Morningside Heights Residents Make Show of Force to Preserve Historic Neighborhood

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Preservationists in Morningside Heights got an opportunity to speak to the city Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Tuesday and dozens turned out to offer testimony in favor of preserving the historic neighborhood.

The LPC held a public hearing Tuesday morning to discuss the creation of a Morningside Heights Historic District and an individual landmarking of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and both projects were heavily praised by neighborhood residents and elected officials.

The Morningside Heights Historic District would cover 115 neighborhood buildings that "[reflect] the residential development of Morningside Heights, primarily comprising residential buildings, with some institutional buildings, largely constructed between the 1890s and the 1920s," as stated by the LPC.

City Councilman Mark Levine spoke Tuesday in favor of creating the district. Levine said that Morningside Heights is "under threat" of development and compared to neighboring communities — the Upper West Side, Hamilton Heights and Harlem — does not have the protection that comes with landmark status.

"Our neighborhood thus stands as an island of vulnerability amidst the better protected areas around it. That's why we have so passionately pursued this historic district as a means to protect our rich architectural history," Levine said Tuesday.

Representatives of Congresssman Jerry Nadler, State Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also testified in favor of the historic district.

The district would begin on West 119th Street and cover most buildings east of Broadway until West 109th Street. Some buildings on West 113th, West 112th, West 111th and Cathedral Parkway between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue would also be included in the historic district.

Dozens of longtime neighborhood residents argued in favor of the historic district Tuesday morning.

Laura Friedman, president of the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee and neighborhood resident of more than 40 years, said that the neighborhood's rich residential architecture make it "one of the jewels in the crown of our proud city."

Another neighborhood preservationist and resident, Gregory Dietrich, described the landmarking process as "bittersweet." Dietrich praised the LPC for taking action on creating a historic district, but lamented the fact that some modern luxury developments "out of scale" with the neighborhood character have already been built.

Two religious institutions, the Broadway Presbyterian Church and Congregation Ramath Orah, argued that while they support neighborhood preservation the institutions should not be included in the district. Representatives of both institutions argued that the added burden of landmark status would complicate needed restoration efforts.

Here's a map of the proposed Morningside Heights Historic district:

Photo by llahbocaj via Flickr/Creative Commons.