Testimonies

Testimony to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on NYC Parks Without Borders Plan for Fort Greene Park

Historic Districts Council

"The notion here is a respite from urbanity and from the city streets, not an enlargement of them."

"We question the decision to remove almost all traces of A. E. Bye's alterations to the park, including plowing over the mounds that the community continues to enjoy today."

-- Christabel Gough

"Creating a huge procession of open spaces starting at the street and leading up to the monument produces a grandiose vista oddly reminiscent of Mussolini's Rome -- not at all in the Olmsted tradition."

The City Club of New york\

-- Michael Gruen

"There is value to many aspects of the contributions of several great landscape architects."

"This, we submit, is a case for preservation of a fortunate mixture of the monumental and bucolic, best preserved by not overemphasizing the monumental to the detriment of the bucolic as the Parks Department's plan would do."

Sierra Club

-- Allison Tupper

"To denude the land in the park in favor of a hardscape plaza is contrary to the kind of planning that the Parks Department needs in its park land. The City needs to plan for extreme weather by incorporating genuine sustainability measures."

"I respect the beauty and integrity of his design work and it would be unfortunate to erase what A.E. Bye has done at Fort Greene Park."

Friends of Fort Greene Park opposes NYC Parks design proposal to pave over an estimated 13,314 Sq. Ft. of open greenery.