Photo courtesy of Skyline Restoration via LESPI
Here's a little positive news amid the gutting of East River Park.
In its recent newsletter, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) reported that the historic terra cotta ornament from the East River Park Track House is being salvaged.
The Track House, built in 1939 near the Sixth Street overpass entrance, is part of the northern section of East River Park that closed to the public on Sept. 8 as work on the East Side Coastal Resiliency project continued.
While the building itself will not be preserved — even after LESPI succeeded in having it designated as eligible for the State/National Register of Historic Places — the City agreed to retain its distinctive ornamentation, which was designed specifically for the park.
To make that possible, LESPI partnered with NYC Parks and Skyline Restoration. This company volunteered to remove, store, and eventually reinstall the terra cotta blocks in the new Track House, expected to open in early 2027.
LESPI says they'll provide updates as the work continues.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Going off on a tangent, has anyone else noticed that there are a lot more scaffolding being erected in the neighborhood? Seems like every block or every other block there is one.
ReplyDeletethere is now scaffolding all over nyc - the place looks like a disaster area!
DeleteSo, we're saving so concrete ornamentation, but we removed Every. Single. Tree. And killing off all remaining wildlife. Good to know what our priorities are.
ReplyDeleteThis country is disgusting.
We're not talking about an old growth forest here. Those trees were planted over a land fill. Any native wildlife will eventually return when the restoration is complete, and hopefully, the neighborhood will be less susceptible to flooding.
DeleteExactly. The trees will grow back and be there for generations to come. And the elevated park will make the EV a safer place as far as flooding goes.
Deletethank you LESPI and richard for persevering with this.....
ReplyDeleteAgree with editrrix but thankful for LESPI for doing this. Reminds me of the beautiful Art Deco bas relief sculptures on the facade of Bonwit Teller 5th Avenue that were destroyed by Trump when he built his monstrous Trump Tower. LESPI please keep your eye on these in the next two years. Hate to see them disappear.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy they cut down all the trees in the park that have been there for so many years, but they save some concrete decoration on a building. Screwed up priorities.
ReplyDeleteget rid of natural flood prevention - aaaah ny real estate interests.....
DeleteLet's not throw shade on the worthy efforts of LESPI . They are a preservation group dedicated to preserving the historic buildings and neighborhoods on the Lower East Side.
ReplyDeleteAfter Hurricane Sandy there were many, many meetings of the residents and the city to discuss flood mitigation. It's a long story but in the end the City ignored what was agreed upon by the residents and the city and quickly came in and cut down the trees. There were many protests and people chained to trees during this time. All this to say. to those above complaining about "priorities" - where were you during these meetings and protests?