We went, we tweeted, we went home and posted this while warming up a nice packaged Fresh Direct meal. Yes, we’re living the dream here at BHB. But there were other “reporters” at the group’s annual confab and here are 5 key points or, as we believe is the vernacular, “takeaways”:
1) Judy Stanton is Awesome:
“No one can replace Judy Stanton,” said the group’s president, Alexandra Bowie, as she presented Stanton with a commemorative trophy. “She has an encyclopedic knowledge of our organization and the determined energy to get things done.” (Brooklyn Paper)
Shout out to Judy Stanton – Heights Hero Neil Calet gives her flowers! #bhbbha pic.twitter.com/vWr0rIGOsC
— brooklynheightsblog (@bkheightsblog) February 25, 2015
And Tom Stewart (who, btw, has still never given us a channel 13 totebag) was verklempt:
Noting that Stanton was listed as one of the “50 most influential people who have shaped Brooklyn neighborhoods” by Brownstoner.com, called “the godmother of P.S. 8” by Principal Seth Phillips and named “the mayor of Brooklyn Heights” by former borough president Marty Markowitz, Stewart had tears in his eyes as he presented Stanton with a special engraved vase honoring her service. (Brooklyn Eagle)
2. Not for Nothin’ But Those Pier 6 Towers Are Not a Great Idea
Bowie lauded Brooklyn Bridge Park, and said BHA has always recognized the necessity of housing there. “But we have always argued that only housing necessary to support the park should be built. At this moment, we are not convinced that housing is needed on Pier 6.
“Mayor de Blasio, Pier 6 is one of those places where skyscrapers do not belong,” she said. (Brooklyn Eagle)
3. Oh and the Pierhouse Ain’t So Great Either
BHA believes the buildings going up at Pier 1 are “larger than they should be, and that their height contravenes agreements that were made in the community many years ago.” (Brooklyn Eagle)
4. Say What You Will About Michael D.D. White and Citizens Defending Libraries, but Brother Has a PointMichael D. D. White, co-founder of Citizens Defending Libraries, questioned what he called BHA’s “highly suspicious” and rapid support of the decision to redevelop the Brooklyn Heights Library branch.
“What will it take for you to reconsider your support to sell and shrink the library?” he asked.
“I will take that up with our library committee, which is how we operate, and if the library committee feels that it wants to revisit the question, then I will take it to the full board,” Bowie said. (Brooklyn Eagle)
5. We Want to Hang Out with Justin Davidson, Like David Blaine, His Magic is Real
To see what preservationists have achieved, “just look around,” he said. There is “a deep and widespread acknowledgement that the new city is intertwined with the old one. On a philosophical level, preservationists have won.”
Justin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostJustin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostBut preservation can sometimes “denature” a neighborhood, he warned. “If you turn a working class district into a historic district, it is unlikely to remain working class. You cannot preserve a living thing.” (Brooklyn Eagle)
yeah but did Moses do this? #bhbbha pic.twitter.com/NhtchFh5xb
— brooklynheightsblog (@bkheightsblog) February 25, 2015
Michael D. D. White, co-founder of Citizens Defending Libraries, questioned what he called BHA’s “highly suspicious” and rapid support of the decision to redevelop the Brooklyn Heights Library branch.
“What will it take for you to reconsider your support to sell and shrink the library?” he asked.
“I will take that up with our library committee, which is how we operate, and if the library committee feels that it wants to revisit the question, then I will take it to the full board,” Bowie said. (Brooklyn Eagle)
To see what preservationists have achieved, “just look around,” he said. There is “a deep and widespread acknowledgement that the new city is intertwined with the old one. On a philosophical level, preservationists have won.”
Justin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostJustin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostBut preservation can sometimes “denature” a neighborhood, he warned. “If you turn a working class district into a historic district, it is unlikely to remain working class. You cannot preserve a living thing.” (Brooklyn Eagle)
yeah but did Moses do this? #bhbbha pic.twitter.com/NhtchFh5xb
— brooklynheightsblog (@bkheightsblog) February 25, 2015
Bonus: Claude Might Be a Hippie
Claude Scales, a reporter with the Brooklyn Heights Blog, asked Davidson if there would ever again be a true Bohemian neighborhood in New York City, as Greenwich Village once was.
Davidson theorized that Bohemias of the future might be dispersed “mini-Bohemias” – sometimes as big as one apartment. He also opined that the dispersal of young people to other cities like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Boise and Salt Lake City “is a really good thing.” (Brooklyn Eagle)
