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NARRATION:
Far West Village residents are accustomed to the two smokestacks that have dotted the skyline at the corner of Bethune and West streets on the Hudson River since 1919. The smokestacks are part of the Superior Ink factory. Recently, developers bought the building and announced plans to tear it down and build condominiums on the site--the kind of apartments that could command more than a million dollars.
AX: Andrew Berman:
What they want to build is a 275-foot tall, super luxury apartment tower, curving glass walled building.
Narration:
Andrew Berman directs the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
AX: Andrew Berman:
It would be the tallest building on the entire Greenwich Village waterfront--which as far as we're concerned could not be more inappropriate for this site.
Narration:
Berman's group wants the city to recognize the historic importance of the far west village before the Superior Ink Factory can be destroyed. To do that, the group has applied to have the West Village waterfront designated as a historic district. That means all buildings in the district would be safe from demolition and that any future development would have to fit with the existing look and character of the neighborhood.
AX: Andrew Berman:
It's as important a part of new york city's history than any row of brownstones on the upper west side or in Greenwich Village. This is where industry, this is where shipping, this is where commerce really grew in the first wave of New York city's great growth as the commercial capital of the world and it would be really a shame to see it swept away in this tsunami of real estate development.
Narration:
The West Village waterfront is a low-rise mix of commercial and residential buildings. And over the years, many historic buildings have been converted into stores, offices, or film studios, without altering their original facades. The Superior Ink building was originally part of the Nabisco bakery complex that now makes up Chelsea Market. And without landmark status, all the developer needs to build its tower is approval from the city to build residential on a site zoned for manufacturing. The developer declined comment for this story, but so far, the project is moving forward. Arthur Strickler is the district manager for Community Board 2 where the Superior Ink building is located.
AX: Art Strickler: tease byte
You got those monstrosities going up, those glass houses that's making us look like miami beach. and the whole west side is gonna end up like that if it's not landmarked, so it's a major problem.
Narration:
Strickler says he is not optimistic. He says because of the Bloomerg administration's approach to similar cases in the past, he's not optimistic the city will landmark the neighborhood to prevent skyscrapers from replacing historic buildings in the future.
AX: Art Strickler:
I think under the current administration they're very inclined to waive the rules very often.
Narration:
Florent Morellet is a restaurant owner and activist in the area. . His group recently succeeded in getting the meatpacking district landmarked. He says people are drawn to historic neighborhoods because of their unique look and feel. And protecting them is in the best economic interest of the city in the long run.
AX: Florent Morellet
If you turn the neighborhood into a generic residential neighborhood, at the end of day what do you have? you're killing the goose with the golden eggs.
Narration:
The issue of landmarking the far West village is urgent. Unless it's landmarked soon, the Superior Ink factory building is vulnerable to demolition. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's Berman says the city must act quickly because of the real estate boom that's heating up along Manhattan's west side.
AX: Andrew Berman:
Right now the issue is about timing. if the city waits long enough, they can rezone and landmark all they want but there will be pretty much nothing left to preserve.
Narration:
Community Board 2 will vote whether to landmark the West Village waterfront in April. But that could be too late to save the Superior Ink Factory. A spokesperson for the Landmarks Commission says the board is reviewing the application but has not yet set a timeline for making a decision. I'm Jess Mador, Columbia Radio News.