[EVG photo of No. 264 from last month]
In early September, a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the 3-level house at 264 E. Seventh St between Avenue C and Avenue D.
Preservations rallied to try to have the string of pastel-colored residences here considered for landmarking. However, yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) rejected the request. As Patch first reported: "The city's official reasoning was that there was no precedent for them to designate historic districts when the buildings cover just one side of the street."
For his part, Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, cited "at least eight examples of past historic designations by the LPC that covered just one side of the street, including a row of buildings on East 10th Street that's just a few blocks away."
In 2008, LPC said that the row of houses, from No 258 to 266, "appear to be an LPC-eligible historic district," as Patch pointed out.
Felicia Bond lived in the Garden Duplex when she illustrated the renowned children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in the mid-1980s.
According to public records, Norris Chumley and Catherine Stine Chumley sold the property to Globalserv Property One, LLC, for $3.775 million.
In 2011, the home hit the market. Here was the broker pitch:
This incredible East Village three unit townhouse has great bones and endless possibilities! Currently set up as a parlor floor duplex with back yard and two floor through apartments, this classic townhouse is a great investment property or could be made into your own single family home!
[The backyard at No. 264]
Globalserv Property One, LLC has yet to make their intentions known for the-soon-to-be-demolished home.
Updated 10/29
Here's more about the homes via GVSHP:
Once part of what was known as “Political Row”, these five ca. 1842 houses, located between Avenues C and D, have rare and beautiful intact Greek Revival ornament, and are linked to the history of the early development of New York’s waterfront and to critical political figures of the 19th and early 20th century in New York.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Live in the house that inspired the art for 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'
Thank you, De Blasio. You prick.
ReplyDeleteEveryone on the LPC is a shill for the real estate developers; they need to be fired immediately, and people who are truly committed to preserving, not destroying, New York history should be appointed to it. But we know that will never happen, since there's no money to be made that way.
ReplyDeleteThe house is in a rather dilapidated state compared to the others next to it.The price paid was for the value of the lot not the building clearly. Looks like it has been empty for sometime,empty abandoned looking buildings are an eyesore to a beautiful block it could have a short role as a haunted house but after Halloween hard to say. Pity over the years building was not maintained properly but that was probably for a host of reasons. New construction can fit in on the block and has. Best to get on with the replacement at this point.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to bemoan the loss of our favorite clubs, stores, restaurants to gentrification but when our city's architectural and cultural history and is considered disposable for a quick profit this is truly damaging to our future. I understand that things change including the architecture in our neighborhoods but there is no oversight or city planning except to always say yes to developers big and small. I know we can't stop progress but the city should allow development with once commercial sites over historic residential sites. Besides this is not about a housing crisis but mad dash to make make millions by demolishing our past before the next big crash.
ReplyDeleteMost of these houses have stood for well over 100 years. All of a sudden NOW they have to go?
ReplyDeleteSomething is very wrong.
What an absolute shame. These buildings tell an important story about the history of the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteCome on, people - just look at it. It's old, decrepit, leaning to one side, and the backyard is overgrown. Tear the mother down and put up something, something good.
ReplyDeleteAnd who the hell are you, Mr Expert? Do you even live on the block?
DeleteI have lived on 7th St in one of those "old,decrepit buldings" for over 30 years.
DeleteMy neighbors on this block and surrounding blocks are a mixed bunch of colors, nationalities,religions, artists, retired people,obnoxious NYU students, rich and poor.
I've raise my beautiful son here. I grew up in PA in an upper middle class area and I feel that that when I moved here, I was truly home. I'll die here, eventually. And I will be surrounded by
by people who will care. I love my home and I love my neighbors.
At 9:41 AM, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteMost of these houses have stood for well over 100 years. All of a sudden NOW they have to go?
Well, when you consider that humanity is projected to be extinct within 100 years, it's not that big a loss, is it?
That block in particular really had character. It is a shame. But it's all for sale. More ugly glass condos for ???
ReplyDeleteThis one-side-of-the-street rule is such BS. The LPC is a shameful joke. A treehouse in the West Village is landmark-worthy, but this row of historic houses is not because there is a modern structure across the street. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteThis is an old defunct tenament
ReplyDeleteI live in a once "dilapidated" old building from the 1840's. Structural repair solved the problem and constant upkeep is need but I love it and it gives some history to my block. Restored town houses can fetch over $10 million as people that actually want a home rather than an investment only are keeping them in high demand. This is purely a business deal which the city has no problems saying yes to.
ReplyDeleteThe LPC is in the pocket of real estate.
ReplyDeleteTime to boycott the East Village.
Let developers have the neighborhood which is never going back to the way it was before 2000. Let the people who move into their shit wallow in their own facelessness.
The first commenter hits the nail on the head. The LPC serves the mayor and has since the Koch admin, so this is all on him. See this piece from way back when in the NY Times by Tom Wolfe: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/opinion/26wolfe.html
ReplyDeleteI enthusiastically voted for di Blasio and he's been about as big a disappointment as possible. Yup, he's a prick.
Sounds like we need some protest action to target the developers... They can reno this gem of a building just fine. The Anonymous troll(s) who are rooting for it to come down are either shills for the developer or just ignorant of the history of this block. When the East Village was on fire and the city and banks redlined the neighborhood, this block remained intact. During the 80s when the place was still slummy, this block was still nice. There is SOOOO much history here worthy of preserving, the history of the Jews who lived there, the old shuls, etc. Shame on the DeBlasio Admininatration and the LPC for letting developers run amok. The block is a time capsule to the old East Village immigrant days, and it should all get landmarked and preserved
ReplyDeleteWe have to get rid of the politicians who allow this to happen. The one party system doesn't work. There's no debate. The other day a council person complained that when they didn't vote the way the party(read MayorBill) wanted, he called and read them the riot act. That's not democracy. And that's how our city gets sold off to the highest bidder. DON'T VOTE THE PARTY LINE!
ReplyDeleteThis building was fully occupied just a few short weeks ago and is more than worthy of a full restoration to preserve this gorgeous and historic continuous row of townhouses. The comment trolls recommending demolition
ReplyDeletespeaks more to their crass sensibilities than it speaks to the worthiness of this buildings preservation.
I have to say I live on the block and this is the first I have heard. So what is to be done. Across the street in the Greenhouse building, developers left the facade of the 19th c rowhouse intact. I think at this late date,, that is what we should be working towards. Those houses belong together in that row. I hope that GVSHP and LESPI will support this conversation with the developer.
ReplyDeleteSo, if you honestly believe - without being any kind of stakeholder - that it might be best to remove the building and build something new, you're a troll and crass? As one of the frequent commentators just asked, is this democracy? You can't have a dissenting opinion without being called names and shouted down? Sickening all too typical behavior on this blog.
ReplyDeletecomments of zen at 12:00pm are very useful context for why this should be a landmark...
ReplyDelete...but when the article just shows a shabby building and says someone once lived there while illustrating a book, it's hard for some of us to understand why this should be a landmark
I encourage you all to join GVSHP.com the Greenwich Village Preservation group and Human Scale NY, an activist organization which is progressing on building support to oppose politically and legally the wholesale destruction of the history and the human scale of this city. The only effective tool is a group of committed, sincere citizens who unify to stop the demolition of their neighborhoods. This city's callousness toward its history via a Landmarks organization who has no mandate that they uphold
ReplyDeleteand its carte blanche to developers must be stopped.
Anonymous at 11:38 AM ...the series of five townhouses were built around 1847 they were Merchant Owner houses. Owned by ship merchants doing business between New York and Europe at a time the East River came up to Ave D. With a almost 4 million price tag for the existing structure another 3 million for gut renovation that brings it to about 7 million. Now in Greenwich Village this would be paid but half a block in from the projects were shootings and stabbing are a regular occurrence. I am amazed at the few new buildings and the 1 million dollar price tag for a good sized condo they fetch on the block. And property is a business after all originally there was a effort to market the property "as is" no buyers and please inviting city government into the discussion only muddies the water with worthless pandering politicians.
ReplyDeleteIf only Edith Wharton lived here and wrote The Age of Innocence but atlas she did not just a mousy illustrator who liked cookies
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDoes the Greenwich Village Society have any juice any more? Maybe they need some new tactics. The LPC has sucked since DeBlaz came in.
I live on 7th, between C and D. I love this area so much. This is a lovely and treasured area of city that should be preserved and protected. Yet, no one will step up and take action. Fucking bullshit. It is more than just beautiful here. It is also historical. The character, aesthetic and diversity of this street deserve more. Yes, I agree with one of the former commenters: Fuck De Blasio.
ReplyDeleteMan, what the fuck. How does Paris do it? So lame. Restore that solid mass of beauty.
ReplyDeleteGood one. How does Paris do it? Parisians seem to care more about the integrity and statesmanship of their city than NYC. For a city of millions here, I don't understand why there aren't more ordinances and laws protecting treasures such as these buildings, which are pieces of history. If DeBlasio and the rest of the city government has their way, we can kiss the originality goodbye.
ReplyDelete9:58
ReplyDeleteMayor Bill sees everything in terms of his orthodoxy. He's blind to the bigger picture. And that is dangerous.
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) is asking people to send a letter to both Mayor BloomBlasio and Landmarks Commission chair Srinivasan; anyone can do it and it is doing something.
ReplyDeleteYou can sent the letter as is, or add your embellishments for extra effect; it's more likely to be read that way. Worth a shot; it's one way to show the LPC that people do care.
Ave D Always sucked and always will. Take it from someone who spent his formative youth living there and dreading every day of it.
ReplyDeleteGentrify do or die! Build them tall to the sky, steel and glass towers. This is New York City, if people wanted things to stay the same it would be called York City. Viva La Gentrification!
ReplyDelete! 11:49. The irony is choking everyone in the room.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a block for skyscrapers...
This is probably my favorite block in the neighborhood thanks to that row of small townhouses. If I could, I'd buy them and preserve them. It's depressing to think locals pooling their money to do something like that is so far-fetched in this day and age of wealth and greed.
ReplyDelete