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....November 3, 7:20 PM |
| Split Decision Council Denial Of Landmark Status For Bank Cause Of Concern For Preservationists
By ANDREW MOESEL Not far from Queens Center Mall, a copper green, wing-shaped roof juts a pointed end toward the street, a stark contrast from the rounded structure next door. Paneled windows run up from the ground to meet the roof along its edges, forming a transparent set of walls. There’s nothing like it anywhere else on the street – perhaps not even in the borough.
The building, a former Jamaica Savings Bank located at 89-01 Queens Blvd., was impressive enough to be selected earlier this year as a candidate to become a city landmark. But when the issue came before the City Council, which has approved all landmarks since the Board of Estimates was disbanded in 1989, the proposal hit a roadblock. Last week, the Council Land Use Committee approved a resolution refusing landmark status to the bank site, now a branch of North Fork. Last Thursday, the full Council voted virtually unanimously to accept that resolution. It now waits for the mayor’s pen. With historians already clamoring for more landmarks in the outer boroughs, many are upset about the decision, only the fifth of its kind since the council began reviewing landmarks in 1992. In this case, however, it appears the building had too much going against it. Building A Legacy Despite its unarguably unique structure, there still exists disagreement over whether the building possesses the historical and cultural significance to merit becoming a city landmark. As a relatively young structure, historically speaking, some experts fear that politicians are prejudiced against modern architectural forms, an attitude they say could set a bad precedent when considering other potential designations. In the early 1960s, Queens Boulevard was bristling with ambitious construction and capitalist zeal. Macy’s was building a new shopping center on a generous five-acre lot, and LeFrak City, the country’s biggest public housing development, was in its fledgling stages. It was in this atmosphere an architect named William C. Cann arrived in Elmhurst to design a new branch for the Jamaica Savings Bank. Drawing inspiration from the 1964 World’s Fair just down the street, Cann wanted to construct a building that would be an eye-catching departure from the flat-roofed department stores surrounding it. In June, the Landmarks Commission issued a 16-page report detailing the building’s history and arguing for its relevance as an aesthetic achievement. Calling it a “bold expression of 20th Century engineering,” commission members also cited the saddle-shaped roof and reinforced glass as distinguishing architectural benchmarks. “This distinctive landmark, which represents the development of Queens in the 1960s, was unanimously supported by the Landmarks Commissioners, the local community board, the local City Council person and preservationists city-wide,” said landmark commissioner chairmen Robert Tierney. “We are extremely disappointed by the City Council’s action to overturn this important Queens landmark.” But Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Council subcommittee on landmarks, found the argument for the designation to be unconvincing, people familiar with the situation said. He believed the bank’s historical importance did not merit the level that should be required for landmark status. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, said the City Council has a bias against modern buildings when it comes to landmarks, and this decision could be a harbinger of a philosophical shift away from newer buildings. At the hearings last week, Bankoff said he was disturbed by several Council members’ presumption to have a better understanding of what constitutes a historically significant building than experts on the commission. “It’s not like (the Landmarks Commission is) wandering around willy-nilly designating things,” Bankoff said. “They obviously had prioritized this one, and someone should have respect for an agency trying to have priorities.” |
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