Huntington Free Library, Westchester Square in the Bronx
Nonprofit Technical Assistance Grant Program
$10,000 Grant to Assist Restoration of Historic Bronx Library

We are pleased to announce the second Nonprofit Technical Assistance Grant (NTAG), an award of $10,000, to the Huntington Free Library and Reading Room located in the Westchester Square area of the Bronx. Our NTAG grant will assist with design services to restore the roof with historically appropriate materials and is accompanied by the Conservancy’s project management assistance.

The Library was incorporated in 1892 by railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington to provide the first library for the area and gives access to its collections to the public free of charge for research and scholarship, educational lectures, and other events. It has been active during the pandemic serving meals for families and distributing school supplies and holiday toys for local children. The original building, designed by Frederick Clarke Withers, was built in 1882-83 with a sympathetic addition built in 1890-92. The building was designated an individual City landmark in 1994 and is one of the few designated landmarks in the area.

The NTAG program is underwritten by a generous grant from the Altman Foundation.
Olmsted House, Staten Island
PRESERVATION SERVICES
Foundation Awards Grant to Continue Work on Olmsted House

We are delighted that the Staten Island Foundation is awarding us a $50,000 grant to continue our work at the Olmsted/Beil house, where Frederick Law Olmsted began his work on landscape design.

This follows an initial $25,000 grant from the Foundation in 2020 that contributed to $100,000 of stabilization work on the landmark home. We also got the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places which makes it eligible for additional state and federal support.

“It is very much the Foundation’s pleasure to be able to support Landmark’s valuable work at the Olmsted-Beil site,” said Laura Jean Watters, Executive Director of the Staten Island Foundation. “The expertise and resources you all bring are so important to our community."
Rendering of Penn Station Redevelopment Project for Midtown Manhattan
Advocacy
Penn Station Redevelopment Hearing

Questions continued to outnumber answers at an all-day State Senate hearing on the Penn Station Redevelopment plan on June 24. The Conservancy was invited to testify and warned against the wholesale demolition of a vibrant neighborhood with historic buildings, homes, and businesses. Other participants noted the lack of fiscal details and accountability, and two longtime residents spoke movingly of their fears of eviction.

Senators Liz Krueger and Leroy Comrie, who chair the Senate Standing Committees on Finance, and on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions, respectively, had questions about the plan’s financing and who would be responsible to residents and elected officials if it ran over budget or schedule.

Speakers from Empire State Development (ESD) and the MTA provided little additional information about how funds would be raised or spent. ESD president Hope Knight said a financial framework would be made public before a State board vote on the plan in July, leaving no time for meaningful changes. MTA Chair Janno Lieber revealed that key features of the renovation will be expanding entrances and removing part of the upper concourse to allow light into the station. But there was no mention of any transit improvements.
Summer Read
Learn more About C.B.J. Snyder

Fordham University Press has published a new book about prolific architect C.B.J. Snyder, who served as NYC Superintendent of Schools from 1891-1923. Snyder is a Conservancy hero for his architecturally distinct schools, which provided light, air, and beauty to generations of schoolchildren. Many still serve as schools today. Conservancy President Peg Breen wrote the forward.
Women's Liberation Center
Mystery Landmark
Did you correctly identify this New York City Landmark?
 
Congratulations to Kat Gardner for correctly guessing this landmark. The Women's Liberation Center at 243 West 20th Street in Manhattan is an individual landmark and former firehouse.

From 1972 to 1987 the building was known as the Women’s Liberation Center. The building was home to numerous lesbian and feminist organizations and became an epicenter for women’s engagement in the LGBT civil rights movement.

It was built in 1866 and was landmarked in 2019.

ABOUT US
From the smallest buildings, to the most extraordinary landmarks, to our diverse neighborhoods, the New York Landmarks Conservancy preserves and protects the unique architectural heritage of the City we love.

We are on the frontlines, giving New York’s preservation needs a voice, advocating for sensible development, providing financial assistance and technical expertise—all to ensure that the character of our city continues to enrich the quality of life for all New Yorkers.
This newsletter is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.