Ben Bankson, Otis Pearsall, Daniel Squadron and Marty Markowitz

I ask you, what could be finer on this gorgeous day than to be right here in [...]]]> The following talk was given by historic preservationist Otis Pratt Pearsall at the rally opening the 2010 Spring Fair of the Willowtown Association on Saturday, May 15:

Ben Bankson, Otis Pearsall, Daniel Squadron and Marty Markowitz

I ask you, what could be finer on this gorgeous day than to be right here in beautiful Willowtown–this wellspring of preservation where the fervor is still palpable, thank God–to celebrate Mary and Joe Merz, my preservationist running mates of literally 50 years, who in various combinations together and with others have done it all.

In sum, what they’ve done is no less than secure amidst the swirling turbulence of New York this tranquil node of sheer architectural beauty that as a living, breathing, vibrant community is just about as perfect as it gets, anywhere. How’s that for a legacy!

And while we’re at it, let’s not forget the early contributions of other Willowtowners, such as Malcolm Chesney of 8 Willow Place, one of the organizers and treasurer of CCIC, the Community Conservation and Improvement Council, which kicked off the whole movement; Arthur Hooker, the first head of our statutory drafting effort, who lived just beyond the powerhouse; and Joe Maggio of 11 Willow Place.

By 1960 Joe had assumed his place as a member of the Brooklyn Height Association’s Preservation Committee. He and Mary, both graduates of Edward Larrabee Barnes’ architectural office, were just setting up their own practice in their carriage house home on Grace Court. And it wouldn’t be long before Mary and Joe, as natural-born idealists bent on neighborhood improvement and not al all as money-grabbing developers, began eyeing the empty lots on a very fragile Willow Place.

But meanwhile, the Heights had a problem. Four years after attempting to jump-start preservation for the very first time in New York, its initiative was stymied and appeared likely to remain so while unsympathetic renovations hostile to the neighborhood’s historic fabric accelerated along with its popularity. Something had to be done to hold the fort. And so, when the BHA in 1962 sponsored establishment of the Design Advisory Council to provide free architectural guidance to property owners, Joe and a tiny band of colleagues volunteered and over the next five years worked unceasingly in more than 100 separate cases to safeguard our architectural heritage.

This was an absolutely invaluable service to the cause of preservation, now, of course, lost in the mists of time. But fate had in store for Mary and Joe a singular preservation contribution more important by magnitudes–the rescue of Willow Place and, by extension, the rescue of Willowtown, which was then under the baleful eye of the Housing and Redevelopment Board and facing the imminent threat of a fateful “Urban Renewal Study.”

I hope that Mary and Joe will write up and document the dramatic story of how, along with another former Edward Larrabee Barnes colleague, they were able to purchase the vacant lots on Willow Place at city auction and with help along the way from Mrs. Darwin James to complete in 1965 their meticulously scaled, award-winning houses in a startlingly appropriate modern idiom.

Willow Place was already an architecturally conspicuous block, boasting multiple houses on the Municipal Art Society’s 1957 listing of buildings that should be preserved. But construction of the Merz houses, with far less bulk than zoning allowed, and handsomely designed for their specific sites, was the crucial vote of confidence.

And what’s more, their Modernist idiom directly inspired the BHA philosophy, welcomed by the early landmarks commissions, that continues contributing to the treasure trove of Heights architecture–each new building should represent the finest architecture contemporary with its date of construction. So it was that the influence of the Merz houses was specifically responsible for the Modernist architecture of the first new building in an historic district, Ulrich Franzen’s well-received Watchtower building at the corner of Pineapple Street and Columbia Heights.

While, of course, all of this took place quite some time ago, Mary and Joe are hardly ones (unlike some today) to take the ongoing preservation of our historic architecture for granted. Far from complacent, they have recognized all along that vigilance and the community’s tenacious readiness to push back, not a gentle reliance on big brother, is the only practical way to defend the integrity of our historic district. And so, at the sound of the bugle, they spring to the barricades, just as comfortable, for example, defending the Candy factory sculpture garden in the northeast corner of the Heights as rising to the defense of the Riverside courtyard here at home.

Mary and Joe are indeed role models for all seasons, and we are both humbled and inspired by their example.

Willowtown president Ben Bankson receives proclamation from borough president Marty Markowitz

WHEREAS, it is a time-honored Brooklyn tradition to recognize those outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to the betterment of the neighborhoods [...]]]> The following proclamation was made by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at Willowtown’s 2010 Spring Fair on Saturday, May 15:

Willowtown president Ben Bankson receives proclamation from borough president Marty Markowitz

WHEREAS, it is a time-honored Brooklyn tradition to recognize those outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to the betterment of the neighborhoods they serve and the great Borough of Brooklyn; and

WHEREAS, President Ben Bankson and the officers and members of the Willowtown Association–a 57-year-old neighborhood-based organization, whose mission is to address the issues that impact the quality of life for residents–have gathered once again to host a Spring Fair to take note of the organization’s ongoing efforts to ensure the economic vitality, safety, maintenance and sense of community in Southwest Brooklyn and featuring entertainment, food and fun, all in support of the organization’s ongoing endeavors and to pay tribute to Willowtown Visionaries Joe and Mary Merz; and

WHEREAS, on behalf of all Brooklynites, I salute President Bankson and Vice President Linda De Rosa, who serve as Spring Fair coordinators, the officers and members of the Willowtown Association as they host this festive and exciting event that pays tribute to Willowtown Visionaries Joe and Mary Merz, whose projects include the redesigning of what became Palmetto Playground. I commend the Willowtown Association for their ongoing dedication to improving the quality of life for so many of our residents, I congratulate them as they celebrate the annual Spring Fair that coincides with the 45^th anniversary of the designation of Brooklyn Heights as New York City’s first historic district, and I thank all those present for helping to make Brooklyn a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

State senator Daniel Squadron praising Willowtown

WHEREAS, a great state is only as great as those organizations that perform exemplary service on behalf of their communities; and

WHEREAS, it is the sense of this [...]]]> The following proclamation was made by State Sen. Daniel squadron at Willowtown’s 2010 Spring Fair on Saturday, May 15:

State senator Daniel Squadron praising Willowtown

WHEREAS, a great state is only as great as those organizations that perform exemplary service on behalf of their communities; and

WHEREAS, it is the sense of this legislative body to commend the Willowtown Association as it convenes for its 2010 Spring Fair to be held on Saturday, May 15; and

WHEREAS, the Willowtown Association was formed in 1953 out of a group of committed residents who organized themselves to discuss and address neighborhood concerns; and

WHEREAS, since it began nearly 60 years ago, the Willowtown Association has proven to be a strong advocate and protector for the unique neighborhood for which it is named, having won many important battles; and

WHEREAS, some of the Willowtown Association’s victories include convincing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reroute the B-63 bus off of Hicks Street; working with former Mayor John Lindsay to convert a vacant lot at Columbia Place and State Street into a basketball court, supporting the design and construction of an inclusive and accessible Brooklyn Bridge Park and fighting alongside the tenants of the Riverside Apartments to preserve the building’s historic courtyard; and

WHEREAS, the Willowtown Association acquired not-for-profit status in 1997, allowing it to expand its projects and services with increased efforts at rehabilitation and beautification of public spaces throughout the community as well as strong and effective advocacy on issues such as affordable housing and historical preservation; and

WHEREAS, it is the sense of this legislative body that when organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, it is appropriate to publicly proclaim and commend those organizations for the edification and emulation of others; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that I, State Sen. Daniel Squadron recognize that in the Willowtown Association we have an organization worthy of our highest respect and esteem; and be it further

RESOLVED, that a copy of this proclamation be transmitted to the Willowtown Association on the occasion of its 2010 Spring Fair.

FAIR SCHEDULE 11:30 – Opening rally at Joralemon & Willow Place 12 to 5 – Food by Iris Café, flea market tables, silent auction, book table, plants, standing games 12 to 4 – [...]]]> Join us this Saturday, May 15th for our annual spring fair dedicated to Willowtown visionaires Joe & Mary Merz for 50 years of serving our community.

FAIR SCHEDULE
11:30 – Opening rally at Joralemon & Willow Place
12 to 5 – Food by Iris Café, flea market tables, silent auction, book table, plants, standing games
12 to 4 – Jumpy Castle
12:30 to 3:30 – Caricatures
1 & 1:30 – Sneak preview tours of Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park
1 to 3 – Pony rides
1 to 4 – Music by Johnny Sheppard & Billy Swing
1 to 4 – Face painting
2:30 to 3:30 – Running, potato sack and three-legged races with medals
4:30 – Raffle drawing & close of silent auction

New York City Councilman-elect Stephen Levin of District 33 praised Brooklyn philanthropist Alfred T. White, 1846-1921, for being “a great example to us of community service” in a [...]]]>

Councilman-elect Levin, center, poses with, from left, the Willowtown Association’s vice president, Linda De Rosa; president, Ben Bankson; treasurer, Andrew Reynolds; and secretary, Stephanie Zancolli.

New York City Councilman-elect Stephen Levin of District 33 praised Brooklyn philanthropist Alfred T. White, 1846-1921, for being “a great example to us of community service” in a talk given at the annual meeting of the Willowtown Association on Wednesday evening, November 10. The meeting was held in the community center on Willow Place in Brooklyn Heights that bears White’s name and where he operated a kindergarten. A block away is the Riverside apartment complex built by him in 1890 as a lasting model of better housing for the city’s poor.

Levin, who will take his City Council seat in January, said that like White he feels “fortunate to be able to serve others and to give back, to be civically minded.” He expressed his hopes to serve on the Committee on Land Use and the Committee on Housing and Buildings, thereby being able to continue to push his efforts for more affordable housing for working New Yorkers and seniors.

The Riverside complex “is still beautiful to this day,” Levin said. “It shows that you can have your cake and eat it too. You can have affordable housing and maintain the quality of the neighborhood.”

He said that “we’re looking at a ton of issues and ways to be creative” in addressing them. He underscored his opposition to two construction projects that the Willowtown Association has sought to stop–a commercial parking facility on the Riverside property and luxury housing in the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. “The park is a public space,” he said. “Housing in the park makes it private.”

Annual Meeting Elects Association’s Officers and Directors for 2010

Ben Bankson of 14 Willow Place was elected the new president of the Willowtown Association by acclamation at its 2009 annual meeting November 10 at the A.T. White Community Center. A retired editor and writer in the church press field, he served as the association’s secretary for the past four years. He is a native of Sioux City, Iowa, and has lived on Willow Place since 1975.

Bankson succeeds Craig Bickerstaff of 21 State Street, president for the past four years. Because of the association’s term limits for its four officers, Bickerstaff was ineligible to run again.

Elected the new secretary was Stephanie Zancolli, also of 21 State Street, who previously served as a director of the association. A project manager, she is a native of Brooklyn and wife of Craig Bickerstaff. The couple have lived in Willowtown for the past 13 years.

Reelected vice president was Linda De Rosa of 47 Joralemon Street. She held this office for the past year and previously was a director. She runs her own business in Manhattan designing and selling leather handbags and accessories. She was raised on Union Street in Brooklyn and has lived in Brooklyn Heights for 28 years and in Willowtown for six.

Reelected treasurer was C. Andrew “Andy” Reynolds of 37 Joralemon Street. He too held this office for the past year and previously was a director. A retired computer consultant, he is a native of Rockville Center on Long Island and has lived in Willowtown since 1984.

Newly elected as one of the association’s eight directors was Elizabeth “Libby” Cooper of 30 Columbia Place. She is an architect who comes from Huntington also on Long Island and has lived in Willowtown for the past three years.

Elected a director after an absence of three years on the association’s board was William “Bill” Newbury of 23 Willow Place. He works in investment research. He is a native of Concord, Mass., and has lived in Willowtown since 1991.

Elected a director after an absence of one year was William “Bill” Ringler of 10 Columbia Place. He is a former advertising print production manager and copywriter. He comes from Richmond, Va., and has lived in Willowtown since 1979.

Reelected as directors were:

+ Jean A. Campbell, also of 10 Columbia Place, a language specialist and teacher of translation. Her hometowns are Western Springs and Westmont, Ill. She has lived in Willowtown since 1973.

+ Franklin Ciaccio of 43 Joralemon Street, a counsel with the law firm King & Spalding in his native Manhattan. He has lived in Brooklyn Heights since 1966 and Willowtown since 1970.

+ Mary Goodman of 10 Willow Place, an executive recruiter who formerly worked on the business side of magazine and newspaper publishing. She comes from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., and has called Brooklyn home for 20 years and Willowtown for eight.

+ Joseph “Joe” Merz of 48 Willow Place, also an architect. He is a native of Queens who has lived in Willowtown for the past 40 years.

+ Seth Murphy, also of 37 Joralemon Street, a web developer and programmer currently with the Center to Advance Palliative Care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. He comes from Port Jefferson on Long Island and Kennebunk, Maine, and has lived in Willowtown since 1998.

The officers and directors all have one-year terms.

Whereas, it is a time-honored Brooklyn tradition to recognize those outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to the betterment of the neighborhoods they serve and the great Borough of Brooklyn; and

Whereas, President Craig Bickerstaff and the officers and members of the Willowtown Association–a [...]]]> Following is the text of a proclamation issued by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz:

Whereas, it is a time-honored Brooklyn tradition to recognize those outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to the betterment of the neighborhoods they serve and the great Borough of Brooklyn; and

Whereas, President Craig Bickerstaff and the officers and members of the Willowtown Association–a 56-year-old neighborhood-based organization whose mission is to address the issues that impact the quality of life for residents–have gathered to once again host a spring fair to take note of the organization’s ongoing efforts to ensure the economic vitality, safety, maintenance and sense of community in southwest Brooklyn, and featuring entertainment, food and fun, all in support of the organization’s ongoing endeavors; and

Whereas, on behalf of all Brooklynites, I salute President Craig Bickerstaff, spring fair Coordinator Ben Bankson and Linda De Rosa, the officers and members of the Willowtown Association as they host this festive and exciting event that pays tribute to the ‘great heart and mastermind of Brooklyn’s better self,’ Alfred T. White, on the 120th anniversary of the construction of his progressive Riverside Houses, I commend them for their ongoing dedication to improving the quality of life for so many of our residents, and I thank all those present for helping to make Brooklyn a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Now, therefore, I, Marty Markowitz, President of the Borough of Brooklyn, do hereby proclaim Saturday, May 16, 2009, Willowtown Association Celebration Day in Brooklyn, USA.”

In dedication to Alfred Tredway White, philanthropist, architect and founder of the Riverside Buildings in Brooklyn Heights, a plaque is being placed today on a [...]]]> The following remarks were given by Amanda Trees, who was born in Alfred T. White’s progressive Riverside Apartments, as part of a rally opening Willowtown’s annual spring fair May 16, 2009.

In dedication to Alfred Tredway White, philanthropist, architect and founder of the Riverside Buildings in Brooklyn Heights, a plaque is being placed today on a tree in the Riverside courtyard to commemorate the original principles and ideals of this very special person. His innovative beliefs gave inspiration and reality to many buildings to follow throughout the world.

We are hoping to protect and preserve the healthy trees and foliage in the courtyard, much of which has existed since 1889, and prevent their destruction with attempts to construct a parking garage in their place.

Though it has been claimed that new trees will be planted in the places of these phenomenal, wonderful and gentle giants, it is doubtful they will survive the conditions atop a 24/7 garage with vents, constant motion, pollution and inevitable drainage problems.

Sometimes it is possible for good things to happen and good causes to win. Though often the odds are against us, we cannot help but continue the struggle as the alternatives are heartless and sad.

I remember clearly when I was a baby, sitting in a carriage outside this fountain area in the courtyard and my mother’s singing to me every day. Though we moved when I was still very little, there was a firm memory in my whole being about a magical place I once loved, where something very special and beautiful still lived and I somehow searched to find again.

After years of being in the theater and struggling with the problems facing people in the arts in terms of housing conditions and uncertainties, with the help of friends I came back here to live. My mother then told me this was the place I was born–that magical place I remembered from when I was first starting out in the world, my home. It was still here. So was the courtyard and even the swan statue from that time, though it was kidnaped at one point and replaced with another fountain.

To picture the destruction of this peaceful, growing grove of huge trees and flowers in the wrought iron circle is unthinkable. These giant trees are our friends. They are the friends of everyone who sees them, walks by them or drives by them on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Instinctively I know that building a garage here would shake everything up and make many problems, possibly insurmountable. In the end what would result would be a destroyed haven.

Somehow the garage managed to get by some of the channels. But there’s still hope for us and our wonderful courtyard to be restored honestly and truly, not destroyed.

I hope and pray the energies here today will all converge and create a chain of strength that will transcend all of the obstacles and hurdles we face in the preservation of our homes and peaceful courtyard as originally conceived in 1889 by Alfred T. White.

My friends, we are here today to honor Alfred Tredway White and to take a look at [...]]]> The following talk about Willowtown’s “saint,” Alfred T. White, 1846-1921, was given by Bradley Smith, a resident of White’s progressive Riverside Apartments in Willowtown for nearly 50 years, at a rally opening Willowtown’s annual spring fair May 16, 2009.

My friends, we are here today to honor Alfred Tredway White and to take a look at his life and legacy.

What was the world like when Alfred White was born in 1846? Our United States was scarcely 60 years old. Still America offered the prospect of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the poverty stricken and to the persecuted. In the cities of Brooklyn and New York entrepreneurs were pursuing their particular brand of happiness with a vengeance. The rich got richer, while the poor….

Well, the Whites were rich. Alfred White’s childhood home, a palatial mansion, still stands at No. 2 Pierrepont Place in Brooklyn Heights.

There were those individuals and families like the Whites who firmly believed that with wealth comes responsibility. These Unitarians took to heart the biblical admonition that from those to whom much is given, much is required.

We’ll only mention in passing White’s work with the Children’s Aid Society, the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We’ll also only mention in passing White’s putting up the Willow Place Chapel in 1876 and its Columbia House addition in 1906.

We will focus on White’s pioneering work in the field of housing for the working poor. There were settlement houses, settlement schools, sanitariums and hospitals set up specifically for the poor. The poor desperately needed some sort of schooling and training for some sort of work, some place to live and some place to die. And die they did–of cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and yellow fever.

The filthy, feckless poor were crammed together in filthy, rate-infested tenements. We do well to recall that it was not until 1901 that a New York City law was passed mandating one indoor water closet for every two families in any given tenement building. The constitutionality of this law was questioned by unscrupulous building owners who insisted they were entitled to a minimum 40 percent return on their investments. Hopefully they could collect an exorbitant 100 percent return or even more to be squeezed out of the unfortunate, unwashed, unworthy, underclass tenants.

But Alfred T. White, buttressed by his firm religious convictions and his direct contacts with the hard-working, hard-pressed poor, realized there simply had to be decent housing provided for them.

There were model tenements in London, England. White reasoned that there could and should also be model tenements in Brooklyn. White invested his own money, anticipating a reasonable return of 5 percent–philanthropy plus 5 percent.

In 1877 White’s Home Buildings opened in Cobble Hill. In 1878 and 1879 White’s Tower Buildings were erected, also in Cobble Hill. And in 1890 White’s Riverside Buildings were completed in Brooklyn Heights. Philanthropy plus 5 percent proved entirely feasible.

These sturdy brick buildings had outside, fireproof staircases. Inside each apartment had its own sink, its own wash tray and its own water closet. And the innovative idea that sunlight, fresh air, green trees and park space should be incorporated into the very fabric of tenements was nothing short of shocking to some.

More than 100 years later we all realize the tremendous importance of sensible civic planning–planning for affordable public as well as private housing, housing projects with park space and playgrounds, such as were pioneered by Alfred T. White.

Today we ask ourselves how in our time we can preserve and promote the ideas and ideals initiated in his time by Alfred T. White.