Victorian Society of America Letter for St. Michael's

METROPOLITAN CHAPTER OFTHE VICTORIAN SOCIETY IN AMERICA

March18,2008TestimonyoftheMetropolitanChapteroftheVictorianSocietyinAmerica

RegardingtheDesignationofSt.Michael'sChurch,ParishHouse,andRectory

201-227W. 99thStreet

Goodmorning,Commissioners.I amHildaRegier,firstvicepresidentof theMetropolitanChapterofthe VictorianSocietyinAmerica.I ampleasedto testifytodayinsupportof thedesignationofthe S1.Michael'sChurch,ParishHouse,andRectory.

FoundedinNew York City in 1966,theVictorianSocietyinAmericais dedicatedtofosteringtheappreciationandpreservationof ournineteenth-centuryheritageaswellasthatof theearlytwentiethcentury(1837-1917).TheMetropolitanChapter,oldestofnumerouschaptersnowflourishingthroughoutthecountry,isanh'1dependentorganizationaffiliatedwiththenationalsociety.

DesignedbyRobertGibsonin 1890-91,St.Michael'sChurchis oneof New York City'sfinestVictorianchurches.Thechurch'sexquisitelyexecutedRomanesqueRevivalstylewascalled"aradicaldeparturefromtheGothicarchitectureof themajorityof thecity'ssacrededifices"bytheNewYorkTimesatthetimeof itsconstruction.Its rockfacelimestoneblocksaremirroredinthechurch'saccessorybuildings,includingtheparishhouse,designedbyF. CharlesMerryin 1896-97,andtherectory,designedbyGibsonin1912-13.At 160-feettall,S1.Michael'stowerhaslongservedasa focalpointin thissectionofthe UpperWestSide. Althoughnevercompleted,theinteriorofthe churchfeatureswonderfulwindowsandmosaicsbyLouis ComfortTiffany'scompany.

NearlythirtyyearsaftertheLPC firstconsideredit for designation,thetimehascomeforthespecialarchitecturalcharacterofthe St.Michael'sChurchcomplexto beofficiallyrecognizedandprotectedbytheLandmarksLaw. TheMetropolitanChapterurgestheCommissionto voteto designateSt.Michael'swithoutdelay.

Thankyouforyourattention.

LANDMARK EST!THE COMMITTEE TO PRESERVETHE UPPER WEST SIDE

Landmarks PreservationCommissionPublic HearingOn ProposedDesignationof

St. Michael's Church, Parish HouseandRectory201-255West99thStreet

(aka800-812AmsterdamAvenueand227West99thStreet)March 18,2008

It givesusgreatpleasuretobeheretodaytotestifYemphaticallyin favorof officiallydesignatingSt.Michael'sChurch,ParishHouseandRectoryasaLandmark,atlonglast.

Twenty-eightyearshavepassedsinceSt.Michael'swasfirstheardfor potentiallandmarkdesignation(in 1980).LANDMARK WEST! includedSt.Michael'sonitsWishList of prioritydesignationsnearly25yearsago-a longtime,toolong,for anybuildingtohangin limbo,itsvalueandsignificanceknownbutitsfutureunsecured.

And yetthereis tremendousurgencytoprotectthisbuildingnow.

Firstof all, 8t.Michael'sis withoutquestiononeof New York's mostremarkablearchitecturalensembles.This gleaming-whitelimestonechurch,with itscommandingcomertower,redterra-cottatileroofandRomanesque-archedwindowsby LouisComfortTiffany,togetherwithitsadjacentparishhouseandrectory,is alreadya"landmark"ontheAmsterdamAvenueskyline.And thearchitectof St.Michael's,RobertW. Gibson,isjustlycelebratedforotherlandmarkshedesigned,includingWestEndCollegiateChurchandSchool(WestEndAvenueat77thStreet).

Withoutdiminishingthespecialsignificanceof St.Michael's,onecanalsocompareit toWest-ParkPresbyterianChurchat86thStreetandAmsterdamAvenueand,afewblocksfurthersouth,Holy Trinity Churchat82ndStreetnearAmsterdamandFirstBaptistChurchat79thStreetandBroadway(eachwasleftoutof theUpperWestSide/CentralParkWestHistoricDistrictwhenit wasdesignatedin 1990in responsetoownerobjections).Or,evenfartherafield,St.ThomastheApostleChurchin Harlem. All arebeaconsin theircommunities,anchoringprominentsitesandestablishinga senseofplace,timeandscalefor thesurroundingneighborhood.All physicallyembodythedreamsandaspirationsof theirfounders,whooftenmadepersonalsacrificesin ordertocreateapublicmonumentto faith,beautyandcommunity.Eachoffersauniquewindowintothehistoryof ourcityandtheculturalmemoryof itspeople.

Thecaretakersof 8t.Michael'shavekeptvigilantwatchoverthisbeaconandlovinglypreservedit. Landmarkdesignationis animportantvalidationof theirlaborsandacrucialtoolfor safeguardingtheirinvestmentforgenerationstocome.

Theirinvestmentandours. After all,thepublicassumesanextrataxburdensothatreligiousinstitutionsmayfreelypursuetheirgoodworks. Whenacongregationmaintainsandpreservesitsbuilding,it honorsitssocialcontractwiththecommunity.And becauselandmarkdesignationis akeymechanismformakingsurethatpromisesofpreservationandsensitiveimprovementareactuallykept,theLandmarksPreservationCommissionhasa specialresponsibilityto identifyandprotecthistorichousesofworship.

Unfortunately,theCommissionhastoooftenassumeda"handsoff' approach,leavingthesesitesvulnerableto insensitivedevelopmentthatnotonlydestroysthestructureitself,butdiminishescommunitycharacterand,frequently,weakensthecongregation.All of thesitespreviouslymentioned-plusmany,manyothersin all fiveboroughs-arein immediatejeopardyasadirectresultof theCommission'sfailureto live upto itsmandateandindeeditsprovenpotentialasanagentforrevitalization.

In acompellinglist of successstories,landmarkdesignationis partof theformulaforsustainingthevitalityof religioussites-Eldridge StreetSynagogueontheLowerEastSide,St.Bartholomew'sonParkAvenue,theFirstandSecondChurchesof ChristScientistonCentralParkWest. In howmanycasesdoesthereplacementof areligiousinstitutionwitharesidentialhigh-riseorofficebuildingensureacongregation'ssurvivalorotherwisecontributetotheculturallife of acommunity?Nameoneexample.

WeurgetheCommissionto designateSt.Michael'sChurch,ParishHouseandRectory,thusreleasingit from28yearsoflandmarkspurgatory.We alsourgetheCommissiontostepupto its importantrolein endingthetear-downtrendthatrobsneighborhoodsof ourhistorichousesof worship.

PAGE AYRES COWLEY ARCHITECTS, LLC636 Broadway,New York, New York 10012 T. 212.673.6910 F. 2/2.673.6869

18March 2008

CommissionerRobertTierneyChair

New York City LandmarksPreservationCommission1CentreStreetNew York, NY 10007

Re: Letterin supportfor thedesignationof St.Michael's Church

DearCommissionerTierney,

No importantdecisionis madequickly, andwhile St.Michael's mayhavetakenthelong roadtodesignation,this daycomesatjust theright timeto demonstratethepositivemotivesfor historicpreservation.

Thereneedsto be a distinctionbetweenthemuseumpreservationof buildings "frozen in time" andenlightenedconservationthatencouragesa forwardlooking activity,namelystewardship.This designationrepresentsmanyof thegoodreasonswhy churches,alongwith otherbuilding types,shouldbepreserved:

Churchesareusefulresourcescapableof servinga modernpurpose.A goodbuilding canlasta long timeandwith extendedmaintenance,almostindefinitely.They areassociatedwith ritualsof religionandpower(temples,churchesandmemorials)expressprideandculturalachievement.They arecelebratory,essentiallyworksof artandtheproductof a distinctiveandcreativeminds,with exemplarystonecarving,stainedglass,etc.They remindus of associations- thebirth,marriagesanddeathsof neighbors.Buildings areaestheticallypleasingandpicturesqueandaddto thecharacterandsenseof placetoa neighborhood.

St.Michael's pastoralstaff, their congregationandall of theprofessionalswho haveworkedhardtopreservethis importantchurchareto be congratulated.

"Whatevergood in its kinde ought to be preservv'din respectfor antiquity, as well as ourpresentadvantage... " Nicholas Hawksmoor, 17February1715

"Preservationpresentsan unparalleledopportunityto correctsomesenseof alienationwhichis so characteristicof modernsociety. It affordstheopportunityfor citizensto regaina senseof identitywith their own origins of which they have been robbedby the sheerprocessofurbanization." JamesMarston Fitch, 1990

I hopethatthis designationcanserveasanexampleof why preservationof religious buildings is soimportantin a timeof greatchangeanddevelopmentin this city.

Sincerelyyours,

PageAyres Cowley, FAlA, RIBA

WOMEN'SCITYCLUBof

New

Yorl~

SHAPING PUBLIC POLICYMarch 14, 2008

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PrcsidentI.(nd,13.Aclwr

Hon. RobertTierney, ChairNYC LandmarksPreservationCommission

One Centre Street, 9th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10007

VicePrcsiclents8haron Yalzata

Barbara ZuclwrDear ChairmanTierney:

1J~easurerJoan Fahio

SecretariesJoan GarIonl

l"Iarisil 11agau

The Women's City Club of New York urges the LandmarksCommissiontodesignateSt. Michael'sEpiscopalChurch, Parish House and Rectoryas a

New York City Landmark. As you know, the Women's City Club of NewYork; founded in 1915,is a nonprofit, nonpartisanorganizationthatshapes public policythrough education,advocacyand citizenparticipation.

Please act now.

Co-Chairs, WCC Arts & LandmarksCommittee

Cc: Hon. MelissaMark-Viverito,Memberof the New York City CouncilKate Wood, LandmarkWest!

Annette Rosen

After a twenty-eightyear wait, the unique qualitiesof this group of relatedbuildingsin RomanesqueRevivalstyle deservesthe recognitionandprotectionthat designationwill provide.

Indeed, we hope that the designationof St Michael'swill begin a series ofdesignationsof the numeroushistorichouses of worship whosearchitecturaland culturalsignificanceto communitiesthroughout the citymakethem worthy of that recognition.The rapid pace of developmentischangingthe landscapeof all the boroughs.We cannot afford to wait anylonger to offer protectionto these remarkablebuildings,the like of whichwill never be built again.

Sincerely,

lctu(Q.tLVd'-V\'jLaura Ludwig

Co-CounselEleanor J acIz5011Picl, J~5q.

Helen D. Reavis, Esq.

Honorar)'Dh'cctors811sil11Alt

GolJic R. DUlnpsonAcleleB. FilcncErlytl,e\\~First

MargaretB. HowanlNora La:voti

Bland", J~.Lawton

Eliza],etl, Lul,clbn LiptonPhyllis L115sJzi11Ethel S. Paler

DirectorsIIelell Al'Ollstein

A11netteChooHaianJane Creel

EIS"ic DialnollllNancyE Francis

JOilll Freilid,Doris I-lirsdll\1