Uptown Grand Central is reigniting Party on Park – a Harlem celebration on a closed-to-traffic Park Avenue between 125th and 116th Street – on Sunday, October 1st.
Party on Park will be from Noon until 4 pm and we need you to help staff a Harlem Neighborhood Block Association table. We’ll have cards and flyers for you to hand out, and otherwise all you’d have to do would be to enjoy the vibe, listen to the great music, and say Hi to your neighbors.
If you could volunteer an hour or two on October 1st, at any time between Noon and 4pm, please email us to let us know at: [email protected]
We really hope you can help.
An Open Letter to NYC’s Commissioner Raine (Department of Buildings)
Dear Commissioner Raine,
I’m writing to ask that you stop the planned demolition of the Landmark houses at 66-68 W 119th Street in Harlem and work with the owner to have them redevelop the properties to their original splendor. I am the immediate neighbor at 64 W 119th Street.
The buildings are part of the Mount Morris Park Historic District, which remains one of New York City’s most vibrant African-American communities. Preserving its historic buildings and streets highlights our rich and diverse history, and the social and cultural influences of our different communities. It is very important to the community that Harlem retains its culture through its architecture and people; as the world around us changes, we should try to retain a bit of Harlem’s history by preserving its landscape.
The owner should be allowed to restore the properties under the supervision of the DOB and the Landmark Preservation Commission. If the owner can perform repairs to the satisfaction of your agency, there should be no reason for the DOB to rush through an unnecessary demolition.
I and the other immediate neighbor at 70 West 119th Street are convinced that all safety concerns can be satisfied as a standard matter of course in doing the restoration.
Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) responded to concerns that a long abandoned building on Astor Row was about to collapse and knocked the building down.
Future owners will be forced by landmarking to restore the front facade. Sadly, now, it’s a gaping hole in the streetscape.
The moratorium also asks for more data from the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to explain why East Harlem has been packed with addiction programs that other wealthier communities have rejected. Similarly, the moratorium notes that 80% of the people served by these programs in East Harlem don’t live here, but are drug treatment commuters who travel here for their programs.
The Church of All Saints
The landmarked Church of All Saints in East Harlem may have found a buyer. The New York Post reported recently that this church (which has been up for sale for a few years now, and includes the All Saints School complex to the north of the church which was closed in 2011) is negotiating with a potential buyer.
Historic All Saints Church — called the “St. Patrick’s of Harlem” — is about to be sold, The Post has learned.
The Catholic Archdiocese of New York shuttered the church in 2015 and the landmark building, along with its adjacent school and parish house, which occupy an entire block, have stood empty since.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese would not provide any details on the pending sale.
“There is no final agreement in place; things are in process,” said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese.
There certainly has been a flurry of (scaffolding) activity at the site in the last month or so. You can see a huge vertical scaffold section that has allowed workers to examine and repair the topmost facade cross.
While it’s unclear if the church will be sold or not (many a deal has fallen through before finalized), and once sold, we have no idea if the buyer will warehouse the complex or develop it, still, there is local hope that this building will see new life in some form or another.
The building has been deconsecrated and stripped of religious items in 2017, and as with 98% of landmarking, the interior is not landmarked – a new owner could do whatever s/he wants with the inside.
This church was built for the large Irish Catholic population in this part of Harlem and East Harlem at the turn of the 20th century. More recently, it served a primarily African-American and Nigerian parish base and was run by Franciscans.
Timeline of Our Annus Horribilis – 2020
The Museum of the City of New York has a fantastic timeline out that chart our collective Annus Horribilis – 2020.
Scroll down the page to see what happened and when. Here is an explainer video:
MTA Public Hearing re: NYS Eminent Domain Procedure Law
Tue, March 30, 6pm – 7pm
DescriptionThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”), on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries, will hold a Virtual public hearing under Executive Order 202.94 and pursuant to Article 2 of the New York State Eminent Domain Procedure Law (“EDPL”) on the proposed acquisition of permanent & temporary property interests in properties in the Borough of Manhattan for Phase 2, Contract 2 of the Second Avenue Subway Project (“Project”).
The hearing will review the public uses, benefits, purposes, and location of the Project, the impact the Project may have on the environment and residents of the area, and will give the public an opportunity to comment on the Project and the proposed Property acquisition. Description of the Project The Second Avenue Subway, when complete, will provide a subway line with 16 new stations extending from 125th St. & Lexington Ave. to Hanover Square, will link MTA New York City Transit facilities with Metro-North Railroad at 125th St. & provide connections to buses. Acquisition of public & private real estate interests along the project route will be necessary for the construction and operation of the Project.
Phase 1 of the Project has already been completed. Currently, the line runs from E. 96th St. to E. 63rd St. along Second Av., where it joins the existing Broadway Line. Phase 2 of the Project will extend the line north to E. 125th St. turning west along E. 125th St. towards Lexington Ave.
Contract 2 consists of construction of the launch box for the Tunnel Boring Machine(s), bored tunnel north from 120th St. at Second Ave. and tunnel & cavern mining for the 125th St. Station and future entrance and ancillary facilities.
This public hearing includes property interests needed for Contract 2 only. Date, Time and Place of the Virtual Hearing Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Hearing begins at 6:00 p.m. Registration to speak can be made in advance by visiting new.mta.info/2021EDPL-SASP2-hearing, which will remain open through the hearing date. Registration will close at 6:30 p.m. Please note this Public Hearing is being conducted in a Virtual format under Executive Order 202.94.
The public may join the hearing by visiting https://mta.zoom.us/j/82605599788 or by calling 877-853-5247 (Meeting ID 82605599788). A link will also be provided on the MTA website.
A Tribute to Women’s History Tickets, Sat, Mar 27, 2021 at 7:00 PM |
