Commissioner Is Removed From Landmarks Panel

I wonder if this could in some way impact the ongoing efforts to have the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium declared an historic landmark?

From The Times:

N.Y. / Region

City Room: Commissioner Is Removed From Landmarks Panel

By ROBIN POGREBIN

Published: November 3, 2010

Roberta Brandes Gratz, known for taking a hard line on protecting historic buildings, has been removed from the Landmarks Preservation Commission after seven years.

New Historic District in Queens

A block in Ridgewood, Queens, showing the sort of brick tenement and three-family construction that occupies nearly every block close to the Brooklyn border.N.Y. / Region

From The NY Times:

City Room: Commission Approves Historic District in Queens

By SHANE DIXON KAVANAUGH

Published: October 26, 2010

The commission created a 210-building district in Ridgewood and gave landmark status to four buildings in Jamaica.

I guess no decision on the Tennis Stadium yet. I would think these decisions can take a pretty long time.

Marriott Eyeing Tennis Stadium

Image via Wikipedia

According to today’s Daily News:

Marriott eyes old Forest Hills tennis stadium for possible new hotel

After reading the article, my initial thoughts are we need a lot more information about this proposal. Would it incorporate the stadium without destroying it? Would it allow outside access for the entire community to the stadium for some interesting uses, such as concerts, a museum, tennis tournaments? If so, this sounds like a potentially interesting compromise.

One aspect I don’t like is the “extended stay” concept mentioned as part of the previous proposal. That is not the type of hotel which could benefit Forest Hills. A regular, short-stay hotel with a steady supply of tourists would be the only benefit to our community, I feel. We need to put Forest Hills on the map and create some more creative energy in our neighborhood. Energy that would distinguish us from suburbia, and also, the rest of NYC.

At the same time, this Marriott proposal would have to be something with class and style that is worthy of a New York City development.

My Comments About The Tennis Stadium

I was recently interviewed about the Tennis Stadium vote. Here’s the link if you want to read the story:

West Side Tennis Club won’t sell

Chat at 9 Tonight

Just a reminder, join us at 9 p.m. tonight for our online chat with Rego-Forest Preservation Committee Chair Michael Perlman to hear about the latest Tennis Stadium developments, and other subjects of concern to our community.

You can access the chat here:

Edge of the City Chat Room

The Hills Are Alive…

… with the sounds of stores opening — — Greenline Organic on Austin opens this Saturday, October, 16th — and lively chats  — such as the one in our chat room tonight at 9 pm with Michael Perlman, local preservationist. We hope you join us!

Morning Coffee

Just a couple of things this a.m.:

• I have confirmed that local preservationist and activist Michael Perlman will be our special guest in a live chat tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 pm where he will be taking your questions and discussing where we go next with the Stadium, and pretty much anything else that comes up (last week’s discussion with Michael was pretty wide-ranging). So stop on by our chatroom around 9 tomorrow night if you have some time.
• And on a totally unrelated note, did you happen to see the spectacular sunset last evening? If you didn’t, here’s what you missed:

Where Do We Go Next With The Stadium?

We have tentatively scheduled a chat in our online chatroom for this Thursday at 9pm to discuss where we go next with the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, now that it has been saved from the bulldozers. I will let you know as soon as I confirm with our guest speaker, local preservationist and activist Michael Perlman, who had expressed an interest in following up last week’s chat with another live discussion after the stadium vote.

Along those lines, here is a statement from Michael that was issued today:

The ball is in the court of “Forest Hills!” The iconic yet endangered Forest Hills Tennis Stadium earned a reprieve on October 7, 2010. Cord Meyer Development’s proposal to build condos and demolish the majority of the stadium was rejected by West Side Tennis Club members, after not receiving a 2/3 vote (required by bylaws) to approve a sale. The vote was 123-123, proving that only 246 of 291 voting-eligible members voted, and the remainder made a rightful prediction of the outcome.

Rather than Cord Meyer trying to strain the heart of supporters of Queens’ most deserving landmark, Chairman Michael Perlman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council and its members, and citizens alike, can now focus more precisely on exploring creative mixed-use ventures for the Stadium, and continuing our advocacy for city, state, and federal landmark status to preserve a local to international icon, while opening the door to funding (including independent organizational grants) for a much-needed restoration and historically-sensitive upgrades (approximately $12 million).

Perlman explains “Disney-esque condos would have torn the heart out of Forest Hills. Mixed-use creative revitalization would yield a greater economic return in the long-run, and may feature tennis matches, concerts, weddings, exhibits, school trips, charity events, music and art festivals, etc. It would abide with its original and proven mission as “America’s Tennis Stadium” according to a 1922 ad. It has the potential to be a 21st century family destination, bring our communities closer together, boost tourism, convey historic pride, educate our children, and help local businesses through tough economic times, and be an incentive for newer businesses i.e. on the Austin St corridor.” The USTA and International Tennis Hall of Fame have offered their expertise, and the NY Philharmonic is considering use of the stadium as their summer home.

Chairman Michael Perlman launched a grassroots campaign on July 23, 2010, after learning that the historic stadium might be sold & demolished, and submitted a Request For Evaluation form with 50 pages consisting of primary sources to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, recommending the Stadium, Clubhouse, grounds, & interiors for NYC Landmark status. Perlman also reached out and met with local politicians. A landmark letter campaign and petition drive to the LPC and elected officials is ongoing, calling on a public hearing as a first step in the process.

On October 6, 2010, Rego-Forest Preservation Council published an appeal to the West Side Tennis Club, encouraging members to “consider the firsts in tennis, music, and architectural history, and vote to preserve an international icon” at the October 7th club meeting. Designed by award-winning architect Kenneth Murchison and built by The Foundation Co, it was the first concrete tennis stadium countrywide, was home to the US Open, Davis Cup, & Wightman Cup. It hosted players such as Bill Tilden, Helen Jacobs, Roger Federer, and Arthur Ashe & Althea Gibson who broke the racial color barrier. The Stadium also played cinematic roles, as it featured key scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train. Annual music festivals and concerts took ground in the late 1950s – late 1990s, featuring The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, The Monkees, The Who, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel, Trini Lopez, Peter, Paul, & Mary, and more legendary acts.

Rego-Forest Preservation Council will continue advocating for landmark status, creative reuse, and seeking benefactors, and hopes the West Side Tennis Club will confide in us an ally, and work cooperatively towards a viable future for the historic Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which reflects the sentiments and ideals of the greater American public.

Photos

1. Rego-Forest Preservation Council Photoset featuring Stadium, Clubhouse, Memorabilia –
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157607136282297/

2. Forest Hills Tennis Stadium: Gallery 1 featuring Joe Shlabotnik/Peter Dutton’s photos –
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/galleries/72157624960334088

3. Forest Hills Tennis Stadium: Gallery 2 featuring Joe Shlabotnik/Peter Dutton’s photos –
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/galleries/72157624960580042/

 

 

Michael Perlman

 
Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chair (Rego Park & Forest Hills)

http://regoforestpreservation.blogspot.com/

Four Borough Preservation Alliance Corp, Queens VP

Queens Preservation Council, Bd. of Dir.

Central Queens Historical Association, Bd. of Dir.

Friends of The Ridgewood Theatre, Chair

Friends of The RKO Keith’s Flushing Theatre, Member

Committee To Save The Forum Diner/Cheyenne Diner/Moondance Diner, Chair

Stadium Vote Coverage

Here is a very nicely written piece from The Times about last night’s West Side Tennis Club vote not to sell the stadium:

N.Y. / Region

City Room: First U.S. Open Tennis Stadium Will Not Be Sold

By By FERNANDA SANTOS

Published: October 8, 2010

A tie vote goes to those opposed to selling the 87-year-old structure.

 

Stadium Won’t Be Sold !

Early word is that the Club voted tonight NOT to sell the stadium. If this is true, VERY GOOD NEWS FOR OUR COMMUNITY !

It seems like the West Side Tennis Club members did the right thing here. Forest Hills will keep its most famous landmark.

But in order for this close call not to happen again, the question of where we go next with this historic, iconic building — what sensible use we find for it — must be decided upon once and for all.

Congratulations to Michael Perlman and everyone else who fought to prevent the sale to developers from happening.