Opponents of a plan to put up a new apartment buildings just North of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine have planned a rally for Saturday morning to fight the development. Among other problems, they say the plans will block views of the historic cathedral and add to traffic problems by positioning a residential garage directly across from a hospital garage.
The cathedral has already made a deal to lease the site to the Brodsky Organization to build two 15-story apartment towers, but has not received its building permit. The project does not need any other special permission from the city, however, and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to derail it at this point. Already, a shed on the property has been demolished to prep the site for construction and activists say several seven-story trees that were planted in 1927 have also been cut down. Photos of the tress are posted below.
Historic Morningside Heights and the Friends of St. John the Divine plan to meet on Saturday at 11 a.m. on Amsterdam Avenue and 112th for a protest.
Historic Morningside Heights published the Buildings Department renderings below, adding shaded areas and commentary.
“Even as construction begins on the site, the Cathedral administration refuses to live up to their promise to share renderings of their proposed towers with the public. However thanks to Council Member Mark Levine, the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee was able to obtain copies of the architectural construction drawings submitted to the NYC Dept. of Buildings.”
A spokesman for the church noted that the church had presented renderings and site plans at a community board meeting. In addition, the development will open up new pedestrian access to the church’s North transept from 113th street. The Brodsky Organization has not responded to our request for comment.
The Cathedral’s comment about sharing the drawings is typically disingenuous. They know full well that after showing very few renderings to a small group at a special meeting which wasn’t even held in Morningside Heights, they were asked to supply this presentation to the Community Board and they refused to do so.
They then twist language in truly Orwellian fashion saying they are opening up the unfinished transept to access while they surround it with 15 story towers that hem it in so it can barely be seen. What’s the big deal about access to a ruin of a north transept? It needs to be seen unencumbered and completed!
Move to Iowa, slimy “activists” who try to ruin Morningside Heights by turning it into the same boring old folk’s home as the UWS. Hands off of private property, miserably misbegotten and mischievous miscreates, misanthropes and mismanagers.
Morningside Heights and its Dowager Princess, Manhattan Avenue, should somehow be left alone. The Heights, though not Riverside Drive, is lovely…and Manhattan Avenue appears to being responsibly renovated – lots of buildings retaining their character and style. The city needs both its image and affordable housing and when it’s all Amsterdam and 67th, it will not be what made it great.
I walked almost 50 trips to St. John the Divine for the past 2 ys. and somehow I don’t know how I missed the W 113 st Wall, it is 601 ft with 232ft high and consider the GREAT WALL OF CHRISTIANITY AND GOTHIC architecture. This is National Treasure a foot start of Christianity which prosperous with freedom of religious and their beliefs in America. One of the oldest Gothic architecture/Church in America and 4th Largest. This Church including the Great Wall belong to the nation if not the World Heritage, not to just a developer or a handful of 100 residents who will hide this treasure for the world for another 99 yrs !. Such a selfish project indeed !.