New Yorkers Fight To Save Marx Brothers Street

Submitted by Don't let the wrecking ball crush the city's funny bone ! at: May 26, 2008
The Marx Brothers are irreplaceable. All we have left of these comic genuises are their films, writings (including correspondence which is now in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) and the beloved block where their childhood home still stands. Save what is left of New York's favorite comics ! Protect Marx Brothers Place from further demolition and include it in the Historic District !

Submitted by Who's paying the politicians ? at: May 26, 2008
There is always an excuse that a city can offer as to why it allowed historic homes to be demolished. But, is it not wiser to consider the long and short term ramifications before granting a demolition permit ? New York City must change the way it grants demolition permits, and the politicians on the city council must come clean about the campaign contributions they have accepted from developers who lobby hard against employing such sensible development criteria. Stop tearing down these historic homes. Is there really such a crush, generated by New Yorkers, for yet more multi-million dollar condo or coop units ? We think not !

Submitted by Keep New York's history alive ! at: May 26, 2008
Preservationists everywhere should rally to support the 93rd Street Beautification Association's efforts to help protect this historic block ! It would be everybody's loss if New York City allowed any more of this priceless collection of 19th century houses to be demolished. Sign the petition and Save Marx Brothers Place from the wrecking ball !

Submitted by Don't stop thinking about tomorrow ! at: May 26, 2008
The 93rd Street Beautification Association must keep pushing its preservation campaign. Spread the word and don't let the pro-development wonks get you down. They aren't real New Yorkers, anyway. Real New Yorkers care about the city's history and its future - which would be bleak without blocks like Marx Brothers Place. Keep fighting to Save Marx Brothers Place for future generations ! Keep after those campaign-contribution hungry politicians who would sacrifice culture & history just to get elected. The barbarians may be at the gate, but they're NOT really holding the keys !

Submitted by Honk for Marx Brothers Place ! at: May 26, 2008
You mean the City hasn't already designated it ? What are they waiting for ?

Submitted by LPC Must Extend the Historic District ! at: May 26, 2008
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) must extend the Carnegie Hill Historic District and finally include Marx Brothers Place. The 93rd Street Beautification Association is right to continue the fight to preserve this neighborhood so rich in cultural history.

Submitted by Woody to the rescue, please ! at: May 26, 2008
Woody Allen fought hard to stop developers just two blocks away from Marx Brothers Place. Carnegie Hill is one of the few village-like neighbrohoods left in Manhattan and must be preserved. While the developer's finally got their way on Woody Allen's block, perhaps, he would lend his considerable support to the preservation campaign being led by the 93rd Street Beautification Association. Who would have more credibility to speak to the legacy of America's most beloved iconic comic genuises than another one of America's iconic comic genuises ? Woody to the rescue, please !

Submitted by Not just any other City ! at: May 26, 2008
How could the City of New York, the culture-capital of the world, allow developers to chip away at such an historically significant block as Marx Brothers Place ? This makes NO sense. Aside from Wall Street, NYC's pipeline to income comes from tourists and the film & television industry. Neither will have any reason to make NYC a destination if it continues to desecrate historic blocks like Marx Brothers Place which are the age-old mis-en-scene of New York, New York !!! Glad to see the 93rd Street Beautification Association is not rolling over ! Preservation campaigns are long-fought, and always worth the battle ! We're with you !

Submitted by Stop Demolition ! Save Marx Brothers Place ! at: May 26, 2008
Glad to see the 93rd Street Beautification Association is picking up the ball on this preservation campaign. Too many historic houses have already been laid to waste in New York City. The system needs to be dramatically overhauled right away. The just former NYC Department Of Buildings Commissioner had fast to the attitude that "if its their land they can do as they wish". But, that ancient attitude went out more than half a century ago when, as a nation, we recognized that willy-nilly development was destroying neighborhoods, history and any aesethic cohesiveness we enjoyed as a community. NYC is dead wrong. The very existence of environmental laws and zoning laws, both of which limit what one can do with land (land use and development) and both of which have been fully tested by the Supreme Court of the United States, proves that the former DOB Commissioner's perspective was out of synch with the legal realities all across this country. The fact that she greenlighted SO many development projects throughout NYC without pausing to consider their affect on human life, neighborhoods, the ecosystem and American history as reflected in streets like Marx Brothers Place has resulted in the unacceptable loss of human life, green space and NYC's unique history for future generations. Now that the veil has been lifted, NYC has no choice but to revisit its zoning code and the method by which it approves demolition permits. And this must be done today before any more of our culture is senselessly destroyed ! Hang in there 93rd Street Beautification Association. I signed your petition, and I'll tell others to do the same !

Submitted by sos at: May 19, 2008
As happens so much these days we are in danger of losing things that cannot be replaced. Save what you can.

Submitted by Texas at: May 19, 2008
Three cheers for historic preservation in NYC! Everybody should sign the petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/CHHD93st/petition.html) and finally include this remarkable NYC block in the historic district, and Save Marx Brothers Place!

Submitted by A Classic ! at: May 18, 2008
This block is a NYC classic and must be preserved ! East 93rd Street between Lexington & 3rd Avenues should be on everyone's endangered structures list. I have signed the petition above, and I'll pass it on to everybody I know. Keep up the fight ! This streetscape is a NYC classic as pretty as a picture !

Submitted by Jeanne at: May 18, 2008
Hooray for Preservation Magazine ! And hooray again for the preservation campaign to save this charming block from further ill-considered demolition. NYC & the Landmarks Preservation Commission needs to take steps to safeguard its treasures, both large & small -- and insure that they remain to enrich the lives of future generations.

Submitted by Virginia at: May 18, 2008
People need to act quickly before this developer gets his hooks back in the ground ! According to Margaret Foster's article above a STOP WORK ORDER has been issued on this block. So NOW is the time for everybody to write to this neighborhood's NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us ("cc" Lindsay Allison - his Land Use facilitator at lallison9@gmail.com) and tell them that you support the preservation efforts to protect this historic block, and that East 93rd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues should immediately be included in the Historic District and co-named Marx Brothers Place ! You can also call Community Board 8 at (212) 758-4340 and write to Council Speaker Christine Quinn at spkmccle@council.nyc.gov and the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, at cbarrie@manhattanbp.org and tell them all that you support the preservation efforts to protect historic East 93rd Street. New York City can not afford to lose even one more piece of cultural history from this remarkable collection of 19th Century homes. Please help us protect this dear little block today !

Submitted by Popsy at: May 18, 2008
The City can no longer turn a blind eye to the haphazard way development has been allowed to eradicate the fabric of the very neighborhoods that have held it together. There was a time when people had become scared to live in NYC. These small historic neighborhoods held tight through it all. If the LPC fails to protect Marx Brothers Place, the city will go down the tubes with it. The Mayor of NYC has the power and legal authority to get the ball rolling in the right direction by co-naming this historic block Marx Brothers Place (Koch did it for James Cagney Place on 91st Street). Now Bloomberg just has to find his way back to what really makes NY - New York. And that's DEFINITELY NOT tons of boring beige CONDOS ! We can all encourage Mayor Mike to do the right thing by signing the petition above and also signing this one that asks the mayor to co-name the block Marx Brothers Place. PETITION TO CO-NAME THE BLOCK MARX BROTHERS PLACE: http://www.petitiononline.com/coname/petition.html

Submitted by Ryan at: May 18, 2008
Thank god for preservation efforts like this. Without them NYC would already look like a shopping mall with bedrooms to let. I hope the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission extends the Carnegie Hill Historic District so as to include this very important block. It MUST be saved before the rest of the collection of irreplaceable 19th century houses, and the cultural history they evoke, is razed to rubble by these greedy developers who think, for some reason, that what our city needs is more $6 million dollar CONDOS. Yeah, like a hole in the head !

Submitted by Helen Mangione at: May 18, 2008
Please save the Marx Brothers house. Sholem Aleichem and Colin Powell both lived on Kelly Street in the Bronx, and to my dismay I found that both houses have been demolished. In 1916 Sholem Aleichem died in the house on Kelly Street, and even though 200,000 people attended his funeral the Bronx developers were permitted to demolish his house.

Submitted by Calling all Comics ! at: May 18, 2008
So where are Mel Brooks, Bette Midler, Woody Allen and Kevin Kline: all New Yorkers, all preservationists and all Marx Brothers fans. Of course, Woody's in Cannes. But the minute he gets back, he should sit down and pen a letter to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and help Save Marx Brothers Place ! To thrive as a culture we need historic houses that remind us of our past, we need these great old neighborhoods that keep us together now and we need NYC's greatest humorists who always speak more truth than the politicians do ! And we need them straight away !

Submitted by Duck Soup at: May 18, 2008
Hmmm ? Let's see...the Marx Brothers versus beige CONDOS ? That's a no-brainer ! Of course, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission should include within the historic district the block where America's most beloved Comics grew up ! Duck Soup for everybody !

Submitted by Mr. Higgins at: May 18, 2008
In the wake of unchecked and out of control development, the NYC Council needs to put the brakes on construction projects that pose a danger to safety, a danger to the character of NYC's historic neighborhoods and a danger to the physical environment. City Officials must take a close look at the 93rd Street project which has not been subject to ANY review process, neither for the block's historic and cultural value nor for the environmental impact of the demolition and the proposed condos.

Submitted by Faith at: May 18, 2008
Too many historic buildings are not preserved and it is really a crime. We have enough UGLY buildings. There is nothing that can replace the craftsmanship, grandeur and elegance of a classic brownstone or townhome. Everyone needs to stand up and do something before it is too late.

Submitted by Twybil at: May 18, 2008
There is a strong recent effort by those enterprising individuals who would destroy the scale of our historic neighborhoods, landmarked or not, and turn this city in to another Hong Kong-like warren of styleless boxes in the name of progress. Their real interest is, as we all know, making a buck. It is refreshing in the extreme to know that this endangered neighborhood is not rolling over. We love this city and have no affection for the out-of-place high rise piles being forced into every neighborhood, robbing us of sunlight, and over-burdening the tenuous infrastructure of this city, not to mention the schools, the deficiencies of which we are all acutely aware. This town does not have to be a faceless box collection in order to be a viable community. Keep up the fight to save this culturally important block and the small remaining talisman that is the Marx brother's connection here. You bet your life it's worth saving!

Submitted by Idy at: May 18, 2008
With all the reckless development going on all over NYC, I am encouraged to see that this neighborhood on the UES is coming together with a positive common goal, and stepping up to the challenge. Good for them. And good for historic preservation ! I hope this preservation campaign leaves no stone unturned in its effort to help protect this historic neighborhood in the face of agressive developers who only smell profit and care nothing about wiping out our collective cultural history in the process. I have signed the petition to extend the CHHD, and encourage everyone else to do the same. This preservation campaign deserves our unqualified support. Let's hope the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission recognizes the importance of this historic 19th century block and acts quickly to include it within the historic district ! Three cheers for historic preservation in NYC ! We're rooting for you on the Upper West Side!!! Idy, Upper West Side NYC

Submitted by Let the sun shine ! at: May 18, 2008
Thanks House Hugger ! I did look at the photograph, and what I see is the natural flaxen light illuminating the windows of those historic 19th century houses the way an artist brightens a canvas. If this block isn't protected by NYC, developers will certainly demolish the rest of it, little by little. And the only light that will shine, then, will be the harsh headlights of cars and the glaring blare of streetlamps. The Condos and modern buildings that will inevitably replace these great old homes will be way too big for any more natural light to ever get through. Everybody should take another look at that photo because if NYC doesn't protect this block, it's all we'll have left. Our viewshed will forever be altered for the worse. Please protect this great old block and let the sun shine in !

Submitted by Historic House Hugger at: May 18, 2008
Holy cow ! Look at those ginormous skyscrapers in the background of that pic ! They tower over that tiny little block, making its precious collection of 19th century houses look like antique doll houses trapped in the middle of some futuristic concrete jungle. These wonderful historic homes should be embraced by the Landmarks Commission so that future generations don't have to rely upon photographic archives to see what life was like in 19th century New York City !

Submitted by Martha at: May 18, 2008
Too many of these beautiful old historic homes have already fallen in the name of development. As a window into our past and the social, political and aesthetic mores that helped informed their designs, materials and structures, these houses are as much archaelogical evidence of who we are as a people as they are the uniting homestead foundation of stable neighborhoods. While NYC hasn't been as hard hit by the home pricing crunch as the rest of the country, it, nonetheless, remains a truism that historic districts help to stablize real estate values. If this block is not protected (and you can be assured all the rest of the houses WILL eventually fall if the block is not included in the historic district), real estate values of the neighboring blocks within the historic district district will be depressed as a direct result of their new found proximity to modern condos and modern apartment buildings much less desirable than these historic 19th century houses. It's vital, not only to the stability of the surrounding and abutting blocks, but to NYC's economy in general to protect these historic neighborhoods. The Landmarks Preservation Commission should immediately extend the Carnegie Hill Historic District and include 93rd Street between Lexington & 3rd Avenues. I have signed the petition. I hope everybody else does too.

Submitted by Who's Driving the Bulldozer Now ? at: May 17, 2008
Three Cheers for Preservation Magazine ! Without these intimate narratives, many of us would have no way of knowing about the shrinking historic neighborhhods all across this country. New York City, in particular, with its recent nationally reported litany of construction tragedies exposing falsified Department Of Building records and fictitious inspections that really never took place, needs to take stock of its dwindling collection of historic homes, the ease with which demolition permits are doled out with nary a reflection on the historic and architectural value of the targeted structure, the lack of safety on construction sites and the complete absence of necessary environmental reviews. Now that the Commissioner of Buildings, who was holding the reins of these wild horses in her hands as they ran on the fast track of development, has finally resigned, the New York City Council should waste no time in revamping its zoning code to reflect these dire concerns. And as a necessary exercise of democratic transparency the City Council should demand (given the tragedies that have resulted to human life, historic houses and the city's ecosytem) that its members post the dollar amounts and donor names of all the developers from whom they have already accepted campaign contributions in the run-up to the Race for NYC Mayor, Comptroller and all the Council seats that will be vacated by the inevitable ascendency of current Council Members. Historic Neighborhhods like 93rd Street deserve to know just who they will be voting for. Most of us would like to know which politicians want to drive the bulldozers and which ones actually care about the people, neighborhoods and historic homes that create the character that IS New York City. The NYC Landmarks Commission should act quickly to include 93rd Street in the Historic District. And, like Groucho says, the developers and bulldozers should "go and never darken my towels again". Save this block ! Sign the petition !

Submitted by 'Breakfast at Targets' Just Won't Do ! at: May 17, 2008
If it's just a matter of money, NYC benefits more from the film & television industry clamoring to crowd the sidewalks with camera crews craning their necks to get the best shots of these historic 19th century blocks that absolutely DEFINE charm. Allowing pushy developers to plunder through these irreplaceable 19th century homes without so much as a PAUSE button requiring the city to first consider their historic and cultural value, not only robs future generations of seeing the past as it actually was, but also condemns the film & television industry to disney-built soundstages and faux streetscapes in Studio backlots well outside the map of the real thing that, for the moment, we still call Manhattan. Such short-sighted development leaves a dearth of cultural history in its dusty wake while forever depriving film artists and worshiping audiences of the ready-made stages of historic 19th century streetscapes that we all love to see and which add so much to story-telling on screen. 93rd Street is a classic ! Just look at that picture ! What a great backdrop those 19th century houses make ! Somehow, I just can't see Audrey Hepburn turning a key in the door of a faceless condo. But it's easy to picture that feminine pixie scrambling up the steps of these classic old homes ! Evoking the NYC so many of us still cherish and love, this historic little block deserves our time and attention. This 19th century streetscape sparkles with way more charm than anything that could ever be built by Disney or Trump. Let's hope NYC's own iconic film maker and Marx Brothers fan, Woody Allen, takes up the banner for this preservation campaign on historic East 93rd Street, A.K.A. Marx Brothers Place. The film industry, movie lovers, cultural historians, historic preservationists and even the Marx Brothers themselves would all line up to thank him !

Submitted by Recycle Don't Demolish ! at: May 17, 2008
The carbon footprint of development projects in the middle of Manhattan is outsized to say the least. Developers can use all the hip-sounding green buzz words they want to spin their nasty condo-projects into something that will appeal to the most shallow of green consumers. But the fact remains that it's in the best interest of the city, its fragile ecosystem and its fragile collection of 19th century houses to create incentives for developers to RECYCLE historic homes instead of demolishing them. Only 2% of NYC's historic housing stock is currently protected and that is something that has to change, and change FAST ! No amount of green-chatter surrounding a smash & build condo-project that NEVER COMPILED AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT can make up for the carbon burden it imposes. We have to stop killing our air. We have to stop killing our water. We have to stop killing our birds. We have to stop killing our own history as reflected in these wonderful 19th century houses. Let's take a deep breath, while we still can, and ask ourselves the obvious question...does NYC really need more multi-million dollar condos ? And if it does (NOT !), does it need them at the expense of the cultural history evoked by the brick and mortar on this 19th century block ? Are these CONDOS more precious than our environmental health ? Are these CONDOS more essential than the air we breath and the water we drink ? Anybody who thinks a so-called green building is better for the environment than a recycled historic home has never lived near a demolition site where the air is so thick with cement lime that your throat can bleed. Nothing can bring back the three 19th century houses described in Margaret Foster's well written article above. But, plenty can be done to make sure that something like this never happens again. In addition to signing the petition Ms. Foster so thoughtfully included in her article, anyone interested in preserving NYC's historic housing stock and the remaining 19th century houses on this remarkable little block can write to this neighborhood's NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us ("cc" Lindsay Allison - his Land Use facilitator at lallison9@gmail.com) and tell him that you support the preservation campaign to protect this historic block, and that East 93rd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues should immediately be included in the Historic District and co-named Marx Brothers Place ! You can also call Community Board 8 at (212) 758-4340 and write to Council Speaker Christine Quinn at spkmccle@council.nyc.gov and the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, at cbarrie@manhattanbp.org and tell them all that you support this important preservation campaign ! And, of course, don't forget to sign the petition !

Submitted by It takes a Village to make a Neighborhood at: May 17, 2008
As I look at the photograph embedded in Margaret Foster's fine preservation article above, I can't help but feel protective of this tiny village-like block in NYC. Just look at those behemoth building's lurking over the hand-carved cornices and well crafted roofscapes of the ancient cottages beneath. Those big ugly condoscrapers dwarf the lovely little historic houses on 93rd Street where you imagine dogs sitting on the stoops next to their loving owners as they pour over the NY Times (the owners that is, not the dogs - although I don't doubt that NYC probably has some very highly evolved dogs). It's tiny blocks like this one that make a neighborhood. And it's neighborhoods that hold city's together in the long run. Oh, if only the walls of this historic block could talk ! I'm sure it would have a thing or two to say to the rapacious developer who so carelessly laid to waste three beautiful houses instead of restoring them to their glory. And now this village-like block sits perched on the edge of disaster; mammoth skyscrapers breathing down its neck while developers, eager to plow through houses that were left off the grid of historic protection by a matter of some 60 feet, lick their chops. How could any city NOT act to protect a neighborhood on the verge of such total destruction ? As developers chip away at the character of this 19th century village within a 21st century city, they turn NYC inside out, rendering it nearly unrecognizable. Soon, our only chance to see a beautiful historic NYC streetscape, like the one in the photo here, will be to download old Woody Allen movies. Save this block from the wrecking ball ! Sign the petition above and let's get this preservation campaign on the fast track ! Extend the Carnegie Hill Historic District and save this village-like block !

Submitted by A Night at the Opera at: May 17, 2008
The Marx Brothers have influenced generations of artists worldwide. Even today, young 21st century film artists and comics fresh from the womb cite these iconic genuises as their ultimate inspiration. The fact that the legacy of their creative powers is etched into their extant, but ever vulnerable, childhood home on East 93rd Street in NYC, as well as in the charming streetscape that helped inform the world view of Minnie's boys and gave Harpo his classic quip about their 93rd Street accent, is more than enough reason for the NYC LPC to pull the plug on the indiscriminate bulldozers revving their engines, ready to raze every last 19th century house on this storied street. As developers rain down on this tiny little block, dangling tempting offers that leave behind deep ugly gouges to be filled with character-less CONDOS, Groucho's quote, cited above by Preservation Magazine Editor Margaret Foster, sadly echoes up from the hole in the ground where just months ago stood a lovely 19th century house with its adjoining century-old garden, home to migratory birds for more years than any of us have drawn breath on this fragile planet. Groucho may have been one of the wildest comics to ever lurch across a stage. But you can "bet your life" it's time for the NYC LPC to heed his prophetic warning before nothing is left of this uncomparable collection of 19th century homes on this irreplaceable little block. For, sadly, it's true that "Love flies out the door when money comes innuendo". So much of our collective cultural history has already been ripped from the book of life. Don't let these remaining chapters, rich in NYC history, be exorcized like books tossed on the bonfire, forever censored, forever silenced. Everybody should sign the petition above - and finally include this remarkable NYC block in the historic district and Save Marx Brothers Place !

Submitted by Eastsideneighbor at: May 16, 2008
This is a fabrication! Margaret Foster needs to check her facts before submitting such misleading information. While I share the block residents' concerns about NYC development, I resent the implication that residents did nothing to attempt to stop the demolition of three brownstones. The stop work order was issued because ONE PAGE of the OFFICIAL shoring and foundation plans was not on the site. The contractor had copies of everything on site, but, the regulations are such. It had nothing to do with this 93rd Street Beautification Association. Where were they when residents sought to purchase the first two brownstones? No thanks to the 93rd Street Beautification Association's tireless self-promotion after the fact.

Submitted by Jeanne at: May 15, 2008
Hooray for the 93rd St. Beautification Association! And hooray again for its tireless efforts to save this charming block from further ill-considered demolition. NYC & Landmarks Preservation Committee needs to take steps to safeguard its treasures, both large & small -- and insure that they remain to enrich the lives of future generations.

Submitted by Virginia at: May 15, 2008
People need to act quickly before this developer gets his hooks back in the ground ! According to Margaret Foster's article above a STOP WORK ORDER has been issued on this block. So NOW is the time for everybody to write to this neighborhood's NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us ("cc" Lindsay Allison - his Land Use facilitator at lallison9@gmail.com and the 93rd Street Beautification Association at 93rdst.beautification@gmail.com) and tell them that you support the 93rd Street Beautification Association's efforts to protect this historic block, and that East 93rd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues should immediately be included in the Historic District and co-named Marx Brothers Place ! You can also call Community Board 8 at (212) 758-4340 and write to Council Speaker Christine Quinn at spkmccle@council.nyc.gov and the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, at cbarrie@manhattanbp.org and tell them all that you support the 93rd Street Beautification Association's efforts to protect historic East 93rd Street. New York City can not afford to lose even one more piece of cultural history from this remarkable collection of 19th Century homes. Please help us protect this dear little block today !

Submitted by Popsey at: May 15, 2008
The City can no longer turn a blind eye to the haphazard way development has been allowed to eradicate the fabric of the very neighborhoods that have held it together. There was a time when people had become scared to live in NYC. These small historic neighborhoods held tight through it all. If the LPC fails to protect Marx Brothers Place, the city will go down the tubes with it. The Mayor of NYC has the power and legal authority to get the ball rolling in the right direction by co-naming this historic block Marx Brothers Place (Koch did it for James Cagney Place on 91st Street). Now Bloomberg just has to find his way back to what really makes NY - New York. And that's DEFINITELY NOT tons of boring beige CONDOS ! We can all encourage Mayor Mike to do the right thing by signing this petition which was also drafted by the 93rd Street Beautification Association . PETITION TO CO-NAME THE BLOCK MARX BROTHERS PLACE: http://www.petitiononline.com/coname/petition.html

Submitted by Ryan at: May 15, 2008
Thank god for neighborhood groups like the 93rd Street Beautification Association. Without these brave souls NYC would already look like a shopping mall with bedrooms to let. I hope the NYC Landmarks Preservation commission extends the Carnegie Hill Historic District so as to include this very important block. It MUST be saved before the rest of the collection of irreplaceable 19th century houses, and the cultural history they evoke, is razed to rubble by these greedy developers who think, for some reason, that what our city needs is more $6 million dollar CONDOS. Yeah, like a hole in the head !

Submitted by Helen Mangione at: May 15, 2008
Please save the Marx Brothers house. Sholem Aleichem and Colin Powell both lived on Kelly Street in the Bronx, and to my dismay I found that both houses have been demolished. In 1916 Sholem Aleichem died in the house on Kelly Street, and even though 200,000 people attended his funeral the Bronx developers were permitted to demolish his house.

Submitted by Mr Higgins at: May 15, 2008
In the wake of unchecked and out of control development, the NYC Council needs to put the brakes on construction projects that pose a danger to safety, a danger to the character of NYC's historic neighborhoods and a danger to the physical environment. City Officials must take a close look at the 93rd Street project which has not been subject to ANY review process, neither historic value nor environmental impact.

Submitted by Faith at: May 15, 2008
Too many historic buildings are not preserved and it is really a crime. We have enough UGLY buildings. There is nothing that can replace the craftsmanship, grandeur and elegance of a classic brownstone or townhome. Everyone needs to stand up and do something before it is too late.

Submitted by Twybil at: May 15, 2008
There is a strong recent effort by those enterprising individuals who would destroy the scale of our historic neighborhoods, landmarked or not, and turn this city in to another Hong Kong-like warren of styleless boxes in the name of progress. Their real interest is as we all know making a buck. It is refreshing in the extreme to know that the 93rd St. BC group is not rolling over. We love this city and have no affection for the out-of-place high rise piles being forced into every neighborhood, robbing us of sunlight, and over-burdening the tenuous infrastructure of this city, not to mention the schools, the deficiencies of which we are all acutely aware. This town does not have to be a faceless box collection in order to be a viable community. Keep up the fight to save this culturally important block and the small remaining talisman that is the Marx brother's connection here. You bet your life it's worth saving!

Submitted by Anonymous at: May 15, 2008
GO 93rd Street Beautification Association, GO!!

Submitted by Kelly at: May 15, 2008
This is such an important block, and the work that the 93rd Street Beautification Association is doing is a benefit to the entire City of New York (and beyond). The 93rd Street Beautification Association is doing an excellent job, and I truly hope the Landmark Commission in NY will listen and includes this special and historic block, in the Carnegie Hill Historic District. I am thirlled to see people uniting and coming together to support this amazing effort!

Submitted by Idy at: May 15, 2008
With all the reckless development going on all over NYC, I am glad to see the 93rd Street Beautification Association stepping forward to the challenge. Good for them. And good for historic preservation ! I hope the 93rd Street Beautification Association leaves no stone unturned in its brave campaign to help protect this historic neighborhood in the face of agressive developers who only smell profit and care nothing about wiping out our collective cultural history in the process. I have signed the petition to extend the CHHD, and encourage everyone else to do the same. This neighborhood preservation campaign deserves our unqualified support. Let's hope the NYC Preservation Commission recognizes the importance of this historic 19th century block and acts quickly to include it within the historic district ! Three cheers for the 93rd Street Beautification Association ! We're rooting for you on the Upper West Side!!! Idy, Upper West Side NYC

Submitted by Sarah at: May 14, 2008
Glad to see the 93rd Street Beautification Association is working hard to protect this historic neighborhood. I have signed the petition and think everyone else should too. The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission should include this great historic block within the historic district without further delay.

Submitted by Bill at: May 14, 2008
Off course, in that odd quirk we must recognize as the generation gap, many young people don't know the Marx Brothers, and don't appreciate their humor. And, developers are often clueless regarding the value of memory because they cannot find a way to leech it for more money; after all, once they learn of the Marx Brothers, what's that but another point in the elevation of profit motive.

Submitted by skynette at: May 14, 2008
Please don't destroy any more of the historic house in this neighborhood. Carol M Miller

Submitted by Go Preservationists at: May 14, 2008
Quite correctly, we applaud ANY preservation group who will CONTINUE to work toward landmarking our city's treasures. The long, adnauseum comment previous to this is neither helpful nor informative. This country was not built by men and women who rolled over and played dead after one try. To preserve our history, we must remember it. We should applaud all the men and women who dedicate their time and money to this end

Submitted by Save 93rd Street at: May 13, 2008
A "stop work order" was issued on the lots, because the contractor did not have the foundation plans on site when the DOB building inspector came by two weeks ago. You can check this out on the DOB web site. We applaud the 93rd Street Beautifcation Association trying to save the block but they are probably too late. The process began in 2006 when an RFE was submitted to the LPC by the neighborhood's 93rd Street Brewery Hill Block Association and Carnegie Hill Neighbors who were trying to stop the demolition of two 1880, neo-grec, row houses on the south side of the block between Lex. and 3rd Ave .that had been sold to a developer by the previous owner, a school. These two adjacent houses were part of a row of three houses sharing party wall. When the first two were taken down the third house suffered such water damage, the owners sold out to the developers. Neighbors tried to buy the first two buildings from the school, to protect them, but the Reece School refused to negotiate. So, the Brewery Hill Block Association tried another tactic and with the guidance of Lo van der Valk of Carnegie Hill Neighbors tried to save the block by submitting an RFE to Landmarks. They were trying to save their typical Carnegie Hill block of 15 intact townhouses with stepped down cornices and seven original stoops still intact on the south side of the block. Most of the houses are older than those in the Carnegie Hill Historic district and predate the cutting of Lexington Avenue and are older than even the Marx Brothers building. Harpo Marx describes these houses in his autobiography, Harpo Speaks. In fact, it is was discovered during the research that the row of five houses at the west end of the block date from the early 1860's, before Lexington Avenue existed, and are probably the oldest row houses in the area. Commissioner Robert Tierney of LPC made a site visit to the block in 2006 to assess the RFE. During this time a hold was put on the demolition permits for the two houses. However, because of the pressure of immanent demolition, there no time for all the studies and evaluations necessary for landmark status even though the preservationist groups supported it. It would have been a miracle to get landmark status to stop the demolition, but every effort was made. As anyone familiar with the process is aware, attaining landmark status takes years. Unfortunately time was not on our side. We hope that Ms. Hefti's group is more successful. However, we have lost three 19th C. mid-block houses and are now left with a gaping hole. Our next challenge is to make certain the developer of the new apartment building at the site does not overbuild. Monitoring this is equally as complicated and difficult.