Progress on making a Gansevoort Market Historic District a reality
Save Gansevoort Market has made incredible progress in the last several months, and we are now closer than ever to our goal of ensuring the preservation of this special neighborhood. However, a big push is necessary to achieve our goal of historic district designation for the Gansevoort Market district, and we need your help.
In March, after a 2 ½ year effort, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held a hearing on a potential Gansevoort Market historic district. The proposed district included almost all of the area we had asked of the LPC, stretching from 15th Street to Horatio Street, and from west of Washington Street to east of Hudson Street. The hearing was a tremendous success — we had one of the largest turnouts to an LPC hearing in recent memory, and our supporters included Gansevoort neighbors, business owners and property owners; local elected officials and community groups; local, state and national preservationists; and even the meatpackers union representing hundreds of workers in the area!
Of course this comes on top of some other tremendous successes we have had in the past year — Gansevoort being named one of New York State’s “7 to Save” by the Preservation League of NY State; the withdrawal of the variance application for the 450-foot tall residential hi-rise at 848 Washington Street; Gansevoort being determined eligible for listing on the State and National Register of Historic Places; and thousands of New Yorkers and nearly every major preservation organization in New York joining us in calling upon the LPC to designate this district.
But we continue to face tough challenges as well — development pressure in the area increases. And some new developments which violate the scale and historic character of the area are, in spite of our best efforts, too late to stop. Other plans and projects involving unsympathetic alterations and additions to the neighborhood or destruction of existing buildings continue to move forward.
That is why we must urge the LPC not to wait any longer, and to designate the Gansevoort Market historic district as soon as possible. All indications are that they recognize the important value of this neighborhood, as well as the breadth of support for its designation. But we must let them know that time is of the absolute essence, and that we cannot allow the erosion of any more of this precious, fragile area’s historic fabric.
And you can help by doing the following:
Please write to the LPC as soon as possible urging them to immediately designate the entire Gansevoort Market district as heard in March — our letter writing and postcard campaign was incredibly effective in getting the LPC to schedule the original hearing, and it can be invaluable in getting them to now vote to designate the historic district.
Send a link of this page to your family, friends and neighbors, and ask them to also write. You can also contact GVSHP at gvshp@gvshp.org or (212) 475-9585 if you would like copies of the “Save Gansevoort Market” postcard we have printed to be sent to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, to distribute to your family, friends, and neighbors.
Please also consider making a contribution to Save Gansevoort Market. Funding allows us to continue this battle with the vigor, energy, and resources we need to achieve success. To make it through this important stage of the effort, we need your help.
Please act now. If we want the Commission to act quickly and designate the district before further changes erode the area’s character, we must let them know loud and clear — we don’t have a moment to waste.
Next: 09/09/03
Previous: 02/25/03
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