May 30th Party Re-Cap

On Wednesday, May 30, a CECPP "angel" on the Upper West Side hosted a party for close to 40 neighbors and special guests in the lovely garden of her 1890's brownstone in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. Members of the CECPP steering committee were on hand to provide updates on our current campaign activities, including progress on our 3 goals (improving the Landmarks Preservation Commission's Fairness and Independence and securing more public Resources). Mark Foley of VolunteerMusic, CECPP's "official songwriter" once again led the audience in a rousing rendition of our campaign's theme song (you can view his 3/22/07 performance here ).

City Council Member Tony Avella and his wife, Judy, came to show their support for CECPP's reform agenda. In total, nearly $3,500 was raised for the campaign. Thanks to everyone who attended and/or donated to the event!

Details of our next house party (the second in what we hope will be a series of such events throughout the five boroughs) are below:

Greenwich Village House Party for CECPP
Thursday, June 14, 2007
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hosted by Nan & Richard Davis
155 West 12th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
A stunning 1840s Greek-Revival rowhouse in the heart of the
Greenwich Village Historic District
Come for drinks and light food.

There is no charge for this event (but please bring your checkbook in case you're inspired.)

RSVP citizens@savelpc.org, 212-380-8612

CECPP House Party

You are Invited!

Upper West Side House Party for the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation

9 West 82nd Street (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)

A restored 1880s Renaissance Revival rowhouse in the heart of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District

Wednesday, May 30, 2007, 6-8 PM

RSVP by May 29 to Citizens@savelpc.org or 212-380-8612. $25 per person

Wine and light food will be served.

**Come join in a chorus of the CECPP preservation anthem (visit YouTube for a preview)!**

Door prize for a lucky preservationist!

The Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation (CECPP) will discuss current efforts to make sure New York City has a landmarks preservation system that works!

The challenge is to get the Landmarks Preservation Commission increased funding, operational transparency and political independence to do its job better so that beloved buildings and neighborhoods all over the City can be preserved.

What This Means:

*More staff to designate more landmarks and historic districts and to safeguard them against inappropriate changes*

*Fair and balanced consideration of community input*

*Making sure Landmarks Commissioners are qualified and free from political influence*

Preservation Lobby Day Recap

Well, the first annual Preservation Lobby Day was a tremendous success. Congratulations to all and thank you for your hard work!

CECPP managed to capture the 12:30 City Hall press conference on video. If you are interested in watching it, it is available of YouTube. The video is broken into two pieces because it was too large for YouTube. Enjoy!

For Part I, click here .

For Part II, click here .

Preservation Lobby Day Press Conference

Reminder: Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 9th, is Preservation Lobby Day. If you are not scheduled to attend a meeting with a Council Member, please join us on the steps of City Hall at 12:30 to support a $1 Million budget increase for the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Join preservation advocates from around the five boroughs, Council Members Tony Avella and Jessica Lappin and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to speak out on the need for more LPC funding on this historic day.
We hope to see you there!

Two Important Announcements

Just a reminder that New York City's first-ever Preservation Lobby Day is taking place next week on Wednesday, May 9th. If you have scheduled a meeting with a Council Member, please let us know by email ( Citizens@Savelpc.org) so that we can be sure that the day is well organized. In addition, please let us know if you plan on attending so that we can be sure to include you in the day's meetings.

By the way, in case you missed it, the New York Sun this week featured an excellent article on the young faces behind New York City's preservation movement. You can read the article here . Congratulations to our own Kate Wood, who was included in this group!

Photo via the NY Sun