LESPI Proposes Gouverneur Hospital as NYC Landmark

LESPI has submitted a request to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the former Gouverneur Hospital at 621 Water Street as a city landmark. This architectural gem of brick, brownstone and terra cotta was opened in stages from 1901 to 1909 to serve the dire medical needs of an enormously crowded tenement neighborhood. Its striking architectural presence aligns it with the City Beautiful movement, where civic structures were designed with grandeur and great attention to detail, and with the aim of uplifting the communities around them.

The building has some wonderful architectural features, including a highly ornamented entrance façade and curved pavilion wings with balconies that face the East River.  Patients were brought out onto to these balconies for access to light and air as part of their treatment.

The structure now serves the community as a special needs housing facility. LESPI continues to urge the LPC to prioritize the Lower East Side by protecting its most historically significant buildings - including Gouverneur Hospital - through landmarking.

For more on this fascinating building and its history, see HERE.

5G Towers To Bloom Like Mushrooms

Soon you’ll see them almost everywhere: slender utility towers some 32 feet tall that transmit free 5G wireless signals to New York’s underserved communities. Some 2,000 are to be installed across the five boroughs. Constructed of shiny metal and looking like they dropped in from outer space, the towers are typically not a great match for the natural brick and stone aesthetics of New York City’s historic districts.

LESPI has been assisting the Historic Districts Council -  which has been charged with assessing city-wide the placement of the new towers in terms of its effect on historic resources - by reviewing the tower placements in the Lower East Side below Houston Street. So far we’ve found that most of the proposed LES towers have no negative effect, but we’ve recommended that a few be moved to locations that don’t impact the adjacent historic buildings. We’ll continue monitoring the situation. 

Carmen Gardens Mural Restoration Planned

Tucked away off Avenue C, the Carmen’s Garden mural “La Lucha Continua” is one of the most important public art pieces in the East Village. In 1984 artist John Pitman Weber created the work, at a time when the neighborhood was starting to recover from 1970s disinvestment and what had been a surplus of abandoned, burned-out buildings and strewn trash. Today it reigns over a lovely community garden and celebrates local Latino culture. We believe it’s the last of its age and type in Loisaida / the Lower East Side.

The composition and scale of “Carmen’s Mural” are impressive: a collage consisting of a bas relief, figures, and text, extending over the entire sidewall of the neighboring building. Although composed primarily of stucco, which is not highly durable, the mural has held up fairly well over the last 40 years. Nevertheless it shows signs of some significant wear and tear.

The garden is now planning a mural restoration, organized by Art Loisaida Director and LESPI Vice President Carolyn Ratcliffe, a longtime member of the garden community, with assistance by Loisaida Inc. LESPI is proud to be helping to both retain an arts conservator and propose the artwork for city landmarking.

Author’s Book Talk on Christodora House at University Settlement

Join us on Wednesday November 1 for a wonderful author's book talk and signing for the newly released "Skyscraper Settlement: The Many Lives of Christodora House." For more info and to register for this live event at the historic University Settlement building see HERE. We hope to see you!

LESPI “Lens on the Lower East Side” Photo Exhibit a Hit

We had a great turnout for LESPI's “Lens on the Lower East Side” photography exhibit and photographers' talk at The Loisaida Center in September.

Curated by LESPI Vice President Carolyn Ratcliffe, the show was based on two of LESPI's "Lens on the Lower East Side" photo journal books, and consisted of the work of local professional photographers Don Freeman, Alan Gastelum, George Hirose, Onno de Jong, Ryan John Lee, Marlis Momber, Iliana Ortega, Janko Puls, Brian Rose, Federico Savini, and Ciaran Tully—all highlighting the vibrancy and diversity of the East Village / Lower East Side neighborhoods.

We thank The Loisaida Center team for their great help, and Veselka and Veniero’s for their very generous and delicious donations. Fantastic!