1 2 CITY COUNCIL 3 CITY OF NEW YORK 4 -------------------------------x 5 THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MINUTES 6 of the 7 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS, 8 PUBLIC SITING And MARITIME USES 9 -------------------------------x 10 April 15, 2008 11 Start: 11:40 a.m. Recess: 12:20 p.m. 12 City Hall 13 250 Broadway, 14th Floor New York, New York 14 15 B E F O R E: 16 JESSICA LAPPIN Chairperson, 17 18 COUNCIL MEMBERS: Charles Barron Leroy Comrie 19 John Liu Annabel Palma 20 Maria Arroyo Rosie Mendez 21 James Oddo 22 23 24 LEGAL-EASE COURT REPORTING SERVICES, INC. 17 Battery Place - Suite 1308 25 New York, New York 10004 (800) 756-3410 2 1 2 A P P E A R A N C E S 3 Diane Jackier 4 Director of External Affairs Landmarks Preservation Commission 5 Jeff Gottlieb 6 Central Queens Historical Association Queens Jewish Historical Society 7 Ann Friedman 8 New York Landmarks Conservancy 9 Edward Kirkland Historical Districts Council 10 Esther Kleisiuse 11 Congregation Tifereth Israel 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 3 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Good morning. 3 Welcome to the Land Use Subcommittee on Landmarks, 4 Public Siting and Maritime Uses. I'm the Chair, 5 Jessica Lappin, joined by Council Member Leroy 6 Comrie, Council Member Charles Barron, Council 7 Member Rosie Mendez, Council Member Annabel Palma. 8 We have three items on the agenda today. 9 The first is an item in Council 10 Member Monserrate's district. Do you want to start 11 with that one? Oh, let's start with the item in 12 Council Member Comrie's district, the former Jamaica 13 Savings Bank, which is in a Community District 27. 14 Community Board 12. Is Diane Jackier here to speak? 15 Thank you. 16 And if anybody else wants to testify 17 on any of the items, if you filled out slips with 18 the Sergeant-At-Arms, that would be great. Thanks. 19 MS. JACKIER: Good morning, Council 20 members. My name is Diane Jackier, Director of 21 External Affairs at the Landmarks Preservation 22 Commission. 23 I'm here today to testify on the 24 Commission's designation of the Jamaica Savings Bank 25 in Queens. 4 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 On October 8th, 1974, the Landmarks 3 Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the 4 proposed designation. One witness spoke in favor and 5 a representative of the owner spoke in opposition to 6 designation. 7 The designation was approved by the 8 Landmarks Commission on November 12th, 1974, and was 9 subsequently denied by the Board of Estimate. 10 On July 10th, 1990, the Landmarks 11 Commission held another public hearing on a proposed 12 designation. The hearing was continued on September 13 11th, 1990, at the request of a representative of 14 the owner. 15 At the second hearing, two 16 representatives of the owner spoke in opposition to 17 designation, a total of five witnesses at both 18 hearings spoke in favor. 19 The Commission also received about 15 20 letters expressing support for designation, 21 including a letter from Queens Borough President 22 Claire Schulman, and three letters in opposition to 23 designation, in addition to submissions from the 24 owner's representatives. 25 The designation was approved by the 5 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Landmarks Commission on May 5th, 1992, and was 3 subsequently denied by the City Council. 4 On May 15th, 2007, the Landmarks 5 Commission held a third public hearing on the 6 proposed designation. Seven people spoke in favor, 7 including Chairwoman Gloria Black of Queens 8 Community Board 12, and representatives of the 9 Central Queens Historical Association, the Queens 10 Preservation Council, the Queens Historical Society, 11 the Historic Districts Council, the New York 12 Landmarks Conservancy, and the Jamaica Center 13 Business Improvement District. 14 A representative of Council Member 15 Leroy Comrie spoke in favor of designation, 16 contingent upon the approval of the Building's 17 owner, and the owners have given us every indication 18 that they support designation. 19 On February 12th, 2008, the 20 Commission designated the Jamaica Savings Bank a New 21 York City landmark. 22 The former bank, a building which is 23 significant for its architectural merit, was 24 constructed in 1897 to '98 for the oldest and most 25 prestigious banking institution in Jamaica. 6 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Designed by the noted firm of Hough 3 and Deuell, the building is a fine and particularly 4 exuberant example of the classically inspired 5 Beaux-Arts style which became popular in the United 6 States following the 1893 World's Columbian 7 Exposition in Chicago, and is one of only a few 8 buildings in the Borough of Queens to embrace this 9 architectural aesthetic. 10 The striking facade of the building 11 displays especially rich and fluid ornamental forms 12 reminiscent of French Baroque architecture, 13 skillfully executed in carved limestone and wrought 14 iron. Notable among the facade's decorative motifs 15 is a carved stone beehive, and traditional symbol in 16 the imagery of bank architecture, denoting industry, 17 thrift and prosperity. 18 Prominent sited on Jamaica Avenue, 19 the building is an urbane presence on the 20 neighborhood's main commercial thoroughfare. 21 Although the four-story structure is relatively 22 small in scale, the imposing design of the facade 23 conveys a monumentality which is appropriately 24 suited to the distinguished image and reputation of 25 the banking institution, while lending the building 7 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 the formal elegance of the private club or 3 townhouse. 4 Incorporated in 1866 by a consortium 5 of local citizens, including John A. King, former 6 Governor of the State of New York, and the eldest 7 son of Federalist statesman Rufus King, the Jamaica 8 Savings Bank played an important role in the 9 development of Jamaica, at that time a burgeoning 10 commercial center. 11 The success of the organization was 12 marked by its exponential expansion in the late 13 nineteenth century and its need for more commodious, 14 and more conspicuous, quarters. The construction of 15 the bank coincided with the 1898 incorporation of 16 Queens County into the municipal jurisdiction of the 17 City of New York and reflects the Metropolitan 18 spirit of the period. 19 The facade of the building maintains 20 its original Beaux-Arts design and survives today 21 essentially intact as a reminder of an important era 22 in Jamaica's history. 23 The Commission urges you to affirm 24 the designation. 25 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Council Member 8 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Comrie. 3 Council Member Comrie, do you have 4 questions? 5 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: I have a 6 statement, if you don't mind, Madam Chair? 7 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Not at all. 8 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: Thank you. 9 I want to congratulate the landmarks 10 Commission for everything that they've done to get 11 to this point in the process. 12 As you've heard from the testimony, 13 this building was rejected two other times in the 14 process. I think that this building has been vacant 15 for at least 30 years, because that's about how long 16 I've been out of high school, unfortunately. But I 17 recall, even back during those days that this 18 building was vacant, and it's been in a major part 19 of the commercial area of the Jamaica Avenue 20 Downtown area. It is a significant building, but 21 it's in major disrepair. 22 If you look at the front picture, 23 that retaining wall that is on the bottom right is 24 next to a Jamaica Cultural and Arts Center, and it's 25 about to collapse, and I need to make sure that that 9 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 building is fixed as quickly as possible so that we 3 don't lose the retaining wall for the cultural arts 4 center that's next door to it. 5 But as I said in the beginning, I 6 want to thank the Landmarks Preservation Commission 7 and their staff, Commissioner Tierney. They sat down 8 with the landlord and worked out at least three 9 different design options with the landlord. They 10 tried to do everything they can to bring the 11 landlord into an understanding that he can be able 12 to preserve this facade of the building and still be 13 able to have a commercial environment inside. 14 He is looking to use it for a, you 15 know, commercial property selling retail clothes, 16 and if you look at the picture, it's, you know, not 17 the commercial, not the typical commercial retail 18 facade that you would see now-a-days that's what 19 attracts people, clearly marketing and the 20 opportunity to celebrate this building as a 21 historical landmark is something that we can work to 22 continue to convince the landlord that he can still 23 have a viable commercial establishment in a 24 historical building. 25 I think that landmarks has gone above 10 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 and beyond to try to make it happen. So, I fully 3 support this application and I want to thank them 4 for listening and thank them for responding to all 5 of my entreaties to do everything possible to work 6 with the landlords. 7 I think that's it's always better to 8 give the landlords all their viable options, let 9 them know what their opportunities are so that they 10 can make informed decisions as opposed to just 11 landmarking a building and forcing the owner then to 12 try to figure out what they need to do. 13 Clearly, you know, landmarking is not 14 an easy situation for some owners because they may 15 not have the ability to maintain the structure, and 16 we don't want to get into a point where we're 17 landmarking property and two owners that can't 18 afford to keep it up and it falls into disrepair or 19 collapse. 20 But that's not the case here. We have 21 an owner that has the ability to maintain it. We 22 have an owner that has a desire to see some 23 maintenance and we have the Landmarks Commission 24 with a new level of cooperation. 25 So, that long statement says that I 11 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 agree to this and I would urge the Committee members 3 to vote for it. And, again, thank the Landmarks 4 Preservation Commission and Commissioner Tierney. 5 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Thank you. 6 It sounds like there's been a long 7 history to this designation. 8 MS. JACKIER: Yes. 9 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: And I'm glad that 10 we've been able to come to a point it sounds like 11 where people feel supportive and excited about this. 12 Council Member Barron. 13 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Yes. Reading 14 the history, and since I usually get this the same 15 day, I've got to skim through real quick. 16 I didn't notice anything about 17 slavery. 18 MS. JACKIER: Right. 19 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: But I did 20 notice that you said Peter Stuyvesant, granted a 21 patent from Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1656. 22 MS. JACKIER: Mm-hmm. 23 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Then the 24 English took over in 1664. And then Jamaica was 25 incorporated in 1814. No slavery? 12 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Come on now. 3 MS. JACKIER: I will talk to our 4 research department -- 5 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: Actually, 6 Charles, I can. Rufus King, as you may or may not 7 know, is one of the original signers of the 8 Constitution, and he was one of the earliest people 9 that advocated for the elimination of slavery. 10 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I'm not 11 talking about -- 12 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: It's not in 13 here -- 14 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I know, none 15 of that is in there. If they advocated for the 16 elimination, put it in. If there were slaves that 17 helped build anything, put it in. 18 MS. JACKIER: Right -- 19 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: And the Yamaka 20 Indians, it mentions them. 21 MS. JACKIER: If we do, you know, have 22 any research that we find during our documentation 23 period, we of course include it in our reports -- 24 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I know. But, 25 see, the fact that that's excluded -- 13 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 MS. JACKIER: I'll talk to our 3 Research Department to find out. 4 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: In your 5 Research Department, how many blacks do you have in 6 your Research Department? 7 MS. JACKIER: We have one 8 African-American researcher. 9 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Out of how 10 many? 11 MS. JACKIER: Out of, I think it's 15. 12 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Fifteen. Come 13 on now. One out of 15. Maybe that's why we don't -- 14 you know, we've got to increase the numbers because 15 I can't even fathom that. New York began in 1625, 16 Dutch, and in 1664 the English, enslaved Africans 17 built this place, and how can we go through this 18 history here, and mention, what is it, the Yamaka 19 Indians, just mentioned that they may have named it 20 after them, what did they do to them? What happened 21 to the Yamaka Indians? What role did the enslaved 22 Africans play in building Jamaica? You know, come on 23 now. And we've been through this 1,000 times. Any 24 time you can come in here and talk about 1656, 1664, 25 1814 and don't mention what happened to the 14 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Native-Americans, the indigenous people here, what 3 happened to the enslaved Africans, you know, it's 4 not doing justice to the history. This is not going 5 to determine whether something should be landmarked 6 or not. But at least the history should be active 7 and inclusive of those who actually built this City. 8 And this is unacceptable, Leroy. I don't, you know, 9 who -- and I'm not even talking in terms of the 10 landmarking part and the work that you've done for 11 that, that I don't have problems with. But the part 12 of the purpose with historical preservation is to 13 preserve the history, and that has to include the 14 truth about the Native-Americans, the indigenous 15 people, and the truth about the role that enslaved 16 Africans played in building New York and building so 17 many parts of New York City that is totally, totally 18 neglected and ignored. 19 And you've got 15 researchers, one 20 black, and they can look at this, as much as I've 21 been running my mouth on this, every meeting we 22 have, and can't find anything? Come on. You know, 23 this is really getting to be ridiculous. As soon as 24 they see that year, they can't possibly not find 25 anything about enslaved Africans in 1656. 15 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 MS. JACKIER: The majority of our 3 research for the building, it was in 1897. So, the 4 majority of our research goes into the specific 5 information about the building. 6 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Somebody just 7 wrote, well, Peter Stuyvesant. 8 MS. JACKIER: Right. 9 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: So, somebody 10 researched 1656. 11 MS. JACKIER: And if there is anything 12 that we do find, we would include it. 13 And, so, I will speak to our Research 14 Department, they are well aware -- 15 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Well, I've 16 been talking about this for a couple of years. 17 MS. JACKIER: Right. 18 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: So, how can we 19 come up with this after years and years of me 20 saying, please be sensitive to that, and then we 21 come up with this. 22 And even in the last one, we didn't 23 make a big deal of it, we just said for the DUMBO 24 area, that they did own slaves. That was it, one 25 sentence. Not what the enslaved applicants did to 16 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 build DUMBO. 3 See, come on now, this is getting 4 ridiculous. 5 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Okay, I think 6 you've made your point, Council Member Barron. 7 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I don't think 8 I did because we're still getting stuff like this. 9 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: We've been joined 10 by Council Member Arroyo and Council Member Oddo. 11 We have an active agenda today and 12 other people signed up to testify on this particular 13 item, and I know there are other hearings going on, 14 but members need to be in and out, so thank you very 15 much, Ms. Jackier. 16 I'm going to ask the other people who 17 have signed up to testify on this item, Jeff 18 Gottlieb, Ann Friedman and Edward Kirkland, please 19 come up in one panel, introduce yourself for the 20 record and give your testimony. 21 I'm going to ask each of you, as 22 well, to keep your testimony to two minutes, and if 23 you have written testimony that extends beyond that, 24 the Sergeant will circulate it to us, so you can 25 just summarize the most important point. 17 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 MR. GOTTLIEB: Thank you. Hold it. 3 Thank you. I should know if there is a red button or 4 whatever. 5 My name is Jeff Gottlieb. Many of you 6 know me from being a Council Member staff member, 7 but for you outside of Council Member Comrie, know 8 me as the President of the Queens Historical 9 Association. Our scope is basically Kew Garden 10 Hills, Briarwood Forest, Regal Park, Kew Gardens, 11 Richmond Hill and, of course, Jamaica south to 12 Liberty Avenue. 13 We've been pushing for a long time, 14 as Ms. Jackier will tell you, for landmarking for a 15 number of sites in the Downtown Jamaica area. 16 We cut 100 sites down to 24, and one 17 of the sites was, of course, the Jamaica Savings 18 Bank, at 161-02 Jamaica Avenue. 19 I'll just give a brief, I was first 20 notified last night, late, by Frampton Tobert, a 21 good friend, Historic District Council, so I will 22 give you the remarks abbreviated, which I spoke 23 about at the Landmarks Preservation Commission 24 hearing and a few comments outside of that. 25 Finished in 1898, the Jamaica Saving 18 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Bank at 161-02 Jamaica Avenue is the finest example 3 of Beaux Arts style architecture. This style became 4 fashionable in the United States after World 5 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. 6 The bank's French Baroque 7 architecture features carved limestone and wrought 8 iron from its rusticated base to its pilasters and 9 tabulator and segmented pediments to its wrought 10 iron balcony and stone beehive, with a special urban 11 presence in Jamaica, one of the first of the urban 12 presences, followed in 1913 by the building of a new 13 Long Island Railroad Station, which is at Archer and 14 Sutphin, right next to Air Train Building, as many 15 of you know. 16 After the EL line was in place, 17 elevated line in 1918, bringing more shoppers into 18 the downtown area, a number of banks and trust 19 companies were established, including the Chase 20 Manhattan Bank, a neighbor of Jamaica Savings, at 21 161-10 Jamaica Avenue. 22 These institutions provide for the 23 capital and financial expertise to a growing 24 Jamaica. During the 1920s, other prominent 25 commercial structures were added to scene between 19 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Jamaica Savings, Jamaica Chamber of Commerce 3 Building, the Suffolk Title and Guaranty Building, 4 landmarked now, is known as the Greater Jamaica 5 Development Corporation Building. 6 There were other particular 7 institutions, Dominican Commercial High School and 8 others, helped get Jamaica as a business commercial 9 center. 10 In fact, in the early 1950s, it was 11 the third largest of the commercial business 12 sections after Fifth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in 13 Brooklyn. 14 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: I'm going to ask 15 you to wrap up, Mr. Gottlieb, if you can. 16 MR. GOTTLIEB: All right. Thank you. 17 It's been a long haul. We hope to 18 have several others. We have more landmarked sites 19 in Jamaica than they have in Flushing, actually, 20 which is a triumph to the good grace of Mr. Comrie 21 and his predecessor, Archie Spigner, also. 22 As to the idea of African-American 23 presence in Jamaica, we have records of the 1850s, 24 of the Grantis Family, who led a Civil Rights 25 Revolution there in the 1890s. We had integration 20 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 efforts right into the 1930s, it's slow, compared to 3 Flushing, which had an underground railroad, a very 4 established one, and which was detailed due to a 5 grant of Assemblyman Scarborough, and was done by 6 Queens Historical Society. 7 But I gave all of this material of 8 the history of Jamaica to Mrs. Cook, and she will 9 give it to -- she's pretty good. She's sharp, and 10 she will give it to you, and also to Ms. Courier, 11 who is Executive Director to the Black, Puerto Rican 12 Caucus. 13 I'm hoping that we'll get a unanimous 14 or close unanimous decision of the panel for the 15 landmarking of the Jamaica Savings Bank. 16 Thank you. 17 MS. FRIEDMAN: Good morning, Chair 18 Lappin and the members of the Subcommittee. I am Ann 19 Isabelle Friedman, speaking on behalf of the New 20 York Landmarks Conservancy. 21 For over 16 years, the Landmarks 22 Conservancy has strongly supported the designation 23 of the former Jamaica Savings Bank at 161-02 Jamaica 24 Avenue, Queens, as a landmark. 25 The building is of great 21 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 architectural and historical significance, justly 3 earning the accolade of the finest Beaux Arts 4 structure in Queens. 5 Moreover, it is a prominent symbol of 6 commerce in Queens and can be a focal point for 7 revitalization in the Jamaica Neighborhood it 8 ornaments. 9 Landmarks status will enhance the 10 opportunity to save and improve this fine building, 11 the Conservancy urges the City Council to take 12 advantage of this third opportunity to sustain a 13 designation. 14 Thank you for the opportunity to 15 express the Conservancy's views. 16 MR. KIRKLAND: My name is Edward 17 Kirkland. I am the Chair of the Designation 18 Committee of the Board of the Historic Districts 19 Council. For the third time, I believe we support 20 the designation of the New York City landmark of 21 this building. And having been involved in at least 22 the second attempt, the Council has a particularly 23 strong hope that this third strike is not an out. 24 If this landmarking is not 25 successful, it would be a concedingly (sic) bad omen 22 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 for the currently growing success of rehabilitation 3 of older areas, business and residential through 4 preservation and adaptive reuse of older structures. 5 The building is important for its own 6 sake, its architecture, and for the role it plays in 7 the old Jamaica Business District, especially this 8 important block, although it is relatively small and 9 on a narrow lot it is conspicuous because of the 10 impression made by its elaborate design, and because 11 its location facing one of the frequent jogs (sic) 12 of streets as they cross Jamaica Avenue in the area 13 makes the facade visible well down 161st Street to 14 the north. Such as elaborate composition as this, as 15 was mentioned by the earlier speakers, set off by 16 the restrained elegant renaissance style register 17 building just to the east, which is similar in scale 18 and materials, now restored and serving an arts and 19 cultural area and architectural center, and the 20 success of this building shows that landmarks 21 buildings can be successful in Jamaica and of course 22 the principle one is, of course, the Rufus King 23 mansion, which is a little down the street and 24 opposite it, and which does establish the historic 25 importance of Jamaica, and of course of an early 23 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 abolitionist in New York, which is, as was pointed 3 out, one of the last states in the north to abolish 4 slavery. 5 There has been opposition in the 6 past, it's consistently been the designation, 7 landmark designation for some of our development, 8 this is belied by the fact that the second attempt 9 years ago was led by the Greater Development 10 Corporation, and that the Business Improvement 11 District now supports it, and so did the nearby 12 Chase Manhattan Bank, which has a branch on the 13 corner a little farther to the east, and cutting off 14 a great deal, I will just say that we believe that 15 in the Jamaica Business District in development, 16 which was jumpstarted by the construction of 17 government buildings on vacant sites, is now 18 proceeding vigorously through rehabilitation and 19 reuse of older buildings, while the undesignated 20 Jamaica Bank Building still remains idle and 21 neglected, we believe that this preservation, 22 development through support of preservation to 23 create something special in Jamaica is a great 24 opportunity, and we urge the Council to join in 25 supporting this effort and to start out by ratifying 24 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 the designation of the Jamaica Savings Bank. 3 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Thank you, Mr. 4 Kirkland. 5 Seeing nobody else signed up to 6 testify on the item, this hearing is closed. 7 I would like to open the hearing on 8 an item in Council Member Arroyo's district. The 9 American Bank Note Company Printing Plan, and ask 10 Ms. Jackier to come back up to testify. 11 And we've been joined by Council 12 Member Liu. 13 MS. JACKIER: Good morning, again, 14 Council members. I am Diane Jackier from the 15 Landmarks Commission and I'm here today to testify 16 on the Commission's designation of the American Bank 17 Note Building in the Bronx. 18 On January 15th, 2008, the Landmarks 19 Commission held a public hearing on the proposed 20 designation. Three people spoke in favor, including 21 representatives of the owners, the Municipal Arts 22 Society and the Historic Districts Council. 23 Bronx Community Board 2 asked for 24 additional time to evaluate the proposed 25 designation. There were no speakers in opposition. 25 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Subsequent to the hearing, the 3 Commission received a letter in support of 4 designation from the Community Board. The Commission 5 previously held three public hearings in 1992 on the 6 proposed designation. 7 On February 5th, 2008, the Commission 8 designated the American Bank Note Building a New 9 York City landmark. 10 Designed by the architectural firm 11 Kirby, Petit and Green between 1909 and 1911, the 12 American Bank Note Building was an important symbol 13 of progress for this prominent securities printing 14 firm. The leading producer of money, securities, and 15 other types of printed and engraved products, the 16 American Bank Note Company constructed the plant 17 during a period when it restructured its management 18 and expanded its production facilities. 19 Architecturally the building recalls 20 a time when the emerging discipline of industrial 21 engineering was beginning to be incorporated into 22 the exterior expression of new industrial 23 facilities. Signature elements of industrial 24 architecture, such as the saw-tooth roof and large 25 expanses of industrial windows, allowed ample light 26 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 into the interior spaces of the plant, aiding both 3 the fine work done in the pressrooms and the 4 meticulous hand work of the engravers. 5 The arsenal-like exterior of the 6 plant, coupled with the enclosure of the site by a 7 brick wall, embodied a sense of strength while also 8 providing security for the specialized printing 9 operation. 10 The crenellated square tower rising 11 above the Lafayette Avenue wing and the articulation 12 of the walls as massive brick piers forming 13 multi-story arcades, reinforced this fortress-like 14 character. 15 Since closing its printing operations 16 in 1986, the American Bank Note Company building has 17 served as home to a variety of tenants. Soon after 18 the property was vacated by the American Bank Note 19 Company, the building was used to provide space for 20 garment manufacturing, and became known as the Bronx 21 Apparel Center. It recently served as an alternative 22 high school for students who have dropped out of or 23 were dismissed from regular schools. The current 24 owners of the building plan to undertake a 25 commercial adaptive reuse project. 27 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 The Commission urges you to affirm 3 the designation. 4 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Council Member 5 Arroyo, would you like to make a statement? 6 COUNCIL MEMBER ARROYO: Thank you, 7 Madam Chair. 8 First I would like to thank the 9 Chairman of the Commission for understanding the 10 need for the community board to having additional 11 time to go through its process. It's the first 12 landmarking that has come before that community 13 board and it was very important for them to deal 14 with it on a very personal level. 15 I think what is left out of the 16 testimony is that this property is home to a 17 collection of artists and cultural groups, 18 Priscolas, many of us here in the Council know that 19 program got its start in what we know in the 20 community as the "Penny Factory," by the way, we 21 never address it as the Bank Note Building. 22 And a film school got started there, 23 there is so much going on in that building that is 24 unbelievable. The first time I walked through it, it 25 took me two hours, it was just so big. 28 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 So, I want to thank the Commission 3 for understanding the community's desire to 4 participate in this process in slowing up the 5 hearings, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor. 6 Thank you, Madam Chair. 7 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Great. Thank you. 8 Is there anyone else signed up to 9 testify on this item? 10 Okay, the hearing is closed. 11 I'm going to open the hearing on the 12 last item on the agenda, which is in Council Member 13 Monserrate's district. He has indicated to me that 14 he is supportive of this. It's Congregation Tifereth 15 Israel. 16 MS. JACKIER: Thank you. Good morning, 17 again, Commissioners (sic). I am here to testify on 18 the Commission's designation of Congregation 19 Tifereth Israel in Queens. 20 On January 15th, 2008, the Landmarks 21 Commission held a public hearing on the proposed 22 designation. Five people spoke in favor, including 23 representatives of the Landmarks Conservancy, the 24 Municipal Arts Society, the Historic Districts 25 Council, the Board of Trustees to Congregation 29 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Tifereth Israel and the Council of Jewish Emigre 3 Community Organization. 4 Additionally, the Commission received 5 letters in support of designation from Queens 6 Borough President Helen Marshall, City Council 7 Member Hiram Monserrate, Queens Community Board 3 8 Chair Martin Mayer, and the Queens Jewish Historical 9 Society. 10 On February 12th, 2008, the 11 Commission designated the building a New York City 12 landmark. 13 The oldest active synagogue in 14 Corona, the Congregation Tifereth Israel is a rare 15 survivor of the earliest Jewish Synagogues built in 16 Queens. This synagogue, whose full name is 17 translated as the congregation independent community 18 Gloria of Israel People of Corona was constructed in 19 1911 to house the congregation of Jews that had 20 relocated to Queens from other parts of New York 21 City. 22 Corona had a relatively small enclave 23 of Jews at the beginning of the 20th Century, of 24 approximately 1.3 million Jews in New York City in 25 1913, about 23,000 lived in the Borough of Queens. 30 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 The original members of Congregation 3 Tifereth Israel predominantly came from the tenement 4 district of the Lower East Side, which was home to 5 an enormous Yiddish speaking immigrant community, 6 hailing mostly from Eastern Europe. 7 In 1918, Eastern Queens had 18 8 synagogues, two of which were located in Corona. Of 9 these two synagogues, only the Congregation Tifereth 10 Israel survived. 11 The building is a strikingly 12 reminiscent synagogue found in the Jewish enclaves 13 of the Lower East Side, and it is sort of usual that 14 it is located in this area of Queens. 15 These synagogues, which had to be 16 shoehorned into narrow tenement lots in the Lower 17 East Side were often similar in size material and 18 proportion to their neighboring tenements in 19 commercial buildings. Often executed in a 20 neo-Classical or Beaux Arts style with Moorish 21 details, these synagogues typically featured 22 symmetrical tripartite facades with a central 23 entrance and corner towers. 24 It is notable that the Congregation 25 Tifereth Israel Synagogue follows these patterns, 31 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 considering its location in a small town environment 3 ungoverned by the restraints of the densely urban 4 Lower East Side. 5 Designed by local architect C.L. 6 Varrone, the synagogue is two stories high and was 7 originally clad with horizontal clapboard siding. It 8 has pointed arched windows, a tripartite upper-story 9 window with a roundel featuring a Star of David in 10 colored glass, and decorative wood ornament at its 11 gabled parapet. 12 The original wood stoop and railing 13 has been replaced with a brick porch with an iron 14 railing, and the wood clapboard siding has been 15 covered with stucco. 16 Despite these alterations, the 17 Congregation Tifereth Israel remains a rare survivor 18 of the earliest synagogues in Queens and a striking 19 representative of a regional vernacular style. 20 The Commission urges you to affirm 21 the designation. 22 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Do any of my 23 colleagues have any questions? 24 Council Member Barron. 25 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Yes. Since I'm 32 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 the avid critic, I compliment you for putting in 3 this landmarking, the history of the Munsy 4 (phonetic) Native Americans and that they did have 5 enslaved Africans that helped build Corona and other 6 places. 7 My compliments. 8 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Council Member 9 Liu. 10 COUNCIL MEMBER LIU: Well, apparently 11 since it appears that someone is slacking off, let 12 me ask you if you've investigated any potential role 13 that this may have had in the underground railroad? 14 MS. JACKIER: We always do research 15 for African-American history and if we find anything 16 we would definitely include it. As far as I know, it 17 is not in the report so we did not find anything. 18 COUNCIL MEMBER LIU: Okay, thank you. 19 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Seeing nobody 20 else here to testify, this hearing is closed. 21 Oh, is there somebody else here to 22 testify? Sergeant, do you have -- my apologies. If 23 the four of you could come to testify -- 24 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: Before that, 25 Madam Chair? 33 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Sure. Council 3 Member Comrie. 4 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: I just would 5 like to ask that she amend the report on the Jamaica 6 Savings Bank location. I think that there is an 7 opportunity that Landmarks is actually missing with 8 the Queens Historical Society and the other 9 historical societies, that I would strongly suggest 10 that they link up with the historical societies 11 before they present the report, so that Council 12 Member Barron can have more of these questions 13 answers and, frankly, I agree with him that clearly 14 there is missing information in the reports about 15 the opportunities of the first Americans, the 16 indigenous people that were here and clearly what 17 had been done as far as enslaved Africans. And I 18 think that Jeff Gottlieb has a ton of information, 19 I'm sure, that Brooklyn Historical Society and the 20 other Historical Societies could make up for 21 whatever your researchers are not able to do. 22 Because obviously they're not doing what they've 23 been asked to do repeatedly by Council Member 24 Barron. 25 So, I'd like to see the report 34 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 amended. 3 Thank you. 4 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Thank you. 5 Okay, Mr. Gottlieb, Ann Friedman, and 6 Ester, I can't read your last name. 7 MS. KLESIMSE: Klesimse. 8 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Okay. 9 And I would ask again that you keep 10 your remarks to two minutes. Please. 11 MR. GOTTLIEB: Okay, I'll try. I will 12 try. 13 I want to thank you, first of all, on 14 behalf of Central Queens Historical. When we invited 15 and brought in ALS people, Amyotrophic Lateral 16 Sclerosis people into St. John's and greeted them 17 there on their ride to Columbia University where Lou 18 Gehrig had graduated, your staff was just wonderful 19 in helping us get Roosevelt Island set up. 20 Wonderful. Okay, we have to move on. 21 Now, little bit aside. I can't add 22 more to what Ms. Jackier has said about Tifereth 23 Israel of Corona. I was there in 2002, 2003, helping 24 out to get them state and national registered 25 status. They had this before. It is the oldest 35 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 continuously used synagogue still extant. There are 3 synagogues that are older, Temple Gates of Prayer in 4 Council Member Liu's district, which has been around 5 for a long time, first congregation was in 1898, 6 1899, but they changed buildings. If you talk about 7 the same building being used for religious service, 8 then it would be Rabbi Heymorth's Tifereth Israel. 9 There are many other synagogues which 10 we have, which I'm working now with Landmarks 11 Conservancy to perhaps bring them further. I'm also 12 saying that our Historic Society, Queens Jewish 13 Historical, which is only about five years old, 14 matches that of Staten Island Jewish Historical and 15 the new Rabbi Sussman, Staten Island Jewish 16 Historical, which you know, sir. And they have a 17 very good Historical Society, even have a book 18 written about Jews of Staten Island by Jenny Tango, 19 also part of the organization. Now we have the 20 Brooklyn Jewish Historical Society. 21 We cover most of the synagogues of 22 Queens, we keep listings up to date. We have 23 Yomashoah and Crystal Knock (phonetic) services and 24 keep in good contact, hopefully with Temple 25 Betholohemid (phonetic), 189-31 Linden Boulevard, 36 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 Mr. Barron, which is the only African-American 3 Synagogue in Queens. It's in your district. It's in 4 Mr. Councilman's district, and we try to preserve 5 the history of the Jewish people over the past three 6 centuries. 7 Thank you. 8 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Thank you. 9 MS. FRIEDMAN: Good morning, Chair 10 Lappin and Chair Lappin of the Landmarks Committee. 11 I'm Ann Isabelle Friedman, speaking on behalf of the 12 New York Landmarks Conservancy. 13 The Conservancy supported the 14 designation of Congregation Tifereth Israel before 15 the Landmarks Preservation Commission and I'm here 16 today to urge the Subcommittee, the Land Use 17 Committee, and eventually the full City Council, to 18 affirm this designation. This is a rare surviving 19 free-standing wooden synagogue, substantially intact 20 as designed in 1911. It's one of the oldest 21 surviving purpose-built synagogues in the City and 22 is thought to be the oldest surviving synagogue in 23 Queens. 24 The Congregation has been actively 25 pursuing the restoration of the building for ten 37 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 years, and has previously been recognized with the 3 Queensmark designation in '99, New York State 4 National Register nomination in 2002 and now with 5 New York City Landmark designation. 6 The conservancy is currently 7 surveying Queens synagogues and churches and 8 recently completed a survey of synagogues in 9 Brooklyn. When complete, we'll be sharing our 10 findings with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 11 In the meantime, we're actively pursuing national 12 register listing for important New York City 13 religious properties and working to establish a 14 challenge grant fund for synagogues. 15 Why is this vernacular synagogue 16 important? Although it is more humble than some 17 Manhattan Landmark Synagogues, this building is 18 remarkably intact, and records the history of 19 turn-of-the-century Eastern European Immigrant 20 Community which was settling in outlying City 21 neighborhoods bringing with them the synagogue 22 prototype established on the Lower East Side. 23 Today the Synagogue serves a new way 24 of immigration, the Bukharian Jewish Community of 25 Queens, which enthusiastically welcomes this 38 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 designation. 3 The Synagogue's restoration efforts 4 and its landmark designation have received strong 5 support from Queens Borough President Helen 6 Marshall, and I believe the Queens Borough President 7 also submitted a letter supporting this affirmation 8 of designation. 9 We urge you on the Subcommittee, as 10 well as your colleagues in Land Use Committee and 11 eventually the full City Council to sustain this 12 action. 13 Thank you for the opportunity to 14 express the Conservancy's views. 15 MS. KLEISIUSE: Good morning. My name 16 is Esther Klesiuse, and I represent Congregation 17 Tifereth -- 18 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Could you speak 19 into the microphone. 20 MS. KLEISIUSE: Good morning. My name 21 is Esther Klesiuse, and I represent Congregation 22 Tifereth Israel. I thank all of you for giving the 23 opportunity to thank you for this designation, and 24 all this process, it's very new for our immigrants. 25 We try to do parallels, to learn to be American 39 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 citizens, and at the same time, to try to save the 3 history of Jewish people, and build our community 4 (unrecognizable word). So, we really appreciate this 5 designation. We have many things to learn in this 6 process, and urge you and thank you for your 7 support. 8 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: It's my 9 understanding that the Congregation is planning a 10 restoration of the building; is that accurate? 11 MS. KLEISIUSE: Yes. 12 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Wonderful. 13 Any of my colleagues have questions? 14 Great. Thank you very much. The 15 hearing on this item is closed. 16 And with that, I'm going to ask the 17 Counsel to call for a vote and urge a favorable vote 18 on all of the items before us today. 19 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Chair Lappin. 20 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: Aye. 21 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 22 Barron. 23 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Aye. And I 24 just would like to say to Council Member Comrie, it 25 will be good if in the Jamaica Savings Bank, if they 40 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 can have some kind of memorial, even if it's a 3 picture, a block or something, for the Yamaka Native 4 Americans and enslaved Africans, and the same as in 5 the last project. If there can be something put in 6 there for the Munsee Indians and enslaved Africans. 7 Just to memorialize their contributions to the 8 development of the area. 9 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 10 Comrie. 11 COUNCIL MEMBER COMRIE: I concur with 12 those sentiments. And, again, I want to thank 13 Landmarks for getting it right, the third time is a 14 charm, and I vote aye on all. 15 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 16 Liu. 17 COUNCIL MEMBER LIU: Yes. 18 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 19 Palma. 20 COUNCIL MEMBER PALMA: Yes. 21 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 22 Arroyo. 23 COUNCIL MEMBER ARROYO: Yes. 24 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 25 Mendez. 41 1 SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDMARKS 2 (No response.) 3 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: Council Member 4 Oddo. 5 COUNCIL MEMBER ODDO: Yes. 6 COUNSEL TO COMMITTEE: By a vote of 7 seven in the affirmative, none in the negative, no 8 abstentions, the items are referred to the full Land 9 Use Committee. 10 CHAIRPERSON LAPPIN: This meeting is 11 adjourned. 12 (Hearing concluded at 12:20 p.m.) 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 42 1 2 CERTIFICATION 3 4 5 STATE OF NEW YORK ) 6 COUNTY OF NEW YORK ) 7 8 9 I, CINDY MILLELOT, a Certified 10 Shorthand Reporter, do hereby certify that the 11 foregoing is a true and accurate transcript of the 12 within proceeding. 13 I further certify that I am not 14 related to any of the parties to this action by 15 blood or marriage, and that I am in no way 16 interested in the outcome of this matter. 17 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto 18 set my hand this 15th day of April 2008. 19 20 21 22 23 --------------------- 24 CINDY MILLELOT, CSR. 25 43 1 2 C E R T I F I C A T I O N 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I, CINDY MILLELOT, a Certified Shorthand 10 Reporter and a Notary Public in and for the State of 11 New York, do hereby certify the aforesaid to be a 12 true and accurate copy of the transcription of the 13 audio tapes of this hearing. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ----------------------- CINDY MILLELOT, CSR. 25