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Preserving History, Culture and Community

Preserving History, Culture and Community. Cultural and Historical Preservation Team Proposals. Photo: J Blough. The Bowery ca. 1750, site of Domingo’s farm at the left, Catelina’s at the right.

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Preserving History, Culture and Community

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  1. Preserving History, Culture and Community Cultural and Historical Preservation Team Proposals Photo: J Blough

  2. The Bowery ca. 1750, site of Domingo’s farm at the left, Catelina’s at the right. The neighborhood we know as Chinatown began in 1643. Two farm lots extending from Baxter Street past Chatham Square, on either side of a double wagon road -- today’s Bowery -- were given to Domingo Antony and Catelina, widow of Jochem Antony, free Africans. The neighborhood soon became New York’s first African village, the Bouwerij Village.

  3. In the 19th century, it was known as Five Points, the home of German, Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants. To house and rent the immigrant refugees, landowners created the first multiple dwelling: the tenement. These soon became the tallest buildings in New York, the skyscrapers of the day; only church steeples were taller. Five Points, ca. 1850

  4. - Oliver Street - Before tenements, New Yorkers lived in single-family row houses.

  5. At first, tenements were simple like most townhouses and early American architecture. - 65 Mott Street - oldest tenement in New York 7 stories, c.1820

  6. During the 1860’s and ‘70’s, tenements followed the English fashion for Italianate ornaments. • Eldridge Street - • ca. 1865

  7. By the 1880’s, tenements were elaborate and ornamented, ranging in style from the classical, Palladian and distinguished - 66 Bayard -

  8. stone, concrete, terra cotta, molded and delicately tinted brick. to the fanciful and unrestrained, covered with terra cotta and multiple architectural materials: -162 Henry Street - Renaissance Revival Herter Bros., Architect

  9. 86 Madison Street - • Eclectic Rundbogenstil …frequently with Italian Renaissance models, but sometimes with Nordic, Wagnerian themes

  10. or imitating the Parisian Academie des Beaux Arts • Eldridge Street at Division - • ca. 1900

  11. During the ‘City Beautiful Movement’ -- and after a sweeping housing reform law in 1901 -- tenements expanded in scale and grandeur. - 253 Grand Street at Chrystie - Beaux Arts - Art Nouveau New Law tenement

  12. Most of CD1 and CD2 are protected and preserved by special zoning or landmark districting. New S. Vill

  13. Here are the special zonings(the four zones in CD3 are projected 2nd Avenue subway stations, not preservation zones)

  14. and historic districts in whitethe South Village District proposal (black outline) has been partially designated New South Village District

  15. Community Districts 1 and 2 are almost entirely protected with landmarking and special zoning. Community District 3 - the Lower East Side - has only one preservation area, Stuyvesant Street CD2 New South Village Hist Dist CD3 Second Avenue subway Second Avenue subway CD1 Second Avenue subway

  16. Over the last two years, the Culture & Preservation Team has been surveying Chinatown buildings

  17. and streetscapes Photo: Amy Chin

  18. The Team defined Chinatown as streets with 90% Chinese storefronts excluded

  19. We walked through every street on the map and catalogued every building.

  20. Here’s an example of our spreadsheet from our walk-through This is one sheet from our Chrystie Street walk-through

  21. For each address, we recorded: the number of stories the condition of the building

  22. estimated date of construction kind of storefront business

  23. whether the building would not contribute to a historic district and a detailed description of the façade.

  24. And whether the building merits individual landmarking

  25. We divided this “greater Chinatown” into four areas:Five Points ChinatownTwo Bridges Chinatown expansionLower East Side Chinatown expansion Little Italy Chinatown expansion Little Italy Lower East Side Five Points Two Bridges

  26. Bowery East CAPZ- BAN Also, the Team includes theCAPZ-Bowery Alliance of Neighborspreservation plan for the east side of the Bowery. (The west side of Bowery is already protected in the Special Little Italy District and the NoHo Historic Districts) Lower East Side Five Points Two Bridges

  27. We have no proposals regarding Little Italy

  28. For the other four areas we propose these preservation tools:contextual zoningspecial purpose zoning landmark districting

  29. Historic DistrictAndSpecial Purpose Zoning The Team proposes that, to preserve the history and character of Chinatown and its community, all four districts be designated as one or more New York Historic District, except Division Street and East Broadway. Excluded from landmark district Historic District and Special Purpose Zoning

  30. There are at least three distinct historic districts, Five Points, the Lower East Side Chinatown and Two Bridges. CD3 CD2 The Bowery CB3 LES Chinatown 5 Points Two Bridges CD3

  31. The Team also proposes that all three districts be designated Special Purpose Districts by the City Planning Commission to encourage local community businesses and preserve the local character and vitality. The Team proposes the following principles: Aspects to preserve:Scale -- heights (height caps)Scale -- bulk (FAR limits)Lots -- (prohibit combining storefront lots or big box chains)Street patterns (e.g., Doyers' bend)Masonry (brick)Contextual fenestrationContextual projecting decorative cornicesContextual window surrounds (often stone)Contextual entryways (often stone)Contextual decorative façades (stone, brick, terra cotta)Fire escapesEarly 20th century signs in Chinese charactersContemporary projecting signs

  32. We identified several consequences of a Landmarking:Property rights (air rights/development rights) are preserved for the ownersAir rights can be transferred further to violate the context nearbyAlterations require LPC permission, an inconvenience for ground floor commerceStreet use and commercial use are not restrictedBuildings are positively protected The context is positively protected (new buildings in a landmark district must pass through LPC)Protections inconvenience developersNew signs are usually required to conform with eithercurrent styles orhistoric stylesNew repairs or renovations may have to conform to historic modelsLPC does not require renovation or restorationLPC offers financial assistance for some repairs and restoration Landmarks Conservancy offers financial assistance for maintenance

  33. Also, we identified several consequences of a Special Zoning:Property rights (air rights/development rights) may be lost to ownersAir rights are severely restricted or obviated, protecting the contextHeight caps cannot be modulated to buildings that are lower than the 85% compliance DCP usually requiresStreet use, commercial use, future development all may be restrictedAlterations may require only at most DoB permissionDevelopment disincentive helps to protect buildings (though not positively protected)Disincentive to develop helps to protect the context (though not positively protected)Protections inconvenience developers.

  34. Finally, we considered their conjunction:Landmarked air rights may be lostAggregation of air rights may be preventedBuildings are positively protectedStreets and uses positively protectedIf one application (landmarks or special zoning) is rejected, the other may still succeed -- so applying both should be considered and considered as if they might be approved alone (e.g., with special consideration for what happens under each tactic).

  35. To facilitate both these preservation tools, the Team proposes that a Historic Trust Fund be created for Chinatown, administered by a Chinatown Conservancy.

  36. A Chinatown Conservancy and Historic Trust Fund would assist owners and tenants of historic properties with compliance issues. This entity could be financed with assessments on new construction and development in the planning area.

  37. The City also uses contextual rezonings -- zones that preserve the context of a neighborhood by limiting bulk and height and the street wall of new buildings. So the Cultural and Preservation Team proposes contextual zonings for each of the three areas.

  38. For Five Points, we propose a C4-4A rezoning C4-4A: FAR 4 80 foot height caps

  39. Current zone: C6-1 FAR 6 commercial FAR 6.5 community facility FAR 3.44 residential The current zone encourages out-of-scale hotel development at the expense of housing, and threatens eviction for demolitions and redevelopment.

  40. Current zoning does not allow large residential buildings, but does allow large hotels. So current zoning encourages many more big hotels, like Hotel Mulberry -- -- replacing residents:

  41. Current zoning allows even larger dormitories The East Village/LES rezoning prevents any further community destruction from out-of-scale dormitories in the residential blocks of the Lower East Side. Delancey Street

  42. Today, Five Points buildings still have an average FAR of only 4.2, and 90% of the buildings are lower than 75 feet tall. The Team proposes that Five Points should be rezoned exactly as the Lower East Side was rezoned, to prevent out-of-scale hotels and dormitories. In Five Points-Chinatown, identical rezoning from C6-1 to C4-4A will prevent out-of-scale development and will allow underbuilt structures to be expanded or redeveloped for housing.

  43. For Two Bridges Chinatown, the Team proposes an R8B zone for residential Henry, Madison and Monroe; C4-4A on commercial Division and East BroadwayC4-4A: FAR 4 80 foot height caps C4-4A R8B R8B: FAR 4 75 foot height caps

  44. Division and East Broadway to Pike: C6-1Gcommercial FAR 6residential FAR 3.44community facility 6.5no height limitsHenry, Madison, Monroe: R7-2residential FAR 3.44community facility FAR 6.5no height limits Pike to Rutgers, Division to East Broadway: C6-2 Commercial FAR 6 Community facility FAR 6.5 Residential up to 6.02 No height limits Currently, Two Bridges-Chinatown is divided into three zones: C6-2 C6-1G R7-2 R7-2

  45. Most buildings in Two Bridges Chinatown are less than 70 feet tall, FAR 3.5, yet the current zoning allows FAR 6 for hotels, 6.5 FAR for dormitories, and unlimited heights. Madison Street at Pike, 12 stories

  46. The C6-1G zone carries all the dangers of out-of-scale hotel development as C6-1. Rezoning to C4-4A / R8B would be consistent with the Lower East Side rezoning and will protect the neighborhood from out-of-scale hotel development while allow for new housing in soft sites. C4-4A R8B

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