“Power To The People” To Nominate Local Landmarks

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Forest Hills & Rego Park Face A Landmarking Deficit

By Michael Perlman | mperlman@queensledger.com

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it is timely for residents among preservationists at large to express their love for not only one another, but in the form of civic pride by nominating cherished historic and distinctive buildings to establish landmark designations. Love should be in the air year-round.

Neighborhoods lose their beauty, originality, and architectural, historical, and cultural significance, and ultimately their identity as properties of interest are largely modified or demolished. Therefore, the public bears the power by law to drum up major support, so the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) can designate such properties and districts for current and future generations to appreciate individually and collectively.

Preservation-worthy sites may include theaters, places of worship, residential buildings and houses, commercial properties, and a tree or a sculpture. Distinctive local styles include Tudor, Gothic, Neo-Renaissance, Colonial, Georgian Colonial, Art Deco/Moderne, International style, and Mid-Century Modern, which enhance the quality of life for citywide residents and tourists.

In 1963, mass protests were underway to denounce the planned demolition of Manhattan’s classic Pennsylvania Station, a Beaux Arts gem by McKim, Mead & White, completed in 1911, but pleas fell upon deaf ears. Shortly after, a masterpiece was fed to the landfill, and then on April 19, 1965, the Landmarks Law became a reality, after Mayor Robert F. Wagner, signed the bill into a law. This was a model of a citizen-driven government, where residents hoped this unique achievement would prevent future travesties, whether small or large.

Rego-Forest Preservation Council, founded in 2006 by this columnist, advocates for landmark status in Rego Park, Forest Hills, and nearby communities, and documents local history. The public can play a role in the establishment of official landmarks by researching, photographing, and nominating properties of their choice by downloading and completing a Request For Evaluation form (RFE) on the LPC website. It can be mailed to the LPC at 1 Centre Street, 9^th Floor North, New York, NY 10007 or via email at RFE@lpc.nyc.gov.

Individual Landmarks (facades), Interior Landmarks, and Scenic Landmarks can be proposed by downloading an RFE through https://www.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/forms/RFE_form_20160720.pdf

Historic Districts can be proposed by including research for properties within selected boundary lines on a map by completing another variation of an RFE: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/forms/RFE_form_HD_20160720.pdf

Rego Park, which is often overlooked by the city, was appointed by the Historic Districts Council as a “Six To Celebrate” community in 2020 based on its architecture and history. Among the advocacy goals is to achieve landmark designations and publish a booklet featuring historic and landmark-worthy buildings; the latter goal which has been fulfilled. Forest Hills including Forest Close was a “Six To Celebrate” community in 2014, and also has a booklet available.

Current Forest Hills Individual Landmark designations are Remsen Cemetery (designated 1981), Ridgewood Savings Bank (designated 2000), and Engine 305 & Ladder 151 (designated 2012), but Rego Park has no official landmarks or Historic Districts yet. Outside of Forest Hills Gardens, buildings on the State & National Register of Historic Places include Rego Park Jewish Center and the Forest Hills Post Office, an official program under the State Historic Preservation Office which commemorates properties and also increases the likelihood of obtaining funds for historically-sensitive upgrades and restoration. However, only NYC landmark status can currently prevent demolition.

Despite Forest Hills originating in 1906 and Rego Park’s founding in 1923, and both communities having mostly intact historic buildings, they fall far behind in city landmark designations in comparison to other citywide communities, especially in Manhattan. In 2008, Rego-Forest Preservation Council filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to access the LPC’s archives. It was determined that an overwhelming majority of public landmarking nominations for Individual Landmarks either remained stagnant in their files for a 20-year period, or were rejected with form letter excuses such as “altered beyond recognition” or “doesn’t meet the criteria for designation.” Many of those buildings have minimal alterations, but are most often designated in a greater altered state in Manhattan. It was also determined that the LPC employed its staff and invested its resources to publish a comprehensive survey of potential landmarks and districts titled “CB 6 January 1990 Survey,” but as the decades passed, the hundreds of pages were ignored and properties at large were not calendared for a public hearing, and ultimately not designated.

As time has proven, a property that is ignored or rejected by an LPC Director of Research and staff members during one mayoral administration has been reconsidered for landmarking when re-nominated by the public after the faces behind the Commission changed. Examples include Jamaica High School and the Jamaica branch of Jamaica Savings Bank.

Fast forwarding to 2025, one may question why the Landmarks Law, which would ideally spare historic buildings proactively from the wrecking ball through obtaining landmark designations, is performing on the contrary. The law falls short when the faces behind the LPC do not apply it equally or largely between boroughs, building types, and styles, and on the basis of somewhat altered versus intact conditions. Forest Hills and Rego Park are losing landmark-worthy sites due to demolition and major alterations more often than one may think. On a larger scale, it can be attributed to the lack of local properties that are calendared for public hearings and designated, as evident through the LPC’s public hearing records retrieved online.

A case in point exists in Forest Hills’ Cord Meyer section, which represents lost potential landmarks. It was once the site of many more mostly intact Tudor and Colonial residences from the early 20^th century to 1940s, sometimes designed by a well-respected architect along with a notable builder. Some may have been home to an influential individual, granting additional merit for landmark designation. Due to the LPC’s lack of intervention, many properties were replaced with McMansions and concrete lawns, but some original examples are now in the hands of the public to nominate for landmarking and maintain a community initiative.

Another example of major losses despite public nominations and petitions include the 1939 World’s Fair-inspired Art Deco Trylon Theatre, the Federal style Tower Diner bank building, and Parkside Chapel, which was recognized by the American Institute of Architects. Another example is the demolition of several of Forest Hills’ first developed properties consisting of Cord Meyer’s Neo-Renaissance rowhouses on 72^nd Avenue (Roman Avenue) between Austin Street and Queens Boulevard, which reflect the name change from Whitepot to Forest Hills in 1906. Locally, some buildings earned 1^st prize bronze plaques for their architectural and civic value by the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and have yet to be considered for landmarking.

The public attests that the LPC needs to establish a more transparent community-driven landmarking process with a clearer written criterion for designation on their website. This would coincide with the provisions of the Landmarks Law and their mission statement; both of which state that a landmark must be at least 30 years old, and exhibit architectural and/or cultural significance. Each community has its cornerstones, and the failure to designate in those communities represents an unequal representation.

The LPC is an agency consisting of a panel of 11 commissioners that are appointed by the mayor and supported by a staff of approximately 80 preservationists, researchers, architects, historians, attorneys, archaeologists, and administrative employees, according to their website. New York City’s five boroughs offer greater than 38,000 landmarked properties, where the majority are situated within 157 historic districts and historic district extensions. The total quantity of properties also consists of 1,464 individual landmarks, 123 interior landmarks, and 12 scenic landmarks.

The Chair is Sarah Carroll and the Vice Chair is Frederick Bland. The new Director of Research is Margaret Herman, an architectural historian who previously served as Deputy Director of Research. Her responsibilities include thematic surveys, overseeing the landmark designation process, and special projects. She also meets with community groups, property owners, and elected officials to discuss potential landmark designations.

The landmarked Ridgewood Savings Bank at 107-55 Queens Boulevard was erected from 1939 to 1940, after the bank chose to expand from its native home in Ridgewood which originated in 1921. Representatives envisioned taking advantage of the growing Forest Hills community, which was influenced by the development of the IND subway line in 1936 and the 1939 World’s Fair. The notable New York-based firm, Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, which specialized in bank architecture, presented residents with a 3-story high Modern Classical bank, creatively configured on a landscaped triangular plot. Doors opened on April 6, 1940, and later that year, the bank was a recipient of a first prize award by the Queens Chamber of Commerce for its “excellence of design and civic value.”

Distinctive features of the convex and concave smooth Alabama Rockwood stone and polished Deer Island granite façade include flat eagles aligned with pilasters, large bronze-tinted windows, streamlined and wave-like incised designs, Modernist clocks, and grilles. The mostly intact interior features a streamlined ceiling designed by Angelo Magnanti with Art Deco fixtures, travertine floors, buff pink Mansota stone walls on a wainscot of polished Rosato D’Or marble which is carried onto the counters, and wrought iron and bronze teller screens, check desks, and railings.

Forest Hills’ earliest extant commemorative site, Remsen Family Cemetery, was designated after a heroic initiative by residents. Situated on a park-like setting between Trotting Course Lane and Alderton Street, the cemetery contains tombstones dating from 1790 through 1819. Flanking a flagpole, two doughboys honor Forest Hills’ service in WWI.

In Colonial times, it was popular for families to have private cemeteries close to home. The Remsen family erected a homestead on their farm adjacent to the cemetery in 1699, which stood until 1925. Jeromus Remsen Sr. (1735 – 1790) fought in the French and Indian War. As colonel of the Kings and Queens County Militia in the Battle of Long Island, he commanded the 7th New York Regiment in the American Revolutionary War.

The Remsen Park Coalition’s 1981 plaque states, “Within this park lies the remains of Revolutionary War Veteran Colonel Jeromus Remsen. Buried in the confines of this site were his cousins Major Abraham Remsen, Captain Luke Remsen, Lieutenant Aurt Remsen and their families. The Remsen family was amongst the first settlers of this area, originally known as White Pot.” A 1925 survey revealed brownstone grave inscriptions of Jeromus, Anna, Jerome (two), Cornelius, Ann Elizabeth, Bridget, and Major Abraham Remsen. The Veterans Administration erected non-brownstone graves that memorialize Colonel Remsen, Maj. Abraham Remsen, and brothers Aurt and Garrett Remsen, who were also Revolutionary War officers. Some brownstone tombstones have vanished and remain a mystery.

The Neo-Medieval style Engine Company 305, Hook & Ladder Company 151 at 111-02 Queens Boulevard was erected to serve a growing population due to post-WWI Forest Hills residential construction. The firehouse’s design was fulfilled by John R. Sliney, the FDNY’s head building inspector. On the façade lies a bronze plaque dated 1923 and features notables including Forest Hills’-own Mayor John F. Hylan and Fire Commissioner Thomas J. Drennan. The façade features brick in a Flemish bond and decorative limestone details. Asymmetrical massing is accentuated by steep gables with copper standing-seam roofs, two square towers featuring round-arched windows, and a tall slender chimney.

At its November 1924 opening, FDNY chief Hubert J. Treacy of the Bureau of Repairs praised it as “the most pretentious fire engine house in the Greater City.” On dedication day, the Long Island Daily Star explained that it was “constructed to harmonize with the architecture of the surrounding community,” which included Forest Hills Gardens.

The firehouse’s more recent years also bear great significance. FDNY firefighter John DePierro held a record as the longest serving firefighter from 1969 to 2012. On September 11, 2001, Engine Co. 305 witnessed the casualties of senior firefighter Peter Nelson and firefighter Joe Hunter. Within its walls exists a superb example of camaraderie, which facilitates teamwork to extinguish fires.

A landmark is most ideally in the eyes of the majority, in addition to having architectural and/or cultural merit. In 2022, Lorna Nowvé, who served as the interim executive director of the Historic Districts Council, the city’s largest preservation advocate non-profit for NYC’s historic neighborhoods, explained, “The best way that people can advocate for the preservation of buildings is to be observant. Take in not only the beauty of their neighborhoods, but also if they see areas of concern regarding neglect of a building or a potential development threat. We always encourage people to read their local newspapers and social media sites that refer to their neighborhoods and other areas that they love. If you can, get involved with your local community board.” Residents can also join preservation groups including Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance, and Historic Districts Council.

To volunteer by nominating properties to earn landmark status, email mperlman@queensledger.com and join Rego-Forest Preservation Council on Facebook.