Posted at 1:57 AM on 11-2-07 by Rob T Firefly
The previous meeting of the community board was a resounding success for us, as they agreed in a 6-1 vote to bring the matter of the Hotel Pennsylvania before the full board.
Now, to the next stage. The full board meeting of the landmark commission will be held at 6:00 PM this Thursday, November 8th.
Location: F.I.T.
227 West 27th Street at 7th Avenue
Building “C”
Haft Auditorium, 2nd Floor
This is the hearing which will decide whether or not the Hotel Pennsylvania gets landmark status. It is vital that every last person who is able to attends the meeting and speaks their mind. As a wise philosopher once said, “I know some of you like to wait till the last minute… well, this is it! This is the last minute!”
Interested speakers will have to fill out a form and reserve their three minutes of speaking time. Be prepared to say, in three minutes, why you feel this place should become a landmark.
tags: history, hope, hotel pennsylvania, nyc, politics
Posted at 5:34 AM on 10-28-07 by Rob T Firefly
Early this month, a New York Observer article on the plan to demolish the Hotel Pennsylvania reported that “Preservationists citywide have responded to Vornado’s proposed demolition with a resounding ‘Eh.’”
This apparent local apathy is perhaps best explained in the article’s quote from Emmanuel Goldstein:
“Just recently, I was in Vienna and Pisa [Italy], where people expressed a great deal of concern to me over the fate of the hotel. It was hard (and rather embarrassing) to explain why New Yorkers might not care enough to get involved. The hotel was old; the rooms weren’t as big and luxurious as other more modern facilities; and New Yorkers simply weren’t in a position to grasp the importance of such a place since they normally don’t need cheap and easily accessible hotels if they already live here.”
A new article in the Observer indicates that while Merrill Lynch has “given every indication” that it intends to move to a new skyscraper built upon the site of the Hotel, there is still “a glimmer of hope.”
The Hotel Pennsylvania demolition project requires public approval, which could take a year, and would entail building over the railroad tracks that run beneath the hotel and pose engineering and security challenges.
A committee of the local Community Board 5 meets Tuesday to discuss whether the hotel merits consideration as a protected landmark. The meeting takes place at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 at 227 West 27th Street, 8th floor, Rm A802.
As Pirho of SaveTheHotel.org noted on the HOPE forums, “if this Hotel does not get the landmarking it deserves, then the fight is over.”
If you want to see this hotel stay, show up and speak at the Community Board 5 Meeting this Tuesday at 6PM.
This could be our last chance to save the Hotel Pennsylvania.
tags: history, hope, hotel pennsylvania, nyc, politics
Posted at 1:41 PM on 8-20-07 by Rob T Firefly
Joybubbles, formerly known as Joe Engressia, passed away on August 8th at his home in Minneapolis. The cause of his death has not yet been determined.
Our deepest condolences go out to his friends, family, and community.
Coverage:
New York Times
UPI
Google News
tags: history
Posted at 8:19 AM on 4-27-07 by Rob T Firefly
Jack Valenti, former MPAA president and spearhead of the DeCSS lawsuits against 2600 and others, died yesterday in his Washington, DC home. The cause of his death was complications from a stroke.
Coverage:
Globe and Mail
Slashdot
Google News
tags: history, politics
The previous meeting of the community board was a resounding success for us, as they agreed in a 6-1 vote to bring the matter of the Hotel Pennsylvania before the full board.
