Another East Village Rowhouse Demolished
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331 East 6th Street before it was demolished. |
We were extremely disappointed to hear this morning that the lovely, intact 1852 rowhouse at 331 East 6th Street had been completely demolished. The news is especially devastating given that the site is within the boundaries of the proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District and is located on one of the most intact blocks in the entire neighborhood, only two doors down from the Community Synagogue (a National Historic landmark). In fact, when the East Village was rezoned in 2008, the City’s Environmental Impact Statement identified this block of East 6th Street as being especially historically significant and worthy of landmark protection.
This is the fourth pre-Civil War building in the East Village to be demolished in the past year alone. Others include the ca. 1839 Greek Revival rowhouses at 326 & 328 East 4th Street (one of which was developed by the builder of the first steamship ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and both of which were determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places) and the ca. 1825 Federal-style house at 35 Cooper Square, which was by far the oldest building on Cooper Square and one of the oldest in the entire East Village. Also slated for demolition is the 1835 rowhouse at 316 East 3rd Street, one of the earliest surviving buildings in Alphabet City and one of the few reminders of the birth of the neighborhood as New York’s Dry Dock District.
Enough is enough! The demolition of 331 East 6th Street only highlights the urgent need for landmark protections in the East Village. Several months ago the Landmarks Preservation Commission proposed two historic districts in the East Village, a critical first step in preserving the neighborhood’s significant historic architecture. However, the Commission has given us no information as to when they will hold a public hearing on the proposed districts (the second of three official steps in the landmarking process). While we wait, more and more of the neighborhood's complex and colorful history is being destroyed.
How to Help:
Send a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission urging them to hold a public hearing on the East Village Historic Districts and calendar 316 East 3rd Street. A sample letter may be found HERE. Please send copies of all letters to gvshp@gvshp.org.
Next: 09/14/11
Previous: 08/19/11
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