Architecture

Architecture

• Tonight: Downzoning on the LES- The Villager http://www.thevillager.com/villager_111/organizationalmeetingon.html Volume 75, Number 4 | June 15- 21, 2005 Organizational meeting on downzoning and landmarking on the Lower East Side By David Katz People, politicians and community organizations who have been active in zoning and landmarking issues on the Lower East Side have been invited to an educational forum at the Clayton Gallery, 161 Essex St., on Mon., June 20 at 6 p.m. "This will not be a rally," emphasized organizer and gallery owner Clayton Patterson. "It is strictly an informational meeting in which groups involved in the struggle to preserve our communities will speak, and in which the politicians who have shown up at their rallies will also be invited to comment, and state what they think can be done about the situation." Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, which is spearheading the movement for downzoning the Far West Village to prevent out-of-scale construction from destroying the character of the neighborhood, will speak about the lessons learned there, and how they can be applied to the East Village. Richard Kusack, of The Committee for Zoning Inaction, will address "Trojan horse zoning," the bait-and-switch process by which developers misuse or misrepresent their projects as community facilities and dormitories in order to erect hotels and luxury housing; also invited are representatives from L.O.C.O; the Ludlow-Orchard Community Organization, who have been involved in the fight against the construction of a 24-story luxury hotel directly opposite a proposed 15-story luxury condominium on Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton Sts.; the East Village Community Coalition, involved in the fight to preserve St. Brigid¹s church and annex on Avenue B and the old P.S. 64 on E. Ninth St.; and representatives from 4 E. Third St., 47 East Third St. and 81 E. Third St., sites of recent protests over such issues as overdevelopment and construction not conforming with Buildings Department guidelines.
• Saving My Family History and Remembering the Holocaust: The Tale of a Synagogue- What follows is a very personal account of a non-political project I have been working on. Some of you might be familiar with the efforts I have been doing on behalf of East Africa, and I will continue those. But this diary is much more personal and comes out of a quest I started some three years ago, delving into my genealogy and finally actually visiting the town in Latvia where one branch of my ancestry came from. What I found there was a Jewish population that had almost been wiped out by the Nazis and that may yet die out, fulfilling, in part, Hitler's dream of eliminating Jews from Europe. There is one surviving synagogue in that town, though it is now a condemned building. That building has stood through 160 years of weddings and pogroms, hope and the Holocaust. This is the story of my family's roots in Latvia, my rediscovery of the synagogue where my great grandparents probably were married, and my ongoing attempts to save that synagogue. In 1845, the small East Latvian town of Rezekne (or Rezhitsa in Russian) was part of the massive Russian Empire that stretched from Poland to Siberia. In that year, a small wooden syangogue was built in Rezekne. This synagogue was one of about a dozen synagogues in the city of Rezekne in the middle years of the 19th century, synagogues that served a large Jewish population, about half the total population of Rezekne at that time. This particular synagogue was painted green, and hence the building has been known ever since as simply the "Green Synagogue." The Green Synagogue is the only synagogue in Rezekne to survive World War II, and even now it stands, though only as an empty, condemned building. It also, from what I can tell, was the synagogue where my great-grandparents were married before they fled Russia and came to the United States. Like the Jewish population in many corners of Eastern Europe today, the Green Synagogue is in danger of being forgotten and lost. Rezekne is a city that was shaped by an interaction of cultures: native Latvian, German, Russian and Jewish cultures mixing both peacefully and violently. Rezekne was originally a castle town and the ruins of its castle, possibly dating as far back as the 9th century, remain today. This castle was one of the first buildings built in Rezekne. But signs of a Jewish presence are just as old since right next to the ruined castle is another old building that is thought to have been the town's first inn, and this inn was thought to be run by Jews from very early on. This was a very common pattern in Eastern Europe, with Jews running local inns and taverns next to the local castle. Those who remember the drunken dancing tavern scene in Fiddler on the Roof will remember that the tavern was run by a Jew and patronized by both Jews and non-Jews. This was typical even as early as the Middle Ages and as late as the 19th Century. The Jewish population of Rezekne grew as the city grew until half the city was Jewish. This was no little shetl, but neither was it a big city. Even as late as 1808 Rezekne was described as having only one street and no skilled craftsmen. But even so, at that time Jews participated fully in city life, including sitting on the city council. Jews were an integral part of Rezekne's life until World War II. My great-great grandfather, Schmuila Jankel Luban, was 24 years old when the Green Synagogue was built. Jankel's last name, Luban, was probably only recently adopted by the family, since it was only around that time that Jews commonly took last names in Eastern Europe. Before being forced by the government to take last names, Jews just went by "So-and-so, son of Whosits." "Luban" indicates that the family was originally from a shtetl near Lake Lubanas, also in Eastern Latvia. The Lubans were a family of craftsmen, not well off, but not so poor either. Jankel married a woman named Kreine and they lived not too far from the Green Synagogue. Jankel is the earliest Jewish ancestor of mine I can trace. In his honor, my wife and I named our son "Jacob," linking my son with his Latvian-Jewish heritage. We don't know when Jankel and Kreine died but there is no record that they ever left Rezekne. The last record of their existence is their entry in the 1897 "All Russia" census where I was able to learn of their existence and even the address where they lived. But two of their sons, Sawel and Henach, fled Russia for America with their families by 1905, fleeing political unrest, military conscription and pogroms. Henach had been forced to serve in the Russian army in the ill-fated Russo-Japanese war and when on leave he fled Russia rather than being sent back to the front. Both Sawel and Henach had married and had children by the time they fled Russia. In fact, my grandmother was the last member of these two families to be born in Rezekne. Since both families lived near the Green Synagogue, it is very likely that when they married, Sawel and Henach had their weddings at the Green Synagogue. Both families settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where some of my distant relatives still live. Sawel became Solomon Luban in America and was my great grandfather. Henach became Henry Luban in America and many of his children, grandchildren and further descendents are still alive. One such descendent of Henry Luban's is his great-grandson Henry Garfield, better known to many of us as the punk rocker Henry Rollins. There are vague hints that one or two other Luban brothers may have existed. There is a record of a Berko Luban running a store in Rezekne in 1911 and a photograph marked "David Luban" from London where Solomon also had his picture taken when he was on his way to America. The photograph is very striking, and could well resemble the photos of my great-grandfather, but we may never know. By the time I was born, all memory of Berko and David Luban had faded, as had any memory of the Green Synagogue. By the time I was an adult and searching for my roots, many of us had even forgotten that we were from Rezekne at all. While my family was thriving in America and forgetting about Rezekne, the Jewish population left behind suffered terribly. Emigration, starvation, pogroms and forced relocation reduced the Jewish population of Rezkne considerably by the time World War II started. But the Green Synagogue survived. It was even renovated in the 1930's. When the Germans came, in one single day, 5000 Jews and the Latvians who tried to help them were machine-gunned just outside of town. I visited the place, the only actual Holocaust site I have ever visited. Walking along the grassy space that is the mass grave, walking for a very long time along that grave, the impact of "5000 killed in one day" hit home very hard and I had tears in my eyes and a great deal of anger in my heart. The Jewish population of Rezekne was almost wiped out on that single day. Only a handful survived, protected by some local Latvians. By the time many members of my family were returning to Europe as soldiers in the US military fighting the Nazis, those Nazis had all but wiped out any of our relatives who had remained in Rezekne. But somehow, the Green Synagogue survived. All other synagogues in Rezekne were destroyed, and the Jewish graveyard was shot at. You can still see bullet holes in some of the surviving gravestones. But the Green Synagogue still stands. Some remember that it was used as a holding pen for Jews on their way to death camps and that this is why it survived. Rezekne is on a major railroad route between St. Petersburg and Warsaw, so Jews from all over the region were brought into town to await transport to the camps. Rezekne was one small node on a massive railroad network feeding the death camps. The Green Synagogue was the last synagogue many of those people would ever see. In 2003, after I had rediscovered my family's past and found the addresses where we had lived in 1897 in Rezekne, I went to visit the city of my great-great grandfather to see where we had come from. I took my wife and stepdaughter and we met with Rashel, the head of the Jewish community of Rezekne, to see the city and to learn what it was like when my family had lived there. The city itself is beautiful, though we saw some remnants of lingering anti-Semitism. But overall our brief stay in Rezekne was very pleasant. The countryside is beautiful, the town small and quiet. It is a part of Latvia that is more Russian than Latvian, and most restaurants had Russian menus and served Russian food. Some of the best Russian food I have ever tasted was in a restaurant just down the street from where Henry Rollins' great grandmother's family had lived. Today only about 50 Jews remain in Rezekne. They have no proper synagogue since the Green Synagogue was condemned in the 1990's due to severe water damage. Their shul is a handful of rooms in an office building. Rashel showed me the addresses where my family used to live. Some buildings, like the one where my great grandparents lived, are gone. But some, like the brick apartment building where Henry Rollin's great grandmother's family lived, still stand. And many of those addresses are near the Green Synagogue, suggesting to me that the Green Synagogue was our family's synagogue. Our tour of Jewish Rezekne ended at the Synagogue and it was there that Rashel told me much of what I have told you here. We saw the synagogue by candlelight. The inside is dusty and water damaged with many windows boarded up and parts of the ceiling falling down. It was a very sad building with some old paintwork from the 1930's if not earlier and even a few fragments of the original stained glass. I stood there that day in the condemned Green Synagogue and imagined the wedding of my great grandparents. My ancestors had probably stood in that same synagogue more than 100 years before I did. And then I imagined thousands of terrified Jews in the 1940's spending one night in that same synagogue before being sent to almost certain death. The joys of weddings and the fear of death surrounded me in that dark, sad building. It was at that moment that I decided that I would try and save the Green Synagogue. As a monument to the Jews who had helped shape Rezekne from its early days as a castle town to its later days as a stop along a major Russian rail line, I wanted to save that synagogue. As a place for my family to return to see where we came from, I wanted to save that synagogue where at least two generations of my family probably got married. As an act of defiance against the Nazis who practically wiped out the Jews of Rezekne, I wanted to save that synagogue. And as a symbol of hope for the surviving Jews of Latvia, I wanted to save that synagogue. I had never undertaken this kind of project before and had no idea how to go about it. But I was very lucky that the local government of Rezekne had already taken an interest in restoring the Green Synagogue. One of the adjacent streets was renamed "Israel Street" in its honor and they had looked into what it would take to restore. Sadly, they dropped the plan due to lack of funds. So I decided that maybe I could help find at least some of the funds needed to restore the Green Synagogue and so, soon after returning to the US after my trip to Rezekne, I went online to find funding agencies that might be interested and to find Jews descended from Rezekne Jews who might be able to help me. I was able to find some two-dozen descendents of Rezekne Jews who were interested in helping restore the Green Synagogue and without their help and advice, I would never have even been able to begin. And it is through this network of Jewish descendents of Rezekne Jews that I was able to get the ball rolling. About a year after returning from Rezekne, I was able to get a small grant from the World Monuments Fund's (tm) Jewish Heritage Grant Program that would cover the cost of hiring an architect to survey the site of the Green Synagogue and determine what work needed to be done and how much a full restoration would cost. That phase of the project has recently been completed and now the real work can begin. The local government in Latvia, inspired by the interest that I and the World Monuments Fund were showing, was able to find more than $40,000 to repair the roof, so that no further water damage will occur, and to repair the timbers that have been most damaged. But this is only the beginning. The site survey that the World Monuments Fund supported has found that nearly $200,000 worth of repairs will be needed to restore the synagogue to the way it was in the 1930's. I am hoping to find people who are interested in preserving this small piece of Eastern European heritage, in defying the Nazi attempts to eradicate all signs of Judaism in Europe and in giving hope to the surviving Jews of Latvia. I invite anyone who can help raise money or interest in this project to contact me so that the Green Synagogue, which has stood for 160 years of both joy and despair, can continue to stand for the Jews of Rezekne.
• Another thing New York City could learn from Amsterdam : Bikes. Everywhere.- The above is a rather hazy photograph of a five story bicycle parking garage that is right next to Amsterdam's central train station. And yes, you read that right : it is a garage for bicycles only, five stories high and a quarter of a NYC block long. For those of you who have not been following my Holland.com saga (and how lame of you may I add), you can get an update at Special Sponsor Sunday Slutty Slurping. Which means am back to work ... and missing Amsterdam already. It was weird to be there because while I was there I was reminded of my slice of town, the Village and the Lower East side. Lots of brownstones but with lots of canals and foot bridges thrown in the mix. And it made me sad to be there because I became very aware of how much money and not people or history are changing New York City's architectural and city planning landscape for the worse. If it were up to me, I'd landmark huge swaths of the city, all of the areas with brownstones. Then I'd open them to pedestrian and bicycle traffic only with limited access to vehicular traffic. Especially from 23rd all the way down to South Ferry. Yup. I'd close at least a third of Manhattan to external traffic. I mean, c'mon, having cars in the Wall Street area just does not make any sense at all. I'd restrict their way to the highways and maybe an avenue or two. But Broadway from 23rd all the way down to Wall Street? Closed for bikes and pedestrians only. Something has to give. I was told once by a city planner that the Republican way to increase taxes was to increase population. Meaning, they don't inncrease taxes but make it so they can squeeze more people, with higher rents, in the same swath of land. I honestly do not see how it makes sense since government services will go up anyway if more people are in need of public safety, sanitation, transportation, etc. The guy said that politicians really don't care. After all, who's thinking of the future? Politicians only think in terms of election cycles. My mind boggled. I could not believe someone working with the future of the city --especially it's most sought after equity, real estate-- could be so cynical. Something though, has got to give. NYC's Department of Transportation acknowledges that, indeed, New York City leads the nation in the number of pedestrians killed in motor vehicle crashes. The city has to decide what they want more: Visitors in cars or residents on feet. I choose people on foot and bikes.
• Monday Morning Slacking- The music is a bit cheezy and over-the-top but I thought it makes for good a bit of morning morning slacking with the before and after photos of various parts of the city. [via YouTube - Changing New York] Enjoy!
• Rally Against Ratner's Atlantic Yard's Monstronsity- RALLY AT THE ARCH, SUNDAY, JULY 16TH • 2 P.M. Grand Army Plaza (park side of the arch, site of the Saturday Green Market) Fight Ratner’s Skyscraper City and arena over-development proposal! On Sunday, July 16th, at 2 p.m., please join thousands of your friends and neighbors at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza to rally against Forest City Ratner’s “Atlantic Yards” scheme, and in favor of appropriate, inclusive, and innovative development with truly affordable housing and sustainable jobs! Fight government support of eminent domain abuse at taxpayer expense! Support a positive vision for Brooklyn’s future! If you’d like to volunteer to help with the rally, please send an email to contact@developdontdestroy.org
• The Issues Behind Atlantic Yards: Why some obsess on this one project- I am quite sympathetic to opponents of the Atlantic Yards project, though I do not consider it the only factor in deciding what candidates to support. I have heard the opponents of the Atlantic Yards uber-development project called a "single issue" group. I have myself referred to them as "single issue," as a matter of fact. Now, there is nothing wrong with focusing on a single issue, but the more I think about it, I realize that issues surrounding NYC development in general, and Atlantic Yards in particular, involve some of the core issues of the progressive movement. Furthermore, in general politicians who understand the problems with Atlantic Yards are the ones who recognize the core values of the progressive movement. Those politicians who don’t get why Atlantic Yards is so wrong don’t get, on a very fundamental level, the core values of the progressive movement. There are exceptions. But in general, it strikes me that Atlantic Yards not only is, but should be one of the dominant issues in local politics. I will add that it should not be the ONLY dominant issue, but it should be one of the dominant issues. The issues that surround development in NYC in general, and Atlantic Yards in particular, include the culture of corruption that seems to be filtering from the Federal government down to the local level, the neglect or active removal of "undesirable" communities (usually minority and poor), government secrecy, excessive links between business and government, use of tax money to aid big business, and the exclusion of the community from major decisions regarding its own future. The interests of the rich are put above the interests of the city even by the city government, and this is often done in secrecy. It is hard to think of a single issue that encompasses more fundamental concerns of the progressive movement than Atlantic Yards. One of the key problems with the Atlantic Yards project is the secrecy, dishonesty and probably corruption that surround it. There really have been secret deals made between Rater and the mayor and governors offices promising land and exclusion from full review. The state agency that is supposed to judge if the Atlantic Yards project should be approved, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), not only rents space from Ratner, but wants to hire Ratner’s own lawyer, at Ratner’s expense, to advise them on whether they should approve Ratner’s plan. Yes, I know a court just approved these things, but come on folks! This is stuff worthy of the Federal Republican culture of corruption! It stinks. Add to that blatant lies that have been told to the community by Ratner. Lies, secrecy and what sure looks like corruption even if a court approves it. Even if all of this is legal, THESE are the very practices that the progressive movement was formed to fight. Government honesty, transparency and ethics are at the root of the original progressive reforms. And I am not alone in thinking so. Recently, investigative attorney, former Senior White House Advisor to President Clinton, and current candidate for Attorney General recently sent out a couple of letters stating his stand on Atlantic Yards. His first such letter does an excellent job of outlining many of the problems with Ratner’s plans that I will quote directly from it:

  …I believe that the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards development must be stopped-cold until some tough questions get asked and answered. As it is today, this project is the face of what’s wrong with a corrupt culture that mixes business and politics, profits and tax dollars. My objections to the project stem from the flawed and secretive process by which decisions are made. Decisions that could change the face of the community forever. Decisions that deserve more scrutiny, more tough issues like fairness and transparency and including: · The Forest City Ratner proposal is a selective bid. · A profound disregard for community involvement in the decision making process. · The shameful lack of accountability and transparency by Forest City Ratner by failing to provide a detailed financial report. · There is little evidence…that the decision making process included concern for the historical character of the neighborhood. · The Forest City Ratner proposal does not adequately address affordable housing questions posed by concerned members of the community. · Although the MTA appraised the value of the rail yards at $241 million, the MTA chose the lowest bidder instead of the higher bid from Extell. This plan, as it is, cannot be allowed to move forward; however, I would support responsible development that earnestly seeks a partnership and synergy with the community rather than an exploitation of our beauty and resources in Brooklyn.

  Like all of us, Maloney WANTS development. But he does NOT want secrecy, corruption and lies. And those are what we have been give by Ratner, Bloomberg and Pataki. Now look. I have been told that this project is nothing more than free market. But it isn’t! It is a selective bid, not to mention a LOW BID. It involves the use of tax money. It has involved the threat, though not yet the use, of eminent domain to force the transfer of property from one private owner to another. None of this is free market! It is a collaboration, formed partly in secret with no input from the community, between government and a private businessman. This is the kind of collaboration between the rich and the powerful that the progressive movement was founded to oppose. I would not say that there was no input from the community. And groups like ACORN are in favor of the project, though they have been heavily criticized for this. In fact Ratner has made a good show of interacting with certain community leaders and groups, getting them on board, and promising jobs and affordable housing. But there is no enforcement of these promises and the affordable housing is judged such that as property values go up, the affordable housing will rapidly cease to be affordable. It is not geared to the means of the community so much as being a certain amount below he market value…which will go up and out of the range of the community. What Maloney does not even mention is the issues of the infrastructure. Traffic congestion, insufficient coverage from firehouses, inadequate schools and a grossly (literally) overtaxed sewage system are EXISTING problems in Brooklyn. Add on top of these existing problems an arena and seventeen massive skyscrapers, and you have a pretty disgusting mess. Even if there are upgrades around the Atlantic Yards project, the remainder of Brooklyn would still be affected by the added strains of the project. People talk about jobs. Well, don’t more schools, firehouses, upgrading the sewer system Borough wide and adding more public transit create jobs? And they improve the quality of life in the Borough. And the issue of fires brings up another problem that goes even beyond what Maloney covers. There already is a very surprising spike of fires throughout Brooklyn that may be due to arson and/or the neglect of these neighborhoods by the closing of firehouses. Some have even suggested that developers are burning down buildings that are inconvenient for them. This accusation seems likely in the case of the Greenpoint fire where the developer had several other convenient and suspicious fires happen to his property…probably covered by insurance. In the case of the area surrounding Atlantic Yards, there has been a particularly sharp increase in suspicious fires there and it is convenient for the developer who wants to portray the area as blighted. Beyond that, I cannot judge whether or now the old NY tradition of arson to drive out unwanted communities is at work. But, since I work in the triangle shirtwaist factory building, I quite aware that there is a longstanding link between the progressive movement and fire safety, particularly regarding poorer classes. Three politicians, Eric Adams, Bill Batson and Wellington Sharpe, each independently observed the suspicious nature of these fires and called them arson. Each of them observed that these fires are destroying the heart of historic black neighborhoods, threatening entire communities. Bill Batson went so far as to point out the convenience of these fires to developers and points out that many of these development projects are destroying the black history of Brooklyn. He used the Harriet Tubbman museum as an example and points out that if you destroy someone’s culture, you can do anything you want to them. This threat to our heritage isn’t just affecting the black community. I would say that the Atlantic Yards Project, coupled with the many other giant development plans, changes the entire face or Brooklyn, taking away its great uniqueness. I come from Los Angeles. I am one of the few people who will admit loving Los Angeles. But it does not have much character. Brooklyn has a great character and the current style of overdevelopment destroys that character in large swaths of Brooklyn. Bill Batson calls it the Disneyfication (I think it should be spelled "Disnification," but most people disagree) of NYC through arson. A fellow local activist has called Atlantic Yards project in particular as placing a giant slice of Manhattan in the heart of Brooklyn. Manhattan is fine. But It ain’t Brooklyn. The politician who I know who has most eloquently expressed what is happening is Chris Owens. He once described it as nothing less than "Losing Home", in essence losing our community, our uniqueness…our Brooklyn. We want development. Of course we want affordable housing and jobs. But the lies, underhanded and secret deals, the closing of our firehouses, the inadequate concern for our schools and infrastructure all combine to make us afraid that we are losing Brooklyn. The loss is much slower and less dramatic than the loss of large parts of New Orleans through criminal neglect. But there are very real parallels. Progressives respect home, tradition, history and community. Those politicians who most respect progressive values are those who understand the real danger of Atlantic Yards style development. I honestly think that if our elected representatives (you listening Bloomberg, Markowitz? I thought not!) really laid down strict requirements for these development projects, developers would still be rushing to be in on the action. NYC is one of the world’s busiest and best cities and no developer will want to stay away. But if we neglect our schools and our fire safety, over tax our sewage system and roads, and lose our unique character that attracts so many tourists, we will no longer be one of the world’s busiest and best cities. We need a progressive vision for our city, not a vision that has to be formed in secret and covered by lies. That is why so many use Atlantic Yards as a measure for their support of a candidate. It cannot be the only measure. Tom Suozzi gets it when it comes to Atlantic Yards, yet I do not think he quite understands traditional progressive values. Denise O’Donnell didn't take the kind of stand that Sean Patrick Maloney has on Atlantic Yards, nor is she necessarily progressive. But she, along with Maloney, was still an excellent candidate for Attorney General, and I was having a hard time deciding between them. So this one project cannot be the only thing used to pick politicians to vote for. And I don't always agree with everything said and done by groups like Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn. But I really think that those who are perceived as excessively focused on Atlantic Yards may actually understand that what is at risk are many of the things that we, as progressives, value.
• Develop Don't Destroy your cause, DDDB- Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, DDDB, is distinguished by a very unfortunate combination of factors: their cause, a re-examination of a real estate project that faces significant community opposition, is fundamentally worthwhile. However, their spokespeople seem to find particular enjoyment in cultivating a with-us-or-against-us model of discourse that often amounts to a scorched-earth approach not just against outright opponents, but against people and interested parties that may be persuadable. Take two recent stories. As far as I'm concerned, coverage of the Atlantic Yards fiasco should concentrate on eminent domain abuse and the sheer obscenity of pouring huge amounts of taxpayer dollars into subsidizing this project; last I checked, the real estate market was doing quite nicely indeed and doesn't need public funds. But what has been in the news recently is, drumroll, Daniel Goldstein describing project supporters as Tools of "Their Wealthy White Masters" and, via Ben Smith, the story of a meeting between DDDB and Spitzer, in the course of which both sides claim to have been yelled at. Given DDDB's track record, frankly, I'm inclined to think that they did most of the yelling; that seems to be the standard response to anything less than Xerox-like support of every single thing they demand. What was that old saw about catching flies with honey and vinegar? And now, before I get added to the enemies list, if I'm not on it already, I should note that I think the agenda of Develop Don't Destroy is not unsound for reasons of good government alone. But arguably, this largely sound public cause could be better represented in public, and I hope it will be soon. Normally, public support isn't built by alienating persuadables or those people, like Eliot Spitzer, whom it's better to have as a friend. I hear the man may be elected governor. [Update]: Oh, it gets even better. Check out this DDDB release titled Senator Schumer hates you. "How to make friends and influence people" it ain't.
• Cornerstone quietly carted from World Trade Center site- Back in 2004, as one George was seeking election, another George organized a gaudy ceremony at the World Trade Center site. Flags were flown, songs sung, and a multi-ton piece of granite was laid in place to be the cornerstone of the new Freedom Tower. Of course it was too good to be true, since republicans all seem to adhere to the FEMA school of competency. The New York Times reports that the cornerstone was returned to its quarry today, with no return date set. Completion is presently estimated for 2011. Nice work, Georges.
• Former City Planning Commissioner Speaks Against Ratner- This is excerpted from a statement by an Urban Planner and former City Planning Commissioner. I think this is a good opportunity to remind people that the oppoants of Ratner's Atlantic Yards project are NOT against development. They are against development that destroys rather than adds to the Brooklyn community. I should also point out that many of the issues that this urban planner brings up are ones I have brought up before or have been brought up by Sean Patrick Maloney, candidate for Attorney General and formerly top Clinton (Bill) aide. These issues and questions are NOT being addressed by Ratner, Bloomberg, ACORN, Pataki and Markowitz. Why is it that only small, unprofessional citizens groups are recognizing these huge flaws in Ratner's plans? The rest is from a statement by Ron Shiffman. Atlantic Yards: Staving Off a Scar for Decades By Ron Shiffman, FAICP, Hon. AIA – Urban Planner, Former City Planning Commissioner
• Preserving Heritage, Preserving Identity: Why I care about a small syagogue in Latvia- This is adapted from a talk I gave to the Latvia Special Interest Group luncheon at the Jewish Genealigical Conference in NYC this week. I don't know how much it will resonate with a general readership, but it means something to me and to those who heard it. It's adapted from a Powerpoint presentation, so the format is different than what I normally do. 1. SEARCHING FOR JEWISH IDENTITY: Preserving our Heritage; Preserving our Identity Today I don’t just want to talk about my efforts to save a small, sad synagogue in a corner of Eastern Latvia. I also want to talk about why I am trying to save that synagogue. It is a story that, for me, looks at the thorny question of Jewish identity and Jewish heritage and the value of preserving that identity and heritage. 2. “Your origin and your birth are of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, you’re your mother a Hittite.” (Ezekiel 16:3) Genetic evidence confirms the belief that most Jews are closely related and that ultimately we all have roots in the land of Israel or at least its general region. Even an isolated black South African tribe that claims Jewish descent, the Lemba, have genetic traits that point to a common Jewish ancestry. Archaeology shows that the original Jews, if I can use that term for people living so long ago, lived in a small group of poor and isolated villages from around 1200 BCE in what is now the West Bank whose only unique characteristic we can detect archaeologically is that they didn’t eat pork. In all other ways these original Jews were typical Canaanites archaeologically. But they gave up pork. In those tiny, pork-shunning villages we all probably have distant ancestors.
• It's not easy being Pepto-Bismol Pink in Brownstone Brooklyn- About a block from my house on Garfield Place in Park Slope, there is the brownstone that we refer to as the "Pepto-Bismol" building because it has been painted the color of Pepto-Bismol since we moved into the neighborhood. Recently the owner repainted, clearly trying to get the same color, but actually getting a color a bit to bright and harsh to be that soft, soothing Pepto-Bismol pink. No matter how you look at it, the building is an eyesore. But in the uniformity and conformity of Park Slope, I have to admit I always had a soft spot for the Pepto-Bismol building. Now the Daily News has an article on this building, informing us that the owner, now 90 years old, has been painting the building that color since 1968! Needless to say, this pisses off the Yuppies that surround him:

  [Bernie] Henry, 90, said he doesn't understand why his neighbors are upset. He first slathered on the glossy pink in 1968 - five years before the city designated the area a historic district. He said the current hue on his 105-year-old house is more or less a match of what it was when his wife, Viola, told him to paint it 40 years ago.

• Brooklyn Matters: a documentary film by Isabel Hill- Brooklyn Matters is a movie getting lots of attention...attention Ratner doesn't want it to get. So far I have heard nothing but rave reviews of it and some of those from people who were formerly neutral on Ratner's plan. And many of the most rave reviews come from people who don't live in Brooklyn. This movie deals with citywide issues, not just Brooklyn issues.

  No single event will have a more drastic and long-lasting impact on Brooklyn than the proposed Atlantic Yards development. This uncommon proposal, however, is mostly misunderstood. Brooklyn Matters is an insightful documentary that reveals the fuller truth about the Atlantic Yards proposal and highlights how a few powerful men are circumventing community participation and planning principles to try to push their own interests forward. Producer/Director- Isabel Hill, buildinghistory@verizon.net Editor- Marian Sears Hunter Director of Photography- Chuck Clifton Sound Recordist- Michelle Clifton

  Brooklyn Matters is the movie about Brooklyn development that has caught the attention of the whole city. I am taking this from their website, but this is also the kind of stuff I am hearing from people from all over the city who have seen the movie: (note the qualifications of thes people)
• Upcoming Screenings of Brooklyn Matters: a documentary film by Isabel Hill- Brooklyn Matters is a critically acclaimed documentary about the proposed Atlantic Yards project. Screenings have been ongoing throughout the city, particularly (not surprisingly) in Brooklyn. “A powerful documentary by a well-respected filmmaker, Brooklyn Matters is a must see for all New Yorkers who care about the future of their neighborhoods and the role that public policy and process plays in determining that future.” -Marilyn Gelber, Former Commissioner, New York City Department of Environmental Protection “Of all the protesting voices and hundreds of thousands of words in opposition to the proposed Atlantic yards development, nothing is as convincing as isabel hill's excellent film." -- Stuart Pertz, FAIA, Former Member of the New York City Planning Commission Brooklyn Matters is the must see documentary about the "Atlantic Yards" project. Here are your chances to see it. Upcoming Screenings of Brooklyn Matters: Friday, June 15, 7pm. Spoke the Hub Recreation Center 748 Union Street (btwn 5th and 6th avenues, closer to 6th), Bklyn RSVP: 718-408-3234 Tuesday, June 19, 7pm. Fifth Avenue Committee
• Short Takes Friday- The Eagle has landed Do you love tall sailing ships? The US Coast Guard training ship The Eagle has docked at the foot of pier 17, at the South Street Seaport. The ship is great (no signs of its Nazi origin), the coast guardsmen and women charming; tours from 9:00-6:30 Sat & Sun. If you go Sat. morning, check out the asbestos decontamination exercise run by Fire at the Sanitation garage at the foot of Montgomery Street. After years of torture and harsh confinement, US officials have decided to allow some "high value" Guantanamo detainees to lawyer-up . (Although at least one of them, already represented by counsel, has not been allowed to get letters from her). The poor get sicker than the rich. Great and serious congratulations are due to Comptroller William Thompson who (I guess with staff support) has produced a really smart interesting and important analysis of the NYC health impacts of class and cash. Surpise!
• Open House New York, October 6 & 7, 2007- Open House New York which will be held this coming Saturday and Sunday gives New Yorkers who love their built environment the chance to get up close and personal with buildings and constructed spaces. Guides to the house, powerhouse and walking tours will be included in Wednesday's New York Times as well as online . There are 300 places to visit which have been opened up for free for the weekend. Many require reservations. For example, the High Line; (the elevated rail tracks overgrown with weeds and rusted with disuse on the west side of Manhattan.) Many of those are already filled completely -- tours of the broken down small pox hospital on the south end of Roosevelt Island are completely booked. But many sites require no reservation. My favorite places after the jump:
• MIT Sues Frank Gehry for Design Flaws: Brooklyn Take Note- Brooklynites concerned about Bruce Ratner's overdevlopment plan for Brooklyn might want to pay attention to a lawsuit MIT has filed against Ratner's architect, Frank Gehry. Frank Gehry is a controversial figure, though I have always kind of liked his architecture. He has been criticized for wasting space and designing buildings that are too large and inconvenient for the people who use them. But to me his architecture always had a touch of the same playfulness I always have liked in the archtecture of Antoni Gaudi. Of course Gaudi was ridiculed early in his career, too.