S.O.S.: The East Village Community Coalition Needs Your Help Now!

See more photos from the First Annual Kids Art Bike Ride: Click here!

The EVCC is not-for-profit volunteer organization that is working on many fronts to recognize, sustain, and support the built and cultural character of the East Village. That character includes a diverse population; low-rise, human-scale blocks and buildings with historic and architectural significance; a multitude of community gardens; indigenous stores and businesses; and the neighborhood's history and ongoing tradition as a haven for those seeking freedom to express artistic, creative, and social concerns.

Top priorities include:
-- Supporting neighborhood businesses
-- Encouraging the arts and cultural diversity
-- Lobbying for the city to update and improve zoning regulations
-- Getting landmark status for the 100-year-old P.S. 64 (between Avenues B and C on 9th and 10th Streets) -- and transforming it into a community center
-- Preserving St. Brigid's Church on Avenue B at Tompkins Square Park

PREVIOUS UPDATES (Spring, 2008):

ANOTHER P.S. 64 VICTORY On March 26, the State's highest court unanimously upheld the City's refusal to issue a permit for a "dormitory" on the site of old P.S. 64 (formerly El Bohio) without a lease in place. The EVCC led the Friend of the Court Brief effort in this crucial step in the preservation of the landmarked building. See Sarah Ferguson's Village Voice coverage.

THE FIRST ANNUAL KIDS ART BIKE RIDE: An Unforgettable Celebration for the Lower East Side As more than 100 young riders rolled into Tompkins Square Park on fancied up bikes, trikes, and scooters on a sunny Saturday morning, it was clear -- as Commissioner Margarita Lopez said in her kickoff speech -- that the Lower East Side was once again at the vanguard of urban culture, encouraging a new generation to support alternative transportation with their wildest artistic imaginings and their pedal power. To see the neighborhood's kids on their tricked-out bikes, and to find out more about what happened at one of 2007's most amazing events, click here!

APPEALS COURT DECISION: NOT THE FINAL WORD The proposal to build a "dormitory" on the site of P.S. 64 never had support from any school, so it never met community-use requirements for the site -- and the proposal was rejected by the city. When that initial ruling was reversed by the First Department Appellate Court at the end of May, it gave free reign to developers. Once a tower has been built on the site of P.S. 64, then it's too late for the city to ensure the building's use as a "dormitory" -- a Certificate of Occupancy could be withheld, but only for so long. So, ultimately, the historic, landmarked P.S. 64 would be destroyed and replaced by a looming, high-priced residence that is in no way a community space. That's why the EVCC is joining a variety of organizations to work toward a reversal of the appellate court ruling. Get the whole story of the court decision in The Village Voice.

IMPORTANT ZONING UPDATE The EVCC applauds the Department of City Planning's work on a badly neeeded rezoning plan for our neighborhood. However, we have a few concerns which we expressed in a letter to City Planning. To get the important details, download our letter, and see details of the city's plan.

P.S. 64 LANDMARK STATUS CONFIRMED! At a Sept. 15 2006 hearing, the City Council gave a final unanimous vote to landmark this culturally, historically and architecturally significant building. Many, many thanks to all of you who worked toward this victory for our community.

P.S. 64 IS A LANDMARK! On Tuesday, June 20, the Landmarks Commission unanimously declared old P.S. 64 a landmark, which means that the school cannot be destroyed or replaced with a skyscraper. (Read eloquent speeches about the building by Commissioner Roberta Brandes Gratz and Commissioner Christopher Moore.) Unfortunately, the owner still holds a permit to strip the building's facade (see renderings of the "denuded" building), which -- for inexplicable reasons -- has just begun. For the history of the struggle to win landmark status for P.S. 64, see an excellent article in The Village Voice.

Senseless Destruction of St. Brigid's Built by Irish shipwrights in 1848 on the east side of what is now Tompkins Square Park, St. Brigid's Church on Avenue B and 8th Street is a New York City treasure. So it's impossible to understand the Archdiocese's decision (on July 28) to smash the church's priceless stained glass windows. (These windows were made in Germany and paid for with the pennies of a poor congregation long ago to honor the counties in Ireland that were once home to potato famine refugees who fled to the East Village.) After all this irreversible damage had been done, the Department of Buildings delayed the demolition because of unsafe conditions, preserving a part of the church that would have been destroyed. At the same time, a community member Eric Rassi climbed to the highest point on the church, crying for the Archdiocese to hear our plea to save this historic monument for our community. Because of an injunction that was granted at the request of The Committee to Save St. Brigid's, no more destruction to the building can take place until a legal meeting on August 24. (Many thanks to the law firm Holland and Knight for taking the case on a pro bono basis.)

For more info about the church, contact Carolyn Ratcliffe (212-674-4057) or go to the Save St. Brigid site to make a donation. Every donation of any amount brings us closer to saving this important church.

Our Movie -- Learn More about P.S. 64: We created a video about the history of P.S. 64 which was shown to the Landmarks Commission. The movie explains why it's so important to preserve the school as an arts center for the community. Watch it now.

Better Zoning The East Village (which has not been re-zoned since 1963) is currently zoned in ways that allow high-rise ("tower-in-a-park") development that has been discredited and curtailed by rezoning in other neighborhoods. The EVCC has commissioned and released a discussion paper with possible new zoning limits that would keep development appropriate in scale and character with the existing neighborhood. (Several other neighborhoods, such as East Harlem, have made similar zoning changes.) We are showing our paper to the City Planning Commission and our Community Board, and we hope our research and proposals will be helpful as steps are taken toward appropriate rezoning of the neighborhood. Want more detail? Read our discussion paper (PDF format).

Welcome to New Members! Many thanks to the neighbors who hosted and performed at our first annual membership drive on May 22. It was extremely encouraging to see another packed house, including so many new members. Your support will help us preserve architectural gems, fight for smart zoning laws, and encourage local businesses in our community.

Read Our Newsletter: The spring 2006 edition of our quarterly newsletter, The East Village Tongue, includes the latest updates about our efforts to promote and preserve our community. Read it here.

More on P.S. 64

As most neighbors know, the 100-year-old former high school, which housed the CHARAS/El Bohio community center from the late '70s through the 1990s, was sold by the city to developer Gregg Singer. He is now dangerously close to demolishing all but one facade of the building and replacing it with a 19-story dormitory, with 222 residences and a 45-car underground garage. There is no question that this plan is way out of scale for the neighborhood -- and would bring an intolerable surge of noise and congestion to the community, blocking out light and lowering the quality of life in the park and surrounding streets.

One top priority is to get landmark status for the building. In February 2005, New York state took a step in that direction by determining that P.S. 64 meets eligibility requirements for the roster of historic places. (Read the report from Kathleen Howe of the New York State Preservation Office.) Council Member Margarita Lopez and District Leader Rosie Mendez -- who was elected as our new District 2 Council Member in November 2005 -- have been leading the cause from the start, and they've asked Mayor Bloomberg for his support. If the building becomes a landmark, then the developer's plans for the towering dorm will not be able to proceed. At that point, the neighborhood will work to regain the building from the developer and transform it into a community center -- named after the late founding member of CHARAS/El Bohio, who dedicated decades of his life to promoting the arts and helping the neighborhood at P.S. 64.

Despite the neighborhood's success in slowing down Singer's plans, he is still doing everything possible to proceed. His latest designs, by the firm Beyer Blinder Belle, would use zoning allowances for community facilities to build a much larger building than residential zoning would allow. He has said that he does not intend to get the lease that would normally be required by law before building begins. And even though no university wants to be affiliated with his project, he still insists that he is building a "dorm."

Singer's proposed tower threatens to end the building's impressive history of community service -- first as a school and then as CHARAS/El Bohio, which provided space and services for artists and Latino and African-American community groups. The developer also threatens to destroy the integrity of the 1904 Beaux Arts building, where renown songwriter Yip Harburg (composer of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") once attended school, Spike Lee screened his first student film, and where FDR campaigned for office. Because of the building's importance to the city, our efforts to preserve it have been supported by many community leaders.

More on St. Brigid's Church

In mid-July 2007, parishioners and neighbors won a temporary injunction preventing the Archdiocese from demolishing the church, which was built in 1848 on Avenue B next to Tompkins Square Park. Unfortunately, the Archdiocese continues to move quickly to put the pieces in place to destroy this sacred space. That's why we need to raise money immediately to help save the building "Demolishing St. Brigid's is a frontal assault to the community of the Lower East Side, but in particular, to Latinos who've been faithful to the church," Margarita Lopez has said. "It's a clear abandonment of that community when an archdiocese cares more about making a buck from the sale of property than where people worship."

For info, contact Carolyn Ratcliffe (212-674-4057) or go to the Save St. Brigid site to make a donation.

Volunteers Needed

Now more than ever, we need your support to preserve the Lower East Side community. Here are three ways to help:

If you can give even a small amount of time, please write to us and ask for volunteer information.

If you want to stay informed about future projects, please sign up for the EVCC email list.

If you're able to support our activities, please make a tax-deductible contribution to the East Village Community Coalition. Use the Network for Good's easy, secure system to make an online donation. Or send your check to: EVCC Office, 143 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

EVCC Links!

Voice of the People The Village Voice has done a great job of covering the struggle to preserve P.S. 64 as a landmark, most recently with an in-depth June 13 article and a photo gallery.

An Important Endorsement Just before the Board of Standards and Appeals rejected real estate developer Gregg Singer's request to build a towering dorm that would be unaffiliated with any university, El Diario published an editorial that supported our community's efforts to preserve P.S. 64 and transform it into a cultural center. This is a great help to us, now that Landmarks Preservation Commission is planning to consider the building for landmark status. Read El Diario's editorial.

At our pre-Valentine's Day 2005 rally outside old P.S. 64, community leaders Margarita Lopez and Rosie Mendez -- joined by about 100 demonstrators -- asked Mayor Bloomberg to be a sweetheart by supporting landmark status for the former school so it can be converted into a community center. The Villager provided thorough coverage of the event, and you can get more details on our site.

Valentine's Day rally photo of performance artist Julie Atlas Muz by Clayton Patterson

Curbed, the endlessly entertaining NYC blog about real estate and restaurants, has lambasted Singer's plans for P.S. 64. The site gave a fitting response to Singer's revised designs for the building. Then they capped it off in their 2004 Curbed Awards by naming Singer's project as the #1 reason to long for the days when the East Village was a dangerous drug zone -- his project gives them "Crack Vial Nostalgia."

In case you anyone tells you that the fate of P.S. 64 is just a local issue, check out the Project for Public Spaces site where they named the East Village the second best neighborhood in North America, just after a neighborhood in Vancouver. We know, you always thought Vancouver was second to the East Village. But still... a list like that is yet another incentive to stop Singer's destructive plans -- and return P.S. 64 to the community.

Meanwhile, WBAI's site published the Independent Media Center's summmary of the December 17 community meeting where Margarita Lopez helped residents plan the battle to save P.S. 64. Keep an eye on The Villager, which has done a great job of reporting on community efforts to save our school; recently, they posted coverage of December's Lopez-led City Hall rally. And hey, we must be getting closer to the Mayor's radar -- as Lopez suggested we would -- because The New York Daily News covered the City Hall rally too.

Want more info? See our list of online coverage.

Previous Events and Activities

FACADE STRIPPING CONTINUES The owner of P.S. 64 recently started stripping more detail from the 10th Street facade, because of a previously issued permit. Now that the building is a landmark, the owner is required to keep it weather-tight and structurally sound. If you notice damage -- open or broken windows, trees growing on ledges -- AND if you believe this is leading to the building's disrepair, you have the right to call 311 to make a complaint. If you do so, supply the 311 operator with the correct address (605 East 9th Street) and keep the confirmation number you are given.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD SPEAKS OUT: JULY 31 RALLY Thanks to all of our elected officials from the state and city, and our many neighbors, who joined together for a rally outside P.S. 64 -- where we told the building's owner that the demolition of this historic landmark must end. To stay informed about next steps, join our our email list.

HEARTBREAKING DESTRUCTION, PART 1 On Tuesday, July 25, just one month after the Landmarks Commission unanimously declared P.S. 64 a landmark, the owner began willful demolition of the landmarked facade -- acting on a permit that pre-dates the landmark designation. To get the full impact, see photos, read our July 25 update, or watch video of the demolition.

HEARTBREAKING DESTRUCTION, PART 2 On Thursday, July 27, following the instruction of the Archdiocese, workers swinging crowbars punched a hole in the rear wall of St. Brigid's church and smashed priceless 158-year-old stained-glass windows. The Save St. Brigid's Committee fought for an injunction to curtail further destruction until an August 24 legal meeting. (Important details below.)

June 6 Landmarks Hearing For P.S. 64 Is Front Page News in The Villager: A June issue of The Villager included a giant front-page photo of Andrew Alpern, an architectural consultant representing the owner of P.S. 64. Alpern is holding a photo of the current building with its elegant Beaux Arts facade -- and another rendering of how it would look "scalped" of its ornamentation. One glance at those pictures is enough to help anyone see what the EVCC has been fighting for: To preserve a beautiful, historic structure and keep it from being transformed into an eyesore.

As the cover story reports, Alpern argued that the building should not be given landmark status because the owner has a valid permit that will allow him to remove the ornamentation. A landmark designation "could not withstand scrutiny when made with the knowledge that the owner has the right to complete the work on the permit -- work that would leave the building in a scalped and denuded state." (If you can't imagine the impact of this plan, take a look at the renderings of the damage presented by Alpern at the hearing.)

After pronouncing that P.S. 64 doesn't measure up to other New York schools by architect C.B.J. Snyder, Alpern added that the building is a "poor relative from the other side of the tracks." Later, an East Village resident responded, "While you think this building is denuded and on the wrong side of the tracks, that's exactly why we identify with it." The happy turn of events: On June 21, the Landmarks Commission designated the building as a landmark, saving it from damage. We'll keep you informed about next steps; we hope to work with the building's owner to plan a bright future for the neighborhood's most recent landmark.

Community Leaders Speak Out! Every local elected official wrote to express concern to Gilsanz, Murray, Steficek, LLP, the engineering and architectural firm that provided plans for stripping P.S. 64's facade. Read their letters. (Plus, read the letter from Council Member Rosie Mendez to the New York Sun, stating her strong opposition to stripping the facade.)

The East Village Speaks Out: The May 16 Landmark Preserveration Hearing More than 100 community members and other supporters came to the Landmark Preservation Commission hearing to call for the preservation of P.S. 64. One of the commissioners said it's the most impressive public testimony she's seen in years.

Every locally elected representative spoke in support of landmark designation, including: Our neighborhood's City Council member Rosie Mendez, Speaker Christine Quinn, Council member Deborah Glick, Borough President Scott Stringer, Comptroller Bill Thompson, US Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, Senator Martin Connor, Assembly Member Sylvia Friedman, and Susan Stetzer from Community Board 3. Now that's an impressive list.

Meanwhile, every local historic preservation group -- GVSHP, HDC, MAS, NY Landmark Conservancy, Society for the Architecture of the City -- came to the hearing to support historic designation for P.S. 64. Notable architects Fred Schwartz, Lyn Rice, and Erich Theophile all spoke about the building's significance. Even Robert AM Stern sent a letter of support, and 37 community members spoke, including Marianne Perez, widow of the late Armando Perez.

The Owner, represented by Gregg Singer -- the man who said to us at the hearing, "The building's coming down, say 'bye bye'" -- didn't attempt to contradict the testimony from neighbors and experts. Instead, he requested and was granted a three-week adjournment, until Tuesday, June 6. At that time, the Owner signed an agreement with Landmark Preservation Commission not to do any construction inside or outside the building, including delivering scaffolding until the June 6 hearing.

At the hearing, Singer was carrying plans for his 19-story dormitory proposal, which would demolish the north side of the building. He made efforts to speak with at least one political representative, trying to argue the wisdom of his plan.

Demolition Halted in Early May: New Hope for Old P.S. 64 A near-crisis began in early May when the owner of old P.S. 64 (CHARAS El Bohio) erected a sidewalk shed and was granted a scaffolding permit; previously, he had been granted a demolition permit to strip the historic details from the building -- all of which seemed like a malicious attempt to keep the building from getting landmark designation at a Landmark Preservation Commission meeting on Tuesday, May 16.

After a last-minute call for help, we had an extraordinarily strong showing by neighbors who gathered at the State Supreme Court on Monday, May 8, to request an extension of a stop-work order that could stave off the demolition. Unfortunately, the judge didn't choose to renew the stop-work order. But we were granted a 24-hour extension that would allow us to take the case to Appeals Court the next day. This grim state of affairs suddenly took a positive turn when Appeals Court Judge David Saxe granted our request!

The stop-work order from the Appeals Court was temporary, but it remained in place until the May 16 hearing -- where neighbors spoke up in support of landmark designation for P.S. 64.

May 1 Rally: We Met the Mayor! Our May 1 rally was a major success. Nearly 100 neighbors met on the steps of City Hall to speak out for the preservation of P.S. 64 -- an excellent turn-out for a rally during normal work hours. Mayor Bloomberg stopped by and spoke with us, having seen the "life size" model of old P.S. 64. Importantly, ALL our elected officials (Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Council Member Rosie Mendez, and former Council Member Margarita Lopez) attended and are committed to landmark designation for PS 64.

Appeal Denied: The 9th and 10th Street Associates, represented by Gregg Singer, lost their appeal to the Board of Standards and Appeals on Oct. 18, 2005 regarding the definition of a dormitory. This means they can NOT destroy P.S. 64 and replace it with a giant dorm -- because they lack a long-term lease from a university.

A Great Turnout Many thanks to the standing-room-only crowd that turned out at two hearings to protect our neighborhood. On August 16, 2005 more than 100 neighbors showed up to ask the Board of Standards and Appeals to uphold a ruling by the Department of Buildings that rejected Gregg Singer's plan to replace historic P.S. 64 with a towering "dorm" unaffiliated with a university. Your presence made a difference. The B.S.A. will issue its ruling on October 18 -- we believe that the community turnout will convince them to do the right thing by upholding the ruling against the "dorm." Meanwhile, on August 30, another capacity crowd jammed the Centre Street courthouse to argue against the Catholic church's plan to demolish St. Brigid's Church. The court ruled to stop the demolition for now -- an additional ruling is expected soon, and we hope it will lead to preservation of the building.

The EVCC's KidSlam To celebrate our dreams of creating a community center in P.S. 64, the EVCC sponsored KidSlam, as part of the 2005 Howl! Festival on August 27. Young people in the neighborhood performed in front of a model of the school in our live talent show in Tompkins Square Park. Many of the performers spoke about the neighborhood's great need for community space where they could rehearse and develop their talents. This event -- which was mentioned on Fox TV news, WINS radio, and in various print publications -- helped spread the word about our neighborhood's need for a cultural center.

Save St. Brigid's: Pot Luck Fundraiser On July 26, 2005 we raised hundreds of dollars at a pot luck supper; this will help cover legal costs in our fight to save the 160-year-old church built in 1848 by Irish potato famine refugees next to Tompkins Square Park on Avenue B. Many thanks to everyone in the community who helped with the event.

Permits Denied On October 22 and November 12, 2004, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects filed construction and demolition permit applications for P.S. 64 on behalf of the Mr.Singer. The East Village Community Coalition wrote a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to block the destruction of the building. And, with help from community leaders, those permits were denied. However, Singer came back with new attempts to push through his plans, and the fight is far from over.

October 12, 2004 Town Hall Meeting On October 12, Councilwoman Margarita Lopez chaired a exciting-community building Town Hall meeting to discuss the future of the original P.S. 64/CHARAS building. Assemblyman Steven Sanders spoke, as did Rosey Mendez, Melissa Maldonado (Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez's Community Liaison), Matt Viggiano (representative for State Senator Martin Connor). After the speakers, members of the community were invited to share their ideas for the future of the building. This Town Hall Meeting was the beginning of our community coming together to discuss a mission and vision for this now vacant building.

Fall 2004 Letter Writing Campaign Throughout September and October, The EVCC held a series of letter writing parties urging Mayor Bloomberg and city and state leaders to landmark preserve and return the original P.S. 64/CHARAS building to the community. Over 400 letters and postcards were written at the events.

P.S. 64 Centennial Celebration In June of 2004, EVCC gathered around the boarded up P.S. 64 to celebrate its 100th birthday. Ground breaking for P.S. 64 was June 12, 1904. We had all the works; birthday cake, candles, and party hats. We all sang Happy Birthday and wished for another 100 years.

Mayor Mike SOS Postcards In a two day effort last in Tompkins Square Park last June over 2,000 postcards were signed and. Thank you to all who helped man the tables and to those who came and wrote a personal note to Mayor Bloomberg. The postcards are being sent in groups of one hundred every day to keep a steady influx arriving at the Mayor's office. EVCC has applied for a permit from the NYC Parks and Recreation requesting to have tables in the park so that we can continue our presence, gather signatures and spread awareness.

Lobbying the National Development Council In May 2004, we wrote an open letter to the NDS, asking them to put in writing their opposition to the plans for developing P.S. 64 - CHARAS/El Bohio.

Landmarks Meeting A group from the EVCC met with the landmarks commission including its chair Robert Tierney. Here we presented a short film that documents the history of PS 64 including its architectural, social, cultural and historic significance. The meeting was viewed as positive, and the Commission stated that they will need the next couple of weeks to clear its calendar of pressing business, and thereafter will review the case of P.S. 64.

Street Fair The EVCC co-sponsored the HOWL! Festival's East 9th Street Fair on Saturday August 21 to connect Tompkins Square Park with the Viva CHARAS program in La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez garden. In preparation for co-Sponsoring the HOWL! event, EVCC hosted an awareness/fundraiser on July 29th.