July 19, 2011
Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row, Suite #11
New York, NY 10038
Via email: chin@council.nyc.gov
Re: 135 Bowery Landmark Designation
Dear Councilmember Chin:
The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative – LESPI – is writing to strongly support the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s recent designation of 135 Bowery as a New York City Individual Landmark.
135 Bowery is a striking and basically intact example of the Federal style architecture that dominated the city during its post Revolutionary War period, when New York was on the verge of the intensive growth that would bring it to prominent status on the world stage. The rare surviving examples of this architecture – including 135 Bowery – serve to remind and educate today’s and future New Yorkers of the small scale and simple yet elegant architecture that once dominated Manhattan. These buildings deserve protection from demolition and insensitive alteration.
We also believe that the landmarking of 135 Bowery should be part of a concerted effort by the city to save the Bowery’s unique and very threatened historic architectural resources.
LESPI is an organization dedicated to preserving the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of Manhattan’s East Village / Lower East Side. With historic resources falling prey to demolition and defacement on an almost daily basis, we believe that the LPC must act now to save the historically intact areas of these locally and nationally important neighborhoods for current and future generations.
We respectfully request that you vote for and help lead the City Council toward final approval of landmark status for 135 Bowery. Landmark designation is the only viable means to preserve this important historic building.
Sincerely,
Richard Moses
Steering Committee Member
Cc: Kate Daly, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
LESPI Steering Committee:
Britton Baine
Katy McNabb
Richard Moses
Carolyn Ratcliffe
Philip Van Aver
