SPECIAL PRESERVATION ALERT - ADMIRAL'S ROW COLLAPSE

SPECIAL PRESERVATION ALERT

Dereliction of Duty: National Guard Allows Admiral's Row to Collapse

The Historic Districts Council was dismayed to learn earlier today about the collapse of one of the NR-eligible properties in Admiral's Row, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (http://curbed.com/archives/2009/06/19/curbedwire_am_special_collapse_on_admirals_row.php)

We are outraged that the National Guard has allowed this to happen in direct violation of their own policy. Since the beginning of the environmental mitigation process to supervise the transfer of these buildings to the City, HDC has repeatedly and publicly insisted that the buildings be secured against further deterioration http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business/buslinks/admiral/pdf/aug08/minutes.pdf.

The unwillingness to protect publicly-owned historic properties, in direct opposition to Department of Defense Regulations (http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r200_1.pdf or

http://www.achp.gov/army.html), casts serious doubt on the independence of the environmental consulting process and suggests that the fate of these important historic resources was already determined outside of public purview. HDC demands that the National Guard Bureau explain why the mandated measures to protect these buildings were not taken.

Please email the National Guard at AdmiralsRowBNY@usace.army.mil to request that they explain their lack of action in securing these historic structures.

The Advocate for New York City’s Historic Neighborhoods

232 East 11th Street New York NY 10003

tel: 212-614-9107 fax: 212-614-9127 email: hdc@hdc.org