A little more...

Is it ok to tear down buildings at the historic core of an old neighborhood? If so, what are the criteria we should use to determine which ones are fair game? Is the fact that this neighborhood has a working class history relevant? Why are the buildings on 5th Avenue being preserved? Surely, that avenue is well-traveled. Surely a shopping mall on, say, 86th and 5th would be profitable. Oh, yes, but that’s where the developers live. How about tearing down a section of the main street in Martha’s Vineyard? What about East Hampton? Do you see what I’m saying. Yorkville’s old buildings are considered fair game because Yorkville was a working class German, Irish, Hungarian, etc. neighborhood. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, it was seen by the wealthy elites as convenient because the laborers were near enough to the homes in which they worked. Now, they see it as a place to build tall buildings in which to house the junior associates of their massive firms. They do not see its history as worthy or important enough to preserve. And, the NYC landmarks and preservation commission and local land boards don’t have the integrity to stand up for this neighborhood. Because of these facts, when wealthy developers proposed to tear down two major sections of Yorkville’s historic core, there was no official opposition. That said, most people who know and love this charming old neighborhood were saddened and outraged. It’s now time to take a step back and decide whether we want to allow the rest of our neighborhood and our city to be torn down this way or whether we want to fight and preserve our history and our culture.