Spring Newsletter 2022

Inside This Issue

• Greetings from the Chair
• LPC-Approved Preservation Projects Recognized at 2022 Lucy Moses Preservation Awards
• Residents of the East 25th Street Historic District Learn about Permits and Grants
• Mayor Adams Unveils Blueprint for NYC’s Economic Recovery
• Historic District Marker Unveiled at Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District
• LPC Appointments
• Staff Profile: Meet our New Outreach and Grants Coordinator

These past few months, we’ve seen New York City begin to thrive again with the reopening of businesses, restaurants, museums, and Broadway theaters, but there is still a long road ahead of us as we work towards full recovery. I believe preservation can play an important role in the city’s recovery. New York City landmarks and historic neighborhoods help make the city a global destination — attracting residents, tourists, and businesses. Examples of the great preservation work that supports the dynamism of the city were bestowed awards by the New York Landmarks Conservancy last month at the Lucy Moses Preservation Awards (Read more about it here).  

I am very grateful that the importance of our work is recognized and supported by Mayor Adams and this administration, which has restored LPC’s headcount and budget starting in the next fiscal year. Our staff is committed to the work of the agency, including designating sites that represent the full history of New York City, and ensuring that our landmarks remain relevant vibrant contributors to the city’s dynamism and economic health. In this and upcoming issues of our Newsletter, you will meet and learn more about some of our staff who do this incredible work.

As the Mayor said during his first state of the city address, in order to revitalize the city’s economy, we need a vision, and we need to work together. With the recent launch of “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” we have a plan to accelerate the city’s recovery (Read more about it here), and we are proud to be a part of it. The goals of the Economic Recovery Plan will guide much of our upcoming work, and to advance the goals of efficiency and resiliency, LPC will be working on several strategies to improve the permitting process, expanding outreach and access to LPC resources, and supporting resiliency measures in historic buildings to make it easier for residents, businesses, and cultural institutions to thrive in their historic buildings.

There is a lot of work ahead of us, but LPC is ready to rise to the challenges and I am confident that New York City will come back stronger than ever.

Wishing you all the best,
Sarah Carroll

On April 20, 2022, the New York Landmarks Conservancy held its 32nd annual Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards. It was wonderful to see such a wide array of preservation projects, many of which were reviewed and approved by LPC, recognized. LPC-approved preservation projects included the following:

• 74 Grand Street (LPC Staff: Michelle Craren)
• 287 Broadway (LPC Staff: Dena Tasse-Winter)
• Astoria Park Pool and Play Center (LPC staff: Misha’el Shabrami)
• Empire State Building Mooring Mast (LPC Staff: Winnie Chau)
• Gage & Tollner (LPC Staff: Karina Bishop)
• Helmsley Building (LPC Staff: Caroline Pasion)
• Highbridge Water Tower & Step-Street (LPC Staff: Lisa Schaeffer)
• Trinity Church Wall Street (LPC Staff: James Russiello)
  

From the restoration of the Empire State Building’s historic mast and the interior restoration of Gage & Tollner to the reconstruction of the wading pool and restoration of the playground and historic comfort station at the Astoria Park Pool and Play Center, these projects underscore how landmarks contribute to the economic recovery and dynamism of New York City.

Read more about the Lucy Moses Preservation Awards here.

On April 4, 2022, LPC held a virtual information session for homeowners in the East 25th Street Historic Distric in East Flatbush, Brooklynt. Community outreach is key to the success of preservation and these information sessions are a great resource for homeowners who are looking to do work on their historic properties or simply want to understand the permit application process. LPC staff discussed the permit application process, as well as financial opportunities available for restoration work, including our Historic Preservation Grant Program. LPC also invited the New York Landmarks Conservancy to provide information on their loan opportunities.

On March 10, 2022, Mayor Adams released “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” which outlines the mayor’s vision for the city’s economic recovery and the future of the city’s economy — all built on equity and inclusivity. The plan to accelerate the city’s recovery and build a more resilient economy has five pillars:

1. Restarting our city’s economic engines and reactivating the public realm;
2. Supporting small businesses, entrepreneurship, and a more equitable economy;
3. Driving inclusive sector growth and building a future-focused economy;
4. Connecting New Yorkers to quality jobs and in-demand skills; and
5. Planning and building for inclusive growth now and in the future.

To help advance the plan's important goals, LPC will leverage technology to streamline its permitting processes to make it easier for residents, businesses, and cultural institutions to thrive in their historic buildings. Read more about the plan here.

In honor of Black History Month, on February 23, 2022, LPC Chair Sarah Carroll, the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation (NYLPF), and the Dorrance Brooks Property Owners and Residents Association celebrated the 2021 designation of the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District with the unveiling of historic district markers to promote and commemorate the importance of this district. The Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District is New York City's first historic district named after an African American, World War 1 war hero Dorrance Brooks, and has strong associations with notable figures in the Harlem Renaissance who made important contributions to the arts, social justice, and New York City's civic life.

The newly installed markers are 19-by-36-inch terra cotta-colored signs that feature a map on one side and a brief description and history of the district on the other. Their installation is part of the NYLPF’s Historic District Marker Program, which fosters public awareness and civic pride in designated historic districts in the five boroughs through signage. A total of six markers, funded by the NYLPF and the Dorrance Brooks Property Owners and Residents Association, were installed throughout the historic district. Read more about it here.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of three new senior staff members. Welcome to the LPC team!

Akeem Bashiru, Director of Financial Management

Akeem comes to LPC having spent the last 12 years working at the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), most recently as the Director of Budget for Workforce Development and had previously served as the Deputy Director, Financial Management and Budget. Before that, he worked for 8 years at the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications as Accounts Analyst and Procurement and Purchasing Agent. Akeem has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Management from Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye in Nigeria and an MBA in Finance from Long Island University in Brooklyn.

Sonia Guior, Director of Community and Intergovernmental Relations

Most recently Sonia was the Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), where she also served as a Deputy Director and Senior Policy Analyst. At TLC, she worked closely with elected officials and their teams, City Hall legislative affairs staff, and the Deputy Mayor of Operations on a variety of legislative and policy matters. Sonia has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) focused in Labor and Industrial Relations from Cornell University and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration part-time at New York University.

Stephanie Yang, Director of Human Resources and Operations

Stephanie comes to LPC from the NYC Equal Employment Practices Commission (EEPC), where she served as the Director of Finance and Human Resources Management, and prior to that was a Tests & Measurement Specialist at DCAS Bureau of Examinations. She also has an educational and professional background in psychology and counseling. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Health and Human Services from the University of Buffalo and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from New York University.

Caroline Pasion, a senior preservationist in LPC’s Preservation Department, was appointed Outreach & Grants Coordinator in late 2021.  A long time Preservationist at LPC, Caroline has served as a Senior Preservationist since 2016 and has also served as the agency’s Historic Preservation Grant Program Coordinator.  She has played a lead role in reviewing applications and disseminating information about it to applicants, owners, and staff.  She has also participated in numerous outreach events, explaining the grant program, the LPC permit application process and general preservation topics to diverse audiences. This new role formally recognizes her contributions to our outreach and grant programs.  In her new role as Outreach & Grants Coordinator, Caroline will continue to enhance the agency’s outreach and education work and to support the grant program and its applicants.

Here’s a short Q&A with our new Outreach and Grants Coordinator.

Q: What interested you the most about this new role?

A: It is being able to take a more proactive role in finding new ways to help homeowners and other applicants understand our role in the Preservation Department, and being the agency’s voice in our mission, policies and initiatives. I’ve always enjoyed meeting homeowners and community members in person, and I was thrilled that we were able to continue our outreach on a virtual platform.

Q: What does this new role entail?

A: In addition to continuing LPC outreach and sharing information about the grant program and projects, I’ve participated in panel discussions led by the Department of Citywide and Administrative Services (DCAS) and the Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education program in high schools, and have taken the lead in developing new outreach initiatives and events, including Open Office Hours that started last summer with some of my favorite colleagues who participated and shared their knowledge and technical expertise with homeowners in all five boroughs. I also recently participated in a career fair for The Fresh Air Fund where I taught kids about landmarks, explained why our agency was created, and showed photos of landmarks that I thought they would recognize. I even included a quiz at the end to guess the landmark.

Q: Why do you think outreach is important?

A: It’s important for me to convey that LPC is not just about preserving and protecting our historic buildings and sites, but also the importance of our archaeological sites, and how our designation reports and story maps are important resources for our city’s history in providing the background and context for our historic districts, landmarks, and sites. I also want attendees to know that they play an important role in being stewards of these historic buildings, and that we’re here to help them proceed with the appropriate repairs to ensure proper maintenance on their buildings. When I did the career fair for The Fresh Air Fund, my goal was to show these kids that there were landmarks recognized for all New Yorkers, above and below ground, including archaeological and sacred sites such as the African Burial Ground. I wanted to teach these kids that history can be learned from the built environment, particularly through historic buildings and sites, and it was really important for me to convey, and to make them aware, that these buildings and sites, such as the Astoria Park Pool, Central Park, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the Coney Island boardwalk, were all important places that are accessible to all. My favorite part was when one child was quiet throughout the entire workshop, and towards the end of my presentation, when I gave a quiz and the following slide came on, he finally spoke up and answered, “Coney Island!”

Q: What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?

A: I’d like to focus our outreach to the new historic districts, and to continue providing the one-one-one assistance with historically underserved and underrepresented communities that are in some of our oldest historic districts. I look forward to partnering with our sister agencies to help with our outreach efforts, and more importantly, to continue working with my colleagues in our employee working group to increase diversity, promote equity and inclusion, and to continue future discussions, dialogue and education in outreach events and meetings.