Reprinted with permission
Coalition Steps Up Effort
To Save Decrepit but Historic Houses at Navy Yard
by Raanan Geberer ([email protected]),
published online 10-13-2005
Industrial Park Wants To Demolish Them When It Takes Title to Land
BROOKLYN — Giving new life to a long-running issue, community groups stretching from Boerum Hill to Fort Greene, as well as historic preservation organizations, are stepping up their campaign to save at least some of the historic “Admiral’s Row” officers’ houses at the former Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Meanwhile, the word from Eric Deutsch, president of the Brooklyn Navy Yard industrial park, which occupies most of the former U.S. Navy installation, is that the long-unused houses are so far gone that they can’t be saved.
Indeed, he said, any attempt to replicate them would make it unfeasible for new commercial and industrial businesses to come to this section of the Navy Yard.
What’s making this issue urgent in the eyes of the preservationists, who have banded together under the aegis of the Admiral’s Row Coalition, is the fact that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the houses and surrounding land, has agreed to transfer property rights to the city.
The city would then, according to Deutsch, lease the property to the Navy Yard industrial park. This must go through the city’s ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Process), and the City Council is expected to decide on the matter by the end of the month.
Some of the many members of the coalition include the Historic Districts Council, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Fort Greene Association, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn Heights Association, Boerum Hill Association and others.
Paul Palazzo, of the Fort Greene Association, acknowledges that the houses, some of which date back to the Civil War, are in “terrible shape especially the wooden extensions,” and questions a survey the Navy Yard industrial park took about 10 years ago that concluded that they are beyond repair.
The coalition, he says, recently commissioned a new engineering survey by Robert Silman Associates that concluded that “six of the masonry brick buildings are salvageable,” although the buildings’ wood additions and decks, and other buildings that are completely made of wood, are not.
Commenting on reports that a “big box” store was envisioned for the site, Palazzo said, “I spoke to the Farragut Houses tenants’ association. They said they don’t want a box store; what they do want are smaller stores like dry cleaners, day care centers, job training facilities.” These, he said, are the types of uses that could be situated in the refurbished old officers’ houses.
“The point is,” he said, “that this is a piece of Brooklyn history. Brooklynites feel attached to this for a good reason, because of the Brooklyn effort during World War II,” when the Navy Yard was building ships day and night.
‘Not Barracks — Mansions’
Alex Herrera of the New York Landmarks Conservancy also said that the masonry portions of the buildings can be saved, although the roofs would have to be rebuilt, as would wooden additions such as porches.
“These homes were once an important part of the social life of the Navy Yard,” he said. “These were not barracks — they were mansions.”
Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, said that instead of having the city hand the property off to the Navy Yard, the city should “mothball” or weatherproof the houses, then issue an RFP for development ideas.
“These houses are very much worthy of being preserved,” he said, saying they were built in the “Second Empire Style.” By contrast, he said, the officers’ houses on Governors Island are “simpler, plainer.”
Deutsch of the Navy Yard said that the yard plans “to redevelop the site to create more industrial and retail jobs. We would like to use part of the site for more industrial space, and some of the frontage along Flushing Avenue for retail.”
He stressed that the Navy Yard has spent many thousands of dollars and many man-hours inspecting the Admiral’s Row area, and that if the houses were rebuilt, “we would be replicating, not preserving, them — I’ve gone to some of those houses, and then gone back a few weeks later, and the part that I’d been standing in had collapsed.”
Deutsch said the Navy Yard is committed to historic preservation. “We do use a number of 19th century buildings today, and spent several hundred thousands of our own money to rehabilitate the old Navy Hospital and Surgeon’s House, which we only got back [from the federal government] about five years ago. But those were buildings that could be preserved.”
Deutsch and his critics do agree on one thing: that the federal government has been a terrible guardian of the site, allowing the buildings’ condition to go from bad to worse.
After the U.S. Navy closed the original Navy Yard in the mid-1960s, it continued to house some personnel in the officers’ houses until the mid-1970s, but afterward transferred ownership of the site to the Army Corps of Engineers.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2005
All materials posted on brooklyneagle.com are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without written permission, which can be sought by emailing [email protected].
-
-******PRESS RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE******
******Admiral’s Row Coalition calls for Moratorium of Demolition******
(October 7, 2005)
A growing coalition of concerned community organizations including the Historic Districts Council, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Pratt Institute, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, Brooklyn Heights Association, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Boerum Hill Association, The Society for Clinton Hill, New York Preservation Alliance, Farragut Tenants Association, Walt Whitman Houses, Carlton Willoughby Block Association, Municipal Art Society, Vanderbilt Avenue Block Association, and The Historic Wallabout Association have joined voices with the Fort Greene Association to form the Admiral’s Row Coalition.
Together the Coalition is requesting that the City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg place a moratorium on the demolition of Admiral’s Row located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Information released in a recently performed survey of the historic site by noted engineering firm, Robert Silman Associates states “that six of the residential masonry brick buildings are salvageable” has redoubled the efforts of preservationists and developers to halt the demolition of this public asset. The Coalition is requesting that the site be “mothballed” to prevent any further deterioration of the site and in addition a request for proposal be issued for adaptive reuse redevelopment. Redevelopment of the historic asset should be advised by the Coalition with strong attention to the needed community services and quality of life requirements of the surrounding residents of the Farragut, Whitman, and Ingersoll Houses while acknowledging the historic significance of the site located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Paul Palazzo a member of the Fort Greene Association and member of the Coalition states that “mothballing Admiral’s Row now is a low cost solution that will allow the City, the market sector, and the surrounding neighborhoods to make an accurate appraisal of Admiral’s Row. Bringing Admiral’s Row to the open market with guidance from the community will be a win for jobs, a win for the needs of the local residents, and a win for the recognition of the monumental effort and sacrifice made by New Yorkers at this location.”
The Coalition also requests that the City Council alter the proposed ULURP application and bisect the land parcel as to not interfere with the imminent plans of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation to construct light manufacturing buildings on the land not containing the historic structures. The City Council is expected to vote on the transfer of property by the end of October.
“What I really don’t want to see is a grocery store. What we need are other services in this community” – Mary Andrews, Farragut Tenants Association “
We should not rush to destroy Admiral’s Row. We may be throwing away a huge economic benefit and cultural treasure for the local community and the City of New York.
– Paul Palazzo, Admiral’s Row Coalition.
For further information please contact
Phillip Kellogg, Chair, the Fort Greene Association
718-875-1855
e-mail: [email protected]
Download this October 7 press release
-
-Help the FGA save Admiral’s Row.
Write a letter to the following elected officials today. The Demolition could be as soon as the end of October.
Councilmember Melinda Katz
District Office Address:
104-01 Metropolitan Ave.
Forest Hills, New York, 11375
District Office Phone No.: (718) 544-8800
Fax Phone No.: (718) 544-4452
Manhattan Office Address:
250 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, 10007
Manhattan Office Phone No.: (212) 788-6981
Email: [email protected]
Councilmemeber David Yassky
District Office Address:
114 Court Street
Brooklyn, New York, 11201
District Office Phone No.: (718) 875-5200
Fax Phone No.: (718) 643-6620
Manhattan Office Address:
250 Broadway, 18th Floor
New York, 10007
Manhattan Office Phone No.: (212) 788-7348
Email: [email protected]
Council Speaker Gifford Miller
District Office Address:
336 East 73rd Street (Suite C)
New York, New York, 10021
District Office Phone No.: (212) 535-5554
Fax Phone No.: (212) 535-6098
Manhattan Office Address:
City Hall
New York, 10007
Manhattan Office Phone No.: (212) 788-7210
Email: [email protected]
Councilmember Letitia James
District Office Address:
67 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY, 11217
District Office Phone No.: 718-260-9191
Fax Phone No.: 718-260-9099
Manhattan Office Address:
250 Broadway
NY, 10007
Manhattan Office Phone No.: 212-788-7081
Email: [email protected]
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)
FAX (212) 788-2460
E-MAIL:http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
-

-
-E-BULLETIN OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL
October 2005, Volume 2 Number 10
19th Century Admirals’ Row Houses To Be Demolished For Supermarket!

The Officer’s Quarters along Flushing Avenue in the Brooklyn Navy Yard have long been unprotected landmarks in need. Originally built around the time of the Civil War for officers and their families, this row of French Empire style masonry and wood buildings (also called Admiral’s Row) have been vacant since the 1970’s. They are part of a six-acre site that is the process of being given over to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation for new industrial development. The houses themselves have long been neglected, and two of them have sustained recent fire damage (there are six in total). The BNYDC has proposed to demolish the buildings and develop a supermarket on the site, citing job development concerns and the creation of a community amenity. While the development corporation has been, for the most part, a responsible steward for the numerous historic properties under their stewardship, HDC – joined by a coalition of community groups that neighbor the Navy Yard – strenuously objects to the demolition of the historic buildings and is disappointed in the development corporation’s lack of vision.

Our colleagues at the New York Landmarks Conservancy arranged for noted engineer Robert Silman Associates to assess the buildings’ viability and, based on their review, RSA felt “confident that the buildings can be satisfactorily repaired and restored.” The report noted that these buildings could be temporarily stabilized for over five years, which would be more than long enough for the Navy Yard to issue a Request for Proposal for development that would retain or incorporate the buildings, which is what the Coalition for the Preservation of Admiral’s Row is advocating. We believe that the buildings at Admiral’s Row are historic treasures that serve as important reminders of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s role as one of the largest naval stations in the country. These buildings are a community amenity, and to demolish them for a big-box supermarket, which is planned, flies in the face of forty years of preservation planning. The last step of the public process for the development corporation to gain control of the property will be a hearing at City Council sometime in October.

Please contact CM Miguel Martinez; [email protected], Chair of the Subcommittee on Planning & Depositions and let him know that the Council must insist that the Brooklyn Navy Development Corporation agrees to issue an open call for proposals that incorporate the preservation of Admiral’s Row before they can gain control of the site.

The Advocate for New York City’s Historic Neighborhoods
232 East 11th Street New York NY 10003
tel: 212-614-9107 fax: 212-614-9127 email: [email protected]

-
1.Join the FGA Landmarks Committee
(email to [email protected])
2.Write a letter to the current owners of the property the US Federal Government
Senator Charles E. Schumer
757 Third Avenue
Suite 17-02
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-486-4430
Fax: 212-486-7693

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
780 Third Ave
Suite 2601
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 688-6262
Fax: (212) 688-7444

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez
268 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone (718) 599-3658

Copy the letter to:
Councilperson Letitia James
67 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Phone: 718-260-9191
Fax: 718-260-9099
3. Testify at the scheduled ULURP hearing at:
City Planning Commission
Wednesday August 24, 2005 10:00AM
Spector Hall
22 Reade Street
New York, NY
For agenda and speaking form visit http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/luproc/calendar.pdf

-Admiral’s Row visual tour August 4, 2005.
Views of Officer’s Quarters in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Notes by Simeon Bankoff, Historic Districts Council.
-