The St. John's Place Block Association supports the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association in its efforts to prevent the erosion of the historic integrity of its neighborhood by working to protect a front garden, or courtyard, on Smith Street and First Place, threatened by development. It is one of the many front gardens that define that neighborhood and give it its name. They are city owned and protected by a 150-year-old law, and should remain so, in our view. This law states that the unique wide gardens of the neighborhood's Place blocks can not be built on or used for parking. The attempt to amend the law is being pushed by the Hannah Senesh, a private institution, which like Berkeley Carroll, would develop to the detriment of its neighbors. As such, we ask our members to make every effort to support our westerly neighbors.
For more information http://carrollgardensbrooklyn.org/
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Important Support from Historic Districts Council
Statement of the Historic Districts Council
Community Board 6 Brooklyn, Landmarks/Land Use Committee
January 4, 2010
The Historic Districts Council is the advocate for New York City’s designated historic districts, individual landmarks and structures meriting preservation. The Council is dedicated to preserving the integrity of New York City’s Landmarks Law and to furthering the preservation ethic. We thank Community Board 6 Brooklyn Landmarks/Land Use Committee for allowing us the opportunity to testify on this application.
Over the past four months we have been discussing the proposal with the St. John’s Place Block Association who first brought the matter to our attention. It is very much like proposals we have unfortunately seen from institutions in historic districts around the city, incremental additions eating up residential garden cores and permanently changing their character.
Brownstone rowhouses are an iconic piece of New York City, particularly Brooklyn. Their elegant architecture and layout that allowed 19th-century middle class families the luxury of living in private homes with easy access to city conveniences has continued to draw residents to neighborhoods like Park Slope for well over a century. As important to that sense of place the architecture creates are the spaces the rowhouses do not fill, the garden cores. As community board members are well aware, much of the sense of place of rowhouse living comes form the private backyards. Just as the ornamented street facades are the public face of the building, the rear yards are the private space of the residents. Instead of garbage trucks and delivery vans, there are gardens and barbecues. They are where you can have a conversation over a fence or, more likely, gaze peacefully into an empty sky, removed from what Jane Jacobs called “the ballet of the streets”. Both outdoor experiences, the public street and the private yard, are part of the essence of life in Park Slope. Unfortunately, the Berkley Carroll Plan will drag the public thoroughfare into the private space and adversely affect all its neighbors.
Expansion is not new to Berkley Carroll. Neighbors have endured incremental additions over the years until much of the space on the lot has been filled, both vertically and horizontally. Where and when will it end? Why not here and now? Take a step back, evaluate needs, both present and long term, and create a more holistic plan that will meet those needs while preserving the garden core, its sense of place and the quality of life it provides for residents of this block.
Community Board 6 Brooklyn, Landmarks/Land Use Committee
January 4, 2010
The Historic Districts Council is the advocate for New York City’s designated historic districts, individual landmarks and structures meriting preservation. The Council is dedicated to preserving the integrity of New York City’s Landmarks Law and to furthering the preservation ethic. We thank Community Board 6 Brooklyn Landmarks/Land Use Committee for allowing us the opportunity to testify on this application.
Over the past four months we have been discussing the proposal with the St. John’s Place Block Association who first brought the matter to our attention. It is very much like proposals we have unfortunately seen from institutions in historic districts around the city, incremental additions eating up residential garden cores and permanently changing their character.
Brownstone rowhouses are an iconic piece of New York City, particularly Brooklyn. Their elegant architecture and layout that allowed 19th-century middle class families the luxury of living in private homes with easy access to city conveniences has continued to draw residents to neighborhoods like Park Slope for well over a century. As important to that sense of place the architecture creates are the spaces the rowhouses do not fill, the garden cores. As community board members are well aware, much of the sense of place of rowhouse living comes form the private backyards. Just as the ornamented street facades are the public face of the building, the rear yards are the private space of the residents. Instead of garbage trucks and delivery vans, there are gardens and barbecues. They are where you can have a conversation over a fence or, more likely, gaze peacefully into an empty sky, removed from what Jane Jacobs called “the ballet of the streets”. Both outdoor experiences, the public street and the private yard, are part of the essence of life in Park Slope. Unfortunately, the Berkley Carroll Plan will drag the public thoroughfare into the private space and adversely affect all its neighbors.
Expansion is not new to Berkley Carroll. Neighbors have endured incremental additions over the years until much of the space on the lot has been filled, both vertically and horizontally. Where and when will it end? Why not here and now? Take a step back, evaluate needs, both present and long term, and create a more holistic plan that will meet those needs while preserving the garden core, its sense of place and the quality of life it provides for residents of this block.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Noise Will Travel to Lincoln Place Homes
Neighbors on Lincoln Place:
If Berkeley Carroll's proposed rooftop sports and recreation facility gets approved, it will be located right behind the gym’s roof.
As such, the noise from hundreds of loud pre-teens and teens engaged in athletic activities will easily travel over the roof into your homes, possibly for the first time – school days, and during for-profit evening and summer programs
Speak up at the upcoming public hearing on Jan 4.
If Berkeley Carroll's proposed rooftop sports and recreation facility gets approved, it will be located right behind the gym’s roof.
As such, the noise from hundreds of loud pre-teens and teens engaged in athletic activities will easily travel over the roof into your homes, possibly for the first time – school days, and during for-profit evening and summer programs
Speak up at the upcoming public hearing on Jan 4.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Letter from the President
Dear Neighbors,
Happy New Year! On behalf of the Block Association I ask your help and support.
We support the Berkeley Carroll as an educational institution -- there is much that is fine about the place -- in fact, our members include Berkeley Carroll parents and alumni. But for five months the representatives of the Berkeley Carroll's Board of Trustees have refused to engage in substantive dialogue with its neighbors. They continue unwilling to concede that their proposed development project in the rear yard area will have a powerfully negative effect on us.
Berkeley Carroll has other options available. For example, before they subject us to two years of construction noise and pollution, they could be respectful of their neighbors and admit now that they have outgrown this lot in the middle of a landmarked residential block and expand instead to a third campus (they have two now) where they would be welcomed. This would greatly decongest and vastly improve the facilities in their Lincoln Place campus and allow for responsible further growth later on, which would greatly benefit their students and provide better value to their parents. That would truly be a win-win solution for all concerned.
We say it’s time to make a stand and draw the line against blockbuster development. If developers succeed in overbuilding in a landmarked block, others will follow suit to the detriment of your neighborhood, eroding its unique and defining historic character that is the reason that many live here.
We have this week learned the details of the first of several public discussions and hearings, which is about to occur next Monday, Jan 4th, at 6pm, at the Berkeley Carroll School sports and recreation facility at 762 President Street just uphill of 6th Avenue. The Community Board 6 Landmarks and Land Use Committees will at that time hear and vote on the project. There are three more related meetings during the next two weeks, on Jan 7th, 13th and 19th, and we will send more information as it is known.
Please take this time to protect the values that make you want to live here. These may be the last opportunities to speak up. Your voice could make the difference!
To learn more about our organized efforts, please contact me or John Muir, at JandBMuir@aol.com, and tell us if you can participate.
Sincerely,
Barbara A. Muir, President
Happy New Year! On behalf of the Block Association I ask your help and support.
We support the Berkeley Carroll as an educational institution -- there is much that is fine about the place -- in fact, our members include Berkeley Carroll parents and alumni. But for five months the representatives of the Berkeley Carroll's Board of Trustees have refused to engage in substantive dialogue with its neighbors. They continue unwilling to concede that their proposed development project in the rear yard area will have a powerfully negative effect on us.
Berkeley Carroll has other options available. For example, before they subject us to two years of construction noise and pollution, they could be respectful of their neighbors and admit now that they have outgrown this lot in the middle of a landmarked residential block and expand instead to a third campus (they have two now) where they would be welcomed. This would greatly decongest and vastly improve the facilities in their Lincoln Place campus and allow for responsible further growth later on, which would greatly benefit their students and provide better value to their parents. That would truly be a win-win solution for all concerned.
We say it’s time to make a stand and draw the line against blockbuster development. If developers succeed in overbuilding in a landmarked block, others will follow suit to the detriment of your neighborhood, eroding its unique and defining historic character that is the reason that many live here.
We have this week learned the details of the first of several public discussions and hearings, which is about to occur next Monday, Jan 4th, at 6pm, at the Berkeley Carroll School sports and recreation facility at 762 President Street just uphill of 6th Avenue. The Community Board 6 Landmarks and Land Use Committees will at that time hear and vote on the project. There are three more related meetings during the next two weeks, on Jan 7th, 13th and 19th, and we will send more information as it is known.
Please take this time to protect the values that make you want to live here. These may be the last opportunities to speak up. Your voice could make the difference!
To learn more about our organized efforts, please contact me or John Muir, at JandBMuir@aol.com, and tell us if you can participate.
Sincerely,
Barbara A. Muir, President
Get ready for a blockbuster long-term construction project!
Yet another assault on our landmarked neighborhood!
Berkeley Carroll, a private institution at Lincoln Place between 7th and 8th Aves., is adding an immense two-story building in the rear of its middle/high school campus.
“Developers like this chip away at what makes Park Slope so unique and interesting, slowly making it more like everywhere else. It’s time to make a stand.”
· A massive construction project utilizing large and dangerous vehicles and dumpsters and closing streets causing chronic parking problems and traffic for you, and possibly working into evenings and weekends, is inappropriate in a landmarked neighborhood.
· Berkeley Carroll officals are abusing the “community facility” exception to completely fill in it’s rear yard with a massive building the width of 7 brownstones within a landmarked residential block. This affects you -- if this precedent gets set, you can expect expansions and assaults on other landmarked features where you live. Where do you draw the line?
· Berkeley Carroll officals are abusing the “community facility” exception to completely fill in it’s rear yard with a massive building the width of 7 brownstones within a landmarked residential block. This affects you -- if this precedent gets set, you can expect expansions and assaults on other landmarked features where you live. Where do you draw the line?
· Now they are completely filling in their lot. Located on their Lincoln Place lot since 1886, they have built building after building, increasing their footprint within the block and eroding its historic character. The only next option would be to build even higher, which the school has admitted might be in as little as 10 years!
· Neighbors’ gardens will be severely damaged, a precious and fragile neighborhood environmental resource that benefits everyone.
· It’s historic Park Slope, not Chelsea Piers! Having used up all their ground space, they will construct a massive rooftop netted sports and recreation facility, nearly twice the size of their existing facility now enclosed within the campus, violating the historic character that landmark designation is meant to protect.
· Neighbors up and down the block, including young children, and retirees, will be assaulted by much greater noise from raucous teenagers during the day and during for-profit outdoor evening and summer programs.
· Nearby neighbors will lose their privacy, with teenagers able to view their bedrooms and bathrooms across their gardens.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Private Institution Expansion Threatens Our Community
Berkeley Carroll [a private institution] has filed a blockbuster large-scale construction plan to expand its Lincoln Place campus [one of two] with the Department of Buildings.
Berkeley Carroll is essentially looking to use its “community facility” status to completely fill in its rear yard.
· They will demolish a 140’ wide building on the property line of 7 brownstones in the back of the school’s campus.
· They will then build a larger building filling in the “L” formed by their existing schoolyard located in the donut of their campus and the outline of this older building.
· Given the restrictions on filling in rear yards, they will build it to the maximum allowable height of 23’ and build one level down, as a cellar does not count as a story.
· They will then place a new outdoor sports and recreation facility on the rooftop of this new blockbuster building only slightly setback from neighbors to the east (a historic coop building [209 Lincoln Place]) and to the north (7 brownstones – St. John’s Place)
Berkeley Carroll is essentially looking to use its “community facility” status to completely fill in its rear yard.
· They will demolish a 140’ wide building on the property line of 7 brownstones in the back of the school’s campus.
· They will then build a larger building filling in the “L” formed by their existing schoolyard located in the donut of their campus and the outline of this older building.
· Given the restrictions on filling in rear yards, they will build it to the maximum allowable height of 23’ and build one level down, as a cellar does not count as a story.
· They will then place a new outdoor sports and recreation facility on the rooftop of this new blockbuster building only slightly setback from neighbors to the east (a historic coop building [209 Lincoln Place]) and to the north (7 brownstones – St. John’s Place)
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE: Schematic of their proposed netted outdoor sports and recreation facility above [though not shown, it will include basketball facilities].
They are doing this primarily to improve circulation and expand .
The more than a hundred immediately adjacent neighbors are opposed to such an expansion for a variety of reasons.
· The incremental height will further shade their gardens placing them in a dark valley.
· The excavation up to their property lines will cut off the root systems of their fragile 30-60 year old trees endangering them.
· The netting enclosing the rooftop sports and recreation facility will be an eyesore. Though not shown in the graphic – the area will include basketball facilities.
· The neighbors will lose their privacy with young adults viewing their bedrooms and bathrooms across their gardens – please remember that this campus houses their middle and high schools; their elementery school is at a different location.
· As any teacher will tell you, bigger kids make louder noise. Yes noise! The sports and recreation area will be much closer to neighbors and nearly twice the size as the existing one enclosed within the donut, which will mean much greater noise for neighbors to endure, especially as they also have an outdoor evening program and a summer program.
They are doing this primarily to improve circulation and expand .
The more than a hundred immediately adjacent neighbors are opposed to such an expansion for a variety of reasons.
· The incremental height will further shade their gardens placing them in a dark valley.
· The excavation up to their property lines will cut off the root systems of their fragile 30-60 year old trees endangering them.
· The netting enclosing the rooftop sports and recreation facility will be an eyesore. Though not shown in the graphic – the area will include basketball facilities.
· The neighbors will lose their privacy with young adults viewing their bedrooms and bathrooms across their gardens – please remember that this campus houses their middle and high schools; their elementery school is at a different location.
· As any teacher will tell you, bigger kids make louder noise. Yes noise! The sports and recreation area will be much closer to neighbors and nearly twice the size as the existing one enclosed within the donut, which will mean much greater noise for neighbors to endure, especially as they also have an outdoor evening program and a summer program.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE: Our precious and fragile garden core above [imagine it tree-less!]
Such an expansion erodes the historic character of our landmarked block both aesthetically and in terms of the density of their campus. Building a taller, bigger building on our property lines, especially with a netted rooftop sports and recreation facility would be out of context with the historic character of the garden core.
Furthermore, Berkeley Carroll, which was originally a very open campus [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE: shown above from Lincoln Place with the back of St. John’s Place brownstones visible on the right in 1910], has continued to fill in its lot since its inception.
Berkeley Carroll has built building after building on their lot, increasing its footprint within the block and eroding its historic character. Now that they have run out of space yet again, they are looking to completely fill in their lot, even though it would arguably be inadequate for their educational needs even short term, and school officials have admitted that they will need additional space in as soon as 10 years. School officials also mentioned researching the option of constructing another 4-5 story building over the site of proposed building [presumably seeking a variance in 10 years’ time].
The basic question being: Where do you draw the line, especially in a landmarked block?
Unfortunately, Berkeley Carroll’s expansion process is well underway.
In fact, they have been calendared for review by Community Board 6, the Park Slope Civic Council and the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission on the dates below.
We feel strongly that a rooftop sports and recreation facility of this size, in a garden core of this historic character, is unprecedented and would set a terrible precedent citywide. The issues go beyond historic landmark districts, with deep implications for citywide land use policy, and for zoning issues regarding abuses of the “community facility exception.”
The opposition to these kinds of projects is widespread. In fact, other neighborhood preservation groups feel the same way, with our association is garnering support from groups who view this as a threat to them as well.
KEY DATES
Community Board 6
Landmarks/Land Use Committee Meeting
Monday, January 4th
6:00 PM
The Berkeley Carroll Athletic Center
762 President Street
(between 6th & 7th Avenues)
(Any member of the public may speak)
Park Slope Civic Council meeting
(Any member of the public may speak)
Park Slope Civic Council meeting
Thursday, January 7th
7:00 pm
New York Methodist Hospital, Executive Dining Room
(enter on 6th Street between 7th – 8th Avenues)
(Open to the public - limited speakers)
Community Board 6
(Open to the public - limited speakers)
Community Board 6
Full Board Session
Wednesday, January 13th
Time and location tba
(Any member of the public may speak)
(Any member of the public may speak)
The City of New York - Landmarks Preservation Commission
Hearing (if DoB has approved the plan)
Tuesday, January 19th
Time and location tba
(Any member of the public may speak)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
St. John's Place in the news in 1889
According to the Save the Slope blog spot, the buildings on St. John’s Place mentioned in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1889, are 20-26 St. John’s Place, between 5th and 6th Avenues on the south side of the street, and 17-25 St. John’s Place across the street.
Note the excerpt from page 13 of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 21, 1889, and images of 26-24 St. John’s Place and 21-23 St. John’s Place (latter is sunlit).
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