mary, etc. The Stadium & Clubhouse and its history has long-influenced our cultural possessions and media, including records & CDs, films, maps, the Forest Hills tennis racquet, clothing, postcards, (news) photos, videos, news, matchcovers, ads, etc. The Tudor-style Clubhouse dates to 1913, and was designed by famed architect Grosvenor Atterbury & John Almay Tompkins. The West Side Tennis Club was established in 1892, & first operated courts on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The West Side Tennis Club helped establish the sport of tennis in the US. Forest Hills is known for tennis, and tennis helped place Forest Hills on the map. In MIT's Nov. 1922 "The Technology Review," an ad referred to the stadium as "America's Tennis Stadium," and history has proven how it was built for the greater public.

STATUS

On May 3, 2011, local to international landmark supporters of the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium received a letter from the Landmarks Preservation Commission stating that "after a careful review of the current condition and architectural integrity of the above-referenced property, a senior staff committee of the Landmarks Preservation Commission found that the building does have some historic significance related to cultural and historic events that have taken place at the site, and does retain intact architectural features. At this time, however, the property will not be recommended to the full Commission for further consideration as an individual New York City landmark. The reason not to recommend further consideration is due to the deteriorated state of the building’s architectural features."

Rego-Forest Preservation Council feels that for the Landmarks Preservation Commission to not calendar a public hearing for the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, is a neglect of public duty and of the architectural & cultural provisions of the Landmarks Law. We believe the Landmarks Law does NOT reference a site's condition as a means for rejecting a public hearing. Despite, there have been buildings in other boroughs needing major repairs and in worse condition, which have been calendared, heard, and landmarked, and have been restored or are now undergoing restoration. Some case studies are The Windermere, West Park Presbyterian Church, & Coignet Stone Co. This represents a double standard.

On behalf of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chairman Michael Perlman launched a grassroots campaign on July 23, 2010 by submitting a Request For Evaluation form with 50 pages of primary sources to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, recommending the Stadium, Clubhouse, grounds, & interiors for NYC Landmark status. Perlman also met with local politicians. A landmark letter campaign and offline petition drive to the LPC & elected officials was launched, & was greatly supported by local to international residents & organizations. On October 7, 2010, Cord Meyer Development's proposal to build condos and demolish the majority of the stadium was rejected by West Side Tennis Club members, after not receiving a 2/3 vote to approve a sale.

Mixed-use creative revitalization of the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium (as opposed to condos) would most likely yield a greater economic return in the long-run, and could feature tennis matches, concerts, weddings, graduations, exhibits, school trips, charity events, music and art festivals, etc. The Stadium has the potential to be a 21st-century family destination, bring Queens & citywide communities closer together, boost tourism, convey historic pride, educate our children, help local businesses through tough economic times, and be an incentive for newer businesses i.e. on the Austin St corridor. Without landmarking, restoration, and creative reuse, it could be demolished, and would be a preservation travesty along the lines of Pennsylvania Station's historic loss.

FLICKR PHOTOS: http://bit.ly/ForestHillsTennisStadium
BLOG: http://regoforestpreservation.blogspot.com
FACEBOOK GROUP, "S.O.S. (Save Our Stadium!)" http://on.fb.me/SaveOurStadium

All historic photos courtesy of Michael Perlman

LIRR Destroys Forest Hills Trees on June 18th & Pledges To Alter More on July 5, 2011 - CALL TO ACTION!

 At the rate of the LIRR decimating mature, healthy, and stable trees in Forest Hills, which have not fallen since their planting a century ago, it may EXCEED the rate of the tornado's destruction upon our trees last September.

Ever wonder why some people go for the easy way out, and how some organizations which supposed to provide beneficial services to their communities turn their back? In this case, rather than pruning a tree to promote healthy growth, the Long Island Railroad figures just chop down our trees!

On the quiet Saturday morning of June 18th, the LIRR commissioned the ironically-titled Looks Great Services ("LI's Favorite Tree Care Co"), & rudely awakened the Forest Hills Gardens, decimating a healthy, historic Oak tree that was a monumental pillar for 100+ years. This came with just a couple of days prior notice, and after Congressman Weiner's resignation, since it was Congressman Weiner who worked with residents to try curbing the LIRR's approach. This follows in the footsteps of the countless trees the LIRR decimated in 2007. All that now remains is a massive stump, which is apparently not leaning towards the tracks, and is believed to be a lame excuse by the LIRR.

True that the trees are owned by the LIRR, but the larger picture is their membership in the natural environment, and by the people who admire their historic beauty and realize their means of purifying air and buffering noise from accelerating trains.

In the past, the LIRR said they would prune our trees, but instead chopped them down. Let's hope history won't repeat itself on July 5, 2011 between Ascan Ave & Station Square, when a LIRR-commissioned company returns to assess those century-old, graceful trees. After the Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance & Rego-Forest Preservation Council led a highly successful Tree Giveaway Event in MacDonald Park on June 12th, in response to the Sept 16th tornado, the LIRR evidently defeated the purpose.

We The People urgently request a meeting and a public hearing from the LIRR, and want the LIRR and its commissioned companies to further halt tree destruction. New trees must be planted in place of those that prematurely perished, although there is no replacement for a mature tree. Our politicians need to join us in this movement.

- Michael Perlman, Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council

CALL & WRITE OUR POLITICIANS, CB, & FH GARDENS CORP ASAP:

1. Councilmember Karen Koslowitz: (718) 544-8800, koslowitz@council.nyc.gov, glavine@council.nyc.gov
2. The office of former Congressman Weiner: (718) 520-9001, weiner@mail.house.gov
3. Borough President Helen Marshall: (718) 286-3000, info@queensbp.org, bgrodenchik@queensbp.org, arosa@queensbp.org
4. Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi: (718) 263-5595, hevesia@assembly.state.ny.us, persaudm@assembly.state.ny.us
5. Senator Toby A. Stavisky: (718) 445-0004, stavisky@senate.state.ny.us
6. Public Advocate Bill deBlasio: (212) 669-7200, deblasio@pubadvocate.nyc.gov, ecanfield@pubadvocate.nyc.gov
7. Community Board 6, District Manager Frank Gulluscio: (718) 263-9250, cb6q@nyc.rr.com
8. Forest Hills Gardens Corporation: (718) 268-2420, fhgcemail@aol.com
9. Carbon copy all letters with an update on phone calls: unlockthevault@hotmail.com 

This is a letter sent to local newspapers prior to the June 18th tree chopping, which was also sent to this blog:

LOSING DAVID

To The Editor:

In the aftermath of the Anthony Weiner controversy, his constituents are left without their David to battle the LIRR goliath. I learned from a work crew yesterday morning that the LIRR would be coming this Saturday to cut down yet another 100-year-old hardwood tree on their property adjacent to Forest Hills Station Square and across from the Tennis View Apartments.

After they clear cut most of the area back in 2007 and repeated efforts to have them replant the area were made, we are still left with an embankment denuded and not one inch of progress with any plan to restore the area.

Congressman Weiner had championed the cause on our behalf and was instrumental in getting the LIRR to use more discretion in the blowing of train horns as the trains passed through Forest Hills station. His office had been working to secure funding to rebuild the wall that the LIRR removed and replant the trees they cut down.

But it seems that in the power vacuum created by the scandal, the LIRR after four years has decided with only three days notice to the community that they are cutting down another old growth hardwood tree that towers above the surrounding neighborhood, providing shade to the street and buildings and a pleasant vista to the eye.

In related stories, the LIRR planted evergreens to replace the trees they removed around a Flushing station and Metro North after clear cutting along their branches in northern Queens agreed to pay $460,000 to replant those areas. So why is the LIRR so reticent to agree to make good on a promise to replant here in Forest Hills?

It seems strangely ironic that there is an encampment of media one block away waiting to pounce on the Congressman should he appear but a real human interest story that shows why his constituents are not overwhelmingly in favor of his resignation unfolds down the block and within ear shot of the chainsaws to come.

Russ Gundlach,
Forest Hills

PRESS COVERAGE - Response to the June 18th travesty

1. Forum West, Forest Hills Residents Slam LIRR For Tree Removal, June 23, 2011
2. Forest Hills Times/Queens Ledger series, Forest Hills Residents Still Frustrated With LIRR Actions, June 22, 2011
3. Forest Hills Patch, Residents Decry Loss of Century-Old Oak on LIRR Embankment, June 21, 2011


PRESS COVERAGE - In anticipation of LIRR's claimed "tree-trimming" on July 5, 2011

1. Forest Hills Patch, Gardens Residents Push LIRR To Restore Embankment Treeline, June 29, 2011

"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

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.