Community Orgs, Pols Fight To Protect Historic Wash Heights Home

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Manhattan elected officials joined with the Upper Riverside Residents Alliance and other community members on Friday to call for the city to reverse its decision to reject landmark status for a Washington Heights building with ties to the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement.

The building in question is 857 Riverside Drive, near West 159th Street in Washington Heights.

The Upper Manhattan home was owned by Underground Railroad conductor and abolitionist minister Dennis Harris in the 1800s. Despite this, a demolition permit was filed in August with the Buildings Department for the address.

The demolition filing inspired the local community, led by the Riverside Residents Alliance, to push for the building to get landmarked to save it from demolition. However, the Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected its landmark status because of the architectural changes made to the building over the past century.

Supporters of the landmark status for the Washington Heights building, including Community Board 12, say that architectural changes have often been overlooked for other sites.

The demolition permit includes plans to construct a 13-story residential on the building, a property that local organizations say would dwarf surrounding buildings and look grossly out of place in the neighborhood.

On Friday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer was one of the politicians who spoke about the need to grant the building landmark designation.

"We're here because history matters. Landmarks matter," Brewer said during the news conference. "Black history matters. Black landmarks matter. And it is really important to preserve places like 857 Riverside Drive because it tells the story of our borough, our city, and our nation."

Other elected officials at the news conference calling for the landmark status included State Senator Robert Jackson, Assembly Member Al Taylor, and Council Member Mark Levine.

The New York Times published an article on 857 Riverside Drive last week, citing the minuscule amount of landmarked buildings in New York City related to abolitionism or the Underground Railroad.

"Of more than 37,000 city properties with landmark protection, just 17 sites are related to abolitionism or the Underground Railroad, the network of Black and white activists who helped enslaved African-Americans flee north to freedom before the Civil War. Only two such protected sites are in Manhattan, none above 29th Street," the Times wrote.

The Riverside Park Alliance created a petition called "Stop The Tower at 857 Riverside Drive," urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to intervene in demolishing the historic building and construction of an "unwanted, oversized, unaffordable development in Washington Heights."