Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation Community Centers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Preservation groups call on city to use $52 million for restoration, not demolition, at Tony D'Apellito Recreation Center
Summary
Village Preservation urged the city to redirect $52 million proposed for demolishing the Tony D'Apellito Recreation Center toward reconstruction and modernization, and planned a rally for June 1 to press city leaders to preserve the building.
Village Preservation and allied organizations told Manhattan Community Board 2 that the city should use an announced $52 million cleanup allocation for restoration of the Tony D’Apellito Recreation Center rather than demolish the building.
Andrew Berman, representing Village Preservation, said the group has documented the building’s condition and is confident it can be repaired and modernized. "It is 100% clear the center can be restored, modernized, and brought up to code," Berman said, adding that demolition would reward years of deferred maintenance.
Berman said the group moved from the conclusion that the city previously claimed it lacked funds for repair to criticizing what he described as the mayor’s decision to allocate $52,000,000 for demolition. He asked the city and the City Council to use the funds for restoration and to provide any extra funding needed through the budget process.
Village Preservation planned a rally for Sunday, June 1 at 2 p.m. to press the mayor and the City Council to redirect the funds and to raise public attention to the preservation case. Berman invited board members and residents to the demonstration.
The group argued the center has served the neighborhood for more than a century and that demolition would set a precedent they warned would endanger other community institutions.
