MacDonald Park Meeting Calls For Proactive Approach By Our Volunteers To Restore Forest Hills' Historic Anchor

Since the early 1930s, MacDonald Park with its Gerald MacDonald statue, has been an anchor of Forest Hills. However, in early August 2011, park-goers and passersby began to notice disturbing issues. Chair Michael Perlman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, submitted a 12-page photo survey to the NYC Dept of Parks, with copies to our elected officials: http://www.scribd.com/doc/62766462/Macdonald-Park-Maintenance-Problems

 Since the survey submission, members of Rego-Forest Preservation Council began discussing the creation of a voluntary subcommittee which would engage in proactive strategies for maintaining, beautifying, and enhancing MacDonald Park. On Oct 2, 2011, members were grateful to hold a meeting in MacDonald Park with Parks Manager Rene Herrera, who serves the CB 6 vicinity, comprising of Forest Hills & Rego Park. Hassan King of Partnerships For Parks has also been very helpful towards our cause, and plans on meeting with us as well. The Parks Dept could always benefit through the role of volunteers, considering the city's budget, and also as a result of the progress of a public-private partnership.


Primary Topics of Discussion

1. Almost 10 trees that were planted in April 2011 at the One Thing That's Green event have perished prematurely. It may be attributed to the late July drought. Those trees will be replaced, since they are under warranty. Rego-Forest Preservation Council members suggested replacing the irrigation system which was dismantled during the Sept 2010 tornado, & Rene Herrera thought it would be a good idea for us to look into the possibility of acquiring a drip sprinkler system.

2. We discussed the possibility of a mature tree moving company to strengthen the integrity of our park trees, by engaging in methods of stabilizing them and pruning when necessary. Historically speaking, mature trees can be excavated and transplanted! There is no replacement for a mature tree, which fosters much beauty, shade, and purification of our air.

3. Rego-Forest Preservation Council's subcommittee will assign volunteers to help maintain the park by cleaning, watering, and planting bushes, flowers, and trees upon agreement per project. We will be on the lookout for organizations that can donate these plantings, so bald areas on the lawn and some unkempt bushes will be addressed, for example.

4. The centerpiece of MacDonald Park is the historic Gerald MacDonald statue. Its base contains text, but weathering has taken its toll, making it difficult to decipher the statement of dedication. Rego-Forest Preservation Council plans on nominating the statue and the park for the State & National Register of Historic Places. If the nomination is successful, it will commemorate the park, and open the door to federal tax credits and state-matching grants, among other potential incentives, and allow for the restoration of the statue and park over time.

5. A bench that went missing, which was documented in our August 2011 survey submission to the Parks Dept (above) has been restored almost immediately thereafter, and graffiti on the MacDonald Park plaque has been cleaned off.

Press To Date


1. NY1 News interview: Forest Hills Residents Want Parks Dept To Fix Up MacDonald Park

2. Queens Chronicle: Civic Group Seeks Partnership

3. Forum West, Dead Trees In MacDonald Park Worry Residents

4. Forest Hills Patch, The history of MacDonald Park, written by Michael Perlman:
http://foresthills.patch.com/articles/local-history-macdonald-park

We thank Rene Herrera, Parks Manager of CB 6, and the Parks Department for their willingness to work with us. We also thank Hassan King of Partnerships For Parks for his assistance and plans to meet with us in the near future. 

If anyone is interested in joining our subcommittee to help maintain the park, and volunteer with and/or support Rego-Forest Preservation Council, please e-mail Michael Perlman at unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Facebook Groups: Please Take Action For S.O.S. (Save Our Stadium!) & Rego-Forest Preservation Council

Facebook is upgrading all of its groups. Even some of the most successful Facebook Groups were not given the option to upgrade to date. For those who are members of the S.O.S. (Save Our Stadium!) group (which has 190 members currently), please visit the link below. When asked on top of the page if you want to remain in the group when Facebook upgrades it, please press YES. Then you won't have any interruption of your membership for the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Preservation cause: http://on.fb.me/SaveOurStadium

The Facebook Group for Rego-Forest Preservation Council has luckily been presented the option to upgrade months ago, & has made a smooth transition. Kudos to the 390 members. If you aren't already a member, please consider joining & supporting our historic preservation causes: http://on.fb.me/RegoForest

Please spread the word to ALL your neighbors & friends, and help preserve & enhance our community's historic character. Help our volunteer recruitment initiative as well. Thank you! 

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.

"Queens Blvd Big Sweep" Needs Volunteers on October 15th, 8:30 AM - 3 PM

Want to dedicate a few hours of community service? Queens Boulevard Restoration Group & In Our Back Yard (IOBY.org) need volunteers to help clean the tree-lined medians of Queens Blvd in Forest Hills and Rego Park. Help restore the medians along Queens Blvd from 78th Ave to 63rd Dr, & make our community shine while helping the environment!
 
When? Saturday, October 15, 2011, 9:00 AM -3:00 PM. Meet at 8:30 AM

Where? Meet in MacDonald Park on Queens Blvd & 70th Rd, Forest Hills
 
Water, gloves, t-shirts, and lunch will be provided. Pitch in for as long as you want! 

To sign up or for more information, please e-mail info@queensblvd.org or call (917) 558-3802. Please bring your friends, neighbors, family, & help spread the word.

Commemorate Arthur Szyk with Forest Hills Jewish Center & The Arthur Syzk Society on 9/25/11 at 12:30 PM - A Ceremony Fit For A Legend!

Public Ceremony Marking 60^th Anniversary of Famous Artist's Death
to be Held at his Gravesite on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 12:30 PM

The renowned Arthur Szyk's Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark) at Forest Hills Jewish Center. In the New York Press, Szyk stated “This is my first work for a temple,” which was also his first 3-D creation for a synagogue. Meant to symbolize the crown and breastplate of a Torah scroll, it is unique how Torah design elements can serve as an inspiration for a ‘larger than life’ model. Architectural critics and historians consent that it is one of the most phenomenal 20^th century Judaic works of art. - Photo & explanation provided by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council

Long Island, New York - World renowned artist and activist Arthur Szyk, who designed the magnificent Ark of the Forest Hills Jewish Center (FHJC) in the late 1940s, will be remembered during a graveside ceremony at New Montefiore cemetery on Long Island, New York, on Sunday, September 25 at 12:30PM. Rabbi Irvin Ungar, curator of The Arthur Szyk Society, will travel from California to lead the commemoration.

Arthur Szyk was born in Łódź, Poland in 1894 and immigrated to the United States in 1940. The foremost anti-Nazi artist in America during World War II, he was also a leading advocate for the rescue of European Jewry and the creation of the State of Israel. Sixty years after Szyk's death in New Canaan, Connecticut at the age of fifty-seven, this ceremony will pay tribute to the artist's memory and legacy. Readings will include passages from the FHJC founding Rabbi Ben Zion Bokser's moving 1951 eulogy, which will be interwoven with thoughts and reflections on Arthur Szyk as an artist and as a great man.

The Szyk gravesite is located within Block 7, Section 5, Row C of the New Montefiore Cemetery, Pinelawn, Long Island, Suffolk County, New York. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Directions: Long Island Expressway to Exit 49 North, follow service road to traffic light. Turn left on to Pinelawn Road (Wellwood Avenue). Follow to cemetery on left. The New Montefiore Cemetery may be reached at 631-249-7000.

For more information about the legacy of Arthur Szyk, as well as information on the Arthur Szyk Society and Forest Hills Jewish Center, please visit:
 

http://szyk.org 

facebook.com/arthurszyk

http://www.fhjc.org

Invite: Birth of Historic Preservation 9/20/11 at Museum of The City of NY - Special Discount to RFPC Blog Readers!

You are invited to......

Preserving the Past: The Birth of Historic Preservation

Tuesday, September 20 at 6:30 PM

The burgeoning 19th- and 20th-century interest in Colonial styles of art and architecture coincided with the emergence of the historic preservation movement, whose earliest subjects were colonial sites, including Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, and the Powel House in Philadelphia. 

* Why did early preservationists focus specifically on the nation’s colonial past? 

* What were the ideological underpinnings of preservation?

Max Page, professor and author of several books, including The Creative Destruction of Manhattan, 1900-1940 (University of Chicago Press, 1999); Franklin D. Vagnone, Executive Director of the Historic House Trust; and others explore preservation and the Colonial Revival to understand their complicated relationship.

Co-sponsored by the Historic House Trust.

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 Rego-Forest Preservation Council

- Museum of The City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street

New York, NY  10029

www.mcny.org

(212) 534-1672

On a related note, the birth of the NYC Landmarks Law began in 1965, when Mayor Robert Wagner signed it into being, in response to the public outcry when the classic Pennsylvania Station was demolished in 1963.

1910 photo courtesy of the Evening Telegraph Blog

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.