"...under existing law, historic preservation is not limited to
the preservation of architectural ornament: damage to its decoration
does not preclude landmark designation of an historic building,
especially one emblematic of the long struggle for civil rights."

CHRISTABEL GOUGH

SOCIETY FOR THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CITY

After LPC’s Refusal to Extend the
Audubon Park Historic District, the URRA Develops New Initiatives for 2022

Earlier this month, the Upper Riverside Residents Alliance (SaveRiverside) received notice that the research department at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has rejected our request for extending the Audubon Park Historic District to encompass a group of buildings to its north and west [LINK TO NOTICE].

We are naturally disappointed that LPC’s research department seemingly put greater weight on architectural integrity and cohesion than on the cultural and historical significance we emphasized in our Request For Evaluation, and we remain dismayed that despite Commission Chair Sarah Carroll’s “equity initiative,” Manhattan north of 155th Street is underserved with individual designations and historic districts.

However, we are continuing to explore ways to preserve and promote our neighborhood’s rich and diverse history and culture, and will announce several new initiatives in early 2022.

CONTINUED THREAT TO THE
WEST 158TH STREET ROW HOUSES

Related to the item above, the threat of development on West 158th Street increased dramatically in the last few weeks.

Not only did LPC refuse to protect the block with landmarking, but YIMBY reported that developer Javier Martinez has filed permits to demolish six of that block’s twelve row houses, and plans for erecting a 17-story mixed-use development that will also incorporate an adjacent vacant lot.

Members of the URRA’s board have been warning about out-of-scale development on that street since 2016, and continue working with neighborhood stakeholders to find a way to thwart this building that would loom above the existing Audubon Terrace and Audubon Park Historic Districts, irrevocably and irreversibly altering the “sense of place” that LPC cited in preserving those areas. For more information on the threat to West 158th and to learn how you can help save the block, visit the URRA website.

THE URRA EXPANDS ITS ADVOCACY THROUGHOUT WASHINGTON HEIGHTS AND INWOOD

In the eighteen months since the URRA (SaveRiverside) organized as a grassroots effort to prevent destruction of 857 Riverside Drive, we have expanded our mission and advocacy to protecting, preserving, and celebrating the architecture, culture, and history throughout Washington Heights and Inwood. LINK to Advocacy Page

In the last few months, our members have worked with residents on forestalling the threatened development on West 158th Street; protested “Quisqueya Heights” as a new name for northern Manhattan; asked the Academy of Arts and Letters to revise its plans for a “metal wall” separating Audubon Terrace from the adjacent apartment buildings; and registered our objection to Community Board 12 allowing a height variance for a proposed building at 22- 38 Cumming Street / Seaman Avenue (the former Holy Trinity Church site).

We encourage all of our stakeholders to let us know how we can help them in any initiatives they undertake that are in keeping with our mission and goals.

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN CONTINUE TO DO
TO HELP SAVE 857 RIVERSIDE DRIVE AND EXPAND
THE AUDUBON PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT:

Donate to our cause.
We need money to support our outreach and pay for
professionals who are assisting us in our fight.
Donations are tax-deductible and are made through
the Historic Districts Council 
(Be sure to mention that you are donating for Save Riverside).

Contact us via email: info@SaveRiverside.org