Pg. 26-28 120414 (BW)

RT12042014

Commission To Purge Decades-Old Local Landmark Applications Two historic structures in Long Island City—the Pepsi-Cola sign in Hunters Point (above) and the Old Calvary Cemetery Gatehouse in Blissville (at right)—were proposed as landmarks to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission decades ago. However, the LPC announced the applications for the two sites—and 964 others across the five boroughs—would likely be dismissed during the commission’s next meeting on Dec. 9. for a public hearing or discussion. The buildings considered for this action were placed on the commission’s calendar, public hearings were held and they currently remain inactive.” Local preservationists such as Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, were furious with the LPC’s impending decision. “This is terrible public policy, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure that they change their plans,” Bankoff told the Times Newsweekly in a phone interview Monday. “The LPC basically voted to place the landmarks into consideration, and now they’re just shrugging their shoulders. ... They should be bringing forward each site, explaining why or why not it merits consideration and then vote yes or no.” “This is not rocket science,” Bankoff added. “It’s fairly clear, easy-to-understand policy rather than just wiping the slate clean of 96 properties.” Designed by the Helme and Huberty architectural firm, St. Barbara’s Church opened at the corner of Central Avenue and Bleecker Street in 1910. According to the HDC, the church was named for Barbara Epping, wife of local brewer Leopold Epping; Catholic tradition recognizes St. Barbara as the patron saint of armourers, architects, artillerymen, firemen, mathematicians and prisoners. Constructed in Spanish Baroque style, St. Barbara’s Church features twin, 175’-tall cream-colored spires, carvings, fresco paintings and 25 stained glass windows. Originally built to serve German settlers in the Bushwick area, the church presently accommodates a predominantly Hispanic congregation. Bankoff noted the LPC first calendared St. Barbara Church’s landmark application in 1980, but the church was included on the commission’s original proposed landmark list created in the 1960s. “The fact is that, for reasons I’m not familiar with, the LPC declined to act” on the application in the last 34 years, Bankoff said. “That doesn’t mean it’s not a great building worthy of landmark consideration.” Long Island City’s Pepsi-Cola sign was originally erected in 1936 atop the Pepsi bottling plant in the neighborhood’s Hunters Point section. Measuring 146’- long and colored in the trademark’s red, white and blue, the sign was moved off the plant’s rooftop after the building was sold in 1999; the plant was later demolished. The Pepsi-Cola sign now sits along the water’s edge near apartment houses in the rapidlydeveloping Long Island City waterfront, clearly visible to those crossing the East River bridges or standing from the midtown Manhattan side of the river. The LPC received and calendared the Pepsi-Cola’s landmark application in 1988, but for unknown reasons, the movement to have the sign preservedwent flat, Bankoff noted. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Ben Carson News & Opinion be emphasizing education, which is the great divide between the haves and the have-nots in America. A well-educated individual in America today can usually write their own ticket, regardless of ethnicity or financial status at birth. Perhaps it would be useful to highlight the fact that the average American lives to be about 80 years of age. The first 20 to 25 years are spent either preparing oneself through education or not preparing. If you prepare appropriately, you have 55 to 60 years to reap the benefits. If you fail to prepare, you have 55 to 60 years to suffer the consequences. This is not to say that every component of our society should not be involved in trying to produce good outcomes for all of our young people. But we need to emphasize that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you.We must resist the victim mentality that is peddled by so many agitators and manipulators. If you believe you are a victim, you are, and you begin to act like a victim. This renders you an easy target for manipulation—even the kind that produces completely irrational and self-injurious behavior. Is there racism and unfairness in our society? Of course there is, and it will persist as long as there are people with small, selfish minds. I believe it would be wise to encourage our people to focus on the numerous opportunities available to them rather than on the bigotry that exists. As a youngster, I grew up with a mother who said, “If you walk into an auditorium full of racist, bigoted people, you don’t have a problem; they have a problem. Because they will all cringe and wonder if you’re going to sit next to them; whereas you can sit anywhere you want.” In other words, don’t let your life be ruined by being sucked into the pathological state of someone else. We have too many important problems to solve in America today to allow ourselves to be consumed by actual or perceived injustices perpetrated by others. We can solve many of those problems by keeping an open mind and considering things from the viewpoints of others. This can lead to constructive conversations about ways to heal the many rifts in our society. One would have to be blind not to be able to see that we have become more divided on issues of race, gender, age, economic status and religion. What happened in Ferguson is a manifestation of that division. It is not a declaration of what our society has become or a harbinger of our future. Ben S. Carson is professor emeritus of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and author of the new book “One Nation: What We Can All Do To Save America’s Future” (Sentinel). -CONTINUED FROM PG. 4- www.timesnewsweekly.com Arrest Made In Sunnyside Mugging and the unidentified mugger allegedly approached him. According to law enforcement sources, the two suspects punched the elderly man in the face, then removed from him $100 in cash and his ATM card. The perpetrators reportedly fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. Members of the 108th Precinct responded to the incident. The victim suffered minor injuries but was not hospitalized. The crime spurred an outcry from local residents and civic activists. Days after the incident, City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and Deputy Inspector Brian Hennessy, then the 108th Precinct commanding officer, appeared outside the bank to call for the public’s help in finding the suspects. Based on information obtained during its investigation, the 108th Precinct Detective Squad tracked down Fullwood on Tuesday and booked him second-degree robbery charges. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the other robbery suspect is asked to call the 108th Precinct Detective Squad at 1-718-784-5441 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577- TIPS; all calls will be kept confidential. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 6- TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 • 26 SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS MEANS MORE THAN WAVING FLAGS. HHeellpp RReettuurrnniinngg SSoollddiieerrss BByy DDoonnaattiinngg TToo VVeetteerraannss OOrrggaanniizzaattiioonnss..


RT12042014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above