A Queens Supreme Court judge issued a a temporary restraining order against the DOT, halting the
city DOT’s plan to convert Flushing’s Main Street corridor into a busway. File photo
TIMESLEDGER |2 QNS.COM | NOV. 20-NOV. 26, 2020
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The Restoration and Adaptive
Reuse of Building 207 in
Bayside’s Fort Totten Park
has been named one of this
year’s Excellence in Historic
Preservation award winners
by the Preservation League of
New York State.
Since 1984, the Preservation
League’s statewide
awards program has highlighted
projects, organizations,
publications and individuals
that exemplify best
practices in historic preservation.
The organization recognizes
the people who are using
historic preservation to build
stronger neighborhoods, create
local jobs, provide affordable
housing and save places
that are special to the public.
This year’s nominations
were particularly strong – so
much so that the jury was
compelled to award nine projects
instead of the usual eight.
“Bringing this abandoned
building back to life involved
a remarkable public-private
partnership, involving several
city and state agencies, guided
by the Parks Department
staff,” said Jay DiLorenzo,
president of the Preservation
League. “The Center for the
Women of New York and Page
Ayres Cowley Architects were
wonderful stewards to bring
this site back to active use.”
Building 207 was built in
1905. It is one of 80 purposebuilt
structures to house officers
and soldiers, and one
of over 100 buildings located
within the 136-acre historic
district Fort Totten Park in
Bayside.
The building had been
vacant since 1969, before the
Center for the Women of New
York negotiated with the NYC
Parks Department to turn it
into their new headquarters
in 2002.
Page Ayres Cowley Architecture
LLC, the firm that led
the restoration work, did a
remarkable job adapting this
site for modern, everyday
use. Original details including
fireplaces, built-in bookcases,
pocket doors and tin
ceilings were restored, while
modern modifications made
the building ADA-accessible.
“We typically research a
building’s history to determine
the extent of building
and detail loss by seeking
out earlier photographs. For
this project, we knew this
building was special when
we found a postcard with a
woman on horseback riding
in front of the newly built Officer’s
Quarters,” said Page
Cowley, principal of Page
Ayres Cowley Architecture.
“What is equally rewarding is
the extent of professionalism,
teamwork and public support
to bring this building back to
its original appearance.”
The restoration and adaptive
reuse of Building 207 was
funded in part by the New
York State Legislature, the
Queens borough president’s
office and the New York City
Council.
The nine projects honored
this year are strikingly
different, but one thing that
links them all is the connection
they have to their respective
communities, the League
said.
“It reminds us that preservation
is about people as
much as it is about buildings.
Good preservation takes care
of our built environment, but
it also takes care of our cities,
towns and neighbors,” the
League said.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The city Department of
Transportation’s plan to convert
Flushing’s Main Street
corridor into a busway has
been halted by a Queens Supreme
Court judge after critics
of the busway filed a lawsuit.
Judge Kevin Kerrigan issued
a temporary restraining
order against the DOT, blocking
the installation of signage
or any markings until a decision
is made on whether the
project can move forward.
The DOT began work on
the Main Street busway on
Nov. 10, painting new bike lane
markings on Sanford Avenue
between Kissena Boulevard
and Main Street.
The plan has been met with
opposition from local business
leaders, who said that the
majority of shoppers visiting
the bustling district are motorists.
They fear the busway
could lead to a decline in revenue
and shoppers, severely
impacting businesses.
Peter Tu, of the Flushing
Chinese Business Association,
said after trying to negotiate
with the DOT, there was
no choice but to file a lawsuit
against the city.
“I really tried. I don’t want
to challenge an agency of the
city, but I had to challenge the
DOT here in Queens because
they don’t want to listen to
the people,” Tu said. “I’ve had
business owners call me every
day, saying they would lose a
lot of money and they have to
pay their rent. Small businesses
cannot survive if this plan
moves forward.”
The city’s plan includes
adding a busway to a 0.3-mile
northbound stretch of Main
Street, where it meets the terminus
of the 7 train.
The street features bus
and truck priority treatments
in the southbound direction
that have resulted in a 23 percent
increase in bus speeds
between 2017 and 2018, according
to City Hall. The street features
bus and truck priority
treatments in the southbound
direction that have resulted
in a 23 percent increase in bus
speeds between 2017 and 2018,
according to City Hall.
In response to today’s court
injunction, transportation
advocates of the plan said the
needs of more than 100,000
daily bus riders are being held
up by spurious legal actions
filed by a small group of wellresourced
opponents.
“Today’s temporary restraining
order stands in the
way of a 23 percent increase in
bus speeds that would benefit
155,000 weekday bus riders on
Main Street,” the advocates
said in a statement. “This
delay in basic and necessary
transit improvements is hurting
many low-income New
Yorkers who rely on several
bus routes running through
downtown Flushing.”
The group said that the
Main Street busway will connect
riders with six hospitals
and over 3,400 essential worksites
like pharmacies, grocery
stores and delivery services.
“Delaying the busway
means delaying the daily commutes
of essential workers
who risked their health to keep
New York City running during
the first shutdown,” the group
said. “As New York City stares
down a second wave of coronavirus
infections and potential
lockdowns, slowing down this
project puts essential workers
at risk.”
A court date is set for Dec.
21 for Judge Kerrigan to hear
the arguments and issue a final
decision on whether the
project can proceed, according
to Tu.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Courtesy of the Preservation League of NYS
Fort Totten Park building
receives excellence award
Judge temporarily blocks
Flushing busway plan
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2020. All rights reserved. The newspaper will
not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Bayside Times C/O Queens CNG
LLC. 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361.
/QNS.COM
link
link
/schnepsmedia.com
