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Have you ever found yourself walking in the Lower East Side at night thinking 'Geez, I hope this neighborhood looks exactly like this forever?" Well, it seems that you aren't the only one.
Thanks to the efforts of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum at least some of it might never change a bit. The museum, despite vocal opposition among many property owners in the area, has asked Community Board 3 for assisstance in getting a 20 block area from E. Houston to Division Streets between Essex and Allen Streets, with a small outcropping at the southern end extending over to Eldridge Street designated as the Lower East Side Historic District.
The big problem with historic districts, as many property owners seem to see it, is that they can hinder future development while simulatenously making it much more difficult to do even mundane building repairs like replace windows. And we're tempted to agree. Considering how much the LES has already been transformed in the past decade (THoR or Blue, anyone?) we think the area would be better served by careful zoning and a watchful community board. Whatever happens though, we can assure you that it won't happen for some time.
And in the meantime, you can find the city's Historic District Maps here. Last year Gothamist talked to the executive director of Landmark West, which tries to preserve the architecture of the UWS and we looked at the Meatpacking District in 2003 when it's historic district status was still fresh.
Map from Downtown Express.
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"they can hinder future development while simultaneously making it much more difficult to do even mundane building repairs like replace windows" -And the problem is?
careful zoning and a watchful community board = corruption, favoritism, cronyism
Does anyone else see the irony in this proposal being put forth by the Tenement Museum, a museum dedicated to showing the squalid living condition at the turn of the century?
the LES looks exactly like countless other neighborhoods in new york. will Libation become part of the historic part? hehe.
The Tenement Museum is over-reaching and should fuck off. We already can see what damage the landmarks committee on the upper west side has done so why would the LES want the same.
Most historic preservationist are nuts who want to force things down peoples throats. Sure they have done some good things and preserved some worthwhile buildings, but landmarking makes things hard for regular people who own a home in a landmarked district. If the Tenement Museum wants a historic district they should get one, but only if they subsidize the property owners effected by restrictive preservation laws who neeed to make repairs or modifications to their buildings. That said, I think a lot of this landmarking will get thrown out when someone challenges it in court and it hits the Supreme Court which now seems stacked with right wing nutjobs.
I'm trying to find anyone who may have video of Tompkins Square Park/ Tent City as it was from the late 80's to early 90's, before evry one was moved out. I'm also looking to get copies of Clayton Patterson's vid productions "Dinkinsville" and "Tompkins Square Park". Anyone who can help. please get in touch with me at ejluv@aol.com.