No Rocky Road for FDR Granite

The granite blocks for the Four Freedoms FDR Memorial slated for Southpoint park are so fragile, as much as a 29 ton rock can be fragile, that special arrangements had to be made to ship each of the expected 70 blocks to Roosevelt Island. The blocks start their in North Carolina and required special rigging for their truck drive up to Jersey City before being shipped via barge to Southpoint Park.

The full story of the requirements taken to ensure each blocks integrity can be found here.

FDR Four Freedoms Park Billboard ?

I have not been over to the East River from the Manhattan side to see if the FDR Four Freedoms Billboard is back again this year but with the park construction and the UN in session I am assuming it is somewhere.

And with the United Nations back in session I am also assuming the US Coast Guard gun boats are back as well. The picture above was taken last year during this time.

NY1: FDR Memorial Takes Shape on Roosevelt Island

NY1 is running a video regarding the ceremonies held at Southpoint park yesterday welcoming the first 25 granite blocks that will make up the Louis Kahn designed park and specificallt the "Room" that will sit at the foot of the new FDR Four Freedoms Park which is being built here on Roosevelt Island.

Link to the video HERE or above.

Visitor Profile: Treehouses to FDR Memorial

Yesterday, the NY Times ran a profile / Q & A with architect Stephen Martin who is working on the FDR Four Freedoms Memorial now under construction at Roosevelt island's SouthPoint Park and how he came to that project. The story was filed under their "Entry Level" series.

Local Architect Determines that Kahn Design for FDR Park Included Two Sculptures

Roosevelt Island resident Marc Diamond, an architect himself, in a letter to the RIOC Board of Directors points out that the original Louis Kahn design for the FDR Four Freedoms Park was to include a second sculpture which in the FERI design has been omitted.

Mr. Diamond in his letter passionately points out the design of the sculpture was not the focus for Kahn but that he did include two. He reasons that RIOC has as much vested in the design of the park [presumably as the prospective party charged with the care and upkeep of the park] as does FERI and if FERI chose to ignore an original facet of the Kahn design then RIOC has the ability to request that it be reinstated with the shape of the [2nd] sculpture to be determined.

Mr. Diamond points to a April 25, 1974 NY Times article where it clearly states that the original design left by Kahn included a second sculpture evidenced further by the graphics presented in the article and represented with this blog post.

Interesting stuff.

Sign My Petition: Modify the FDR Four Freedoms Memorial Park Design To Recognize FDR's Legacy as a Disabled American

I have created an online petition on line which states the following text regarding the ongoing call to modify or add to the Louis Kahn design of the FDR Four Freedoms Memorial Park, planned for Roosevelt Island, to recognize FDR's legacy as a disabled American:

To: FERI, RIOC, All Federal, State and Local Govt Officials

We, the undersigned, believe that the FDR Four Freedoms Memorial Park, as currently designed by Louis Kahn, and planned for Southpoint Park on Roosevelt Island within New York City should be modified to include a depiction of FDR in some form recognizing his disability.

(1) By recognizing FDR's disability it would further strengthen FDR as a role model to all those with disabilities and again prove that being being differently abled is not a bar and individuals can transcend any impediment placed before them.

(2) By recognizing FDR's disability it would further tie the Memorial to the unique history of Roosevelt Island (formerly known as Blackwell's Island and later Welfare Island) as a home to hospitals and instititions dedicated to the health and well being of individuals who are differently abled.

(3) By recognizing FDR's disability it would additional tie the Memorial to Roosevelt Island recognizing that as a planned community reborn a core component of its rebirth was to enable its disabled citizens to live and function at a level not reached in other communities.

For these reasons and others, we, the undersigned, call upon the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and each of the elected officials representing Roosevelt Island to modify the park's current design to include a depiction in some form of FDR as a disabled American as that fact is as much a part of his legacy as is the Four Freedoms that he brought to this nation.

Sincerely,

The Petition can be found HERE.

Town Hall Meeting Tonight Re FDR Memorial Park

The folks from FERI will be making a presentation tonight at the Good Shephered Community Center regarding the proposed Louis Kahn design FDR Four Freedoms Memorial for Southpoint Park.

The meeting is scheduled for 7:00 pm and will also include a presentation on behlf of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association who are against the current design including its lack of inclusion of any element not recognizing FDR's disability

Will President Obama Visit Roosevelt Island for a FDR Park Dedication?

According to a New York Social Diary posting, President Obama will be invited to a dedication of the FDR Four Freedoms Park which organizers hope to be schedule for the week of the 2009 United Nations General Assembly. The Social Diary post focused, in part, on a reception last month in Philadelphia honoring the planned memorial and Kahn titled “Louis I. Kahn: The Making of a Room”.

If this does happen, security will be amazingly tight on our little island and you can bet we’ll be in partial lockdown mode. I disagree with parts of the park’s design but it would be an honor for the President to visit the island. My bet is that residents would be squeezed out attending the event. Despite this blog being a pseudo member of our local press I have no illusions of receiving an invite but they sure as hell better invite Dick Lutz of the Main Street WIRE and Judy Berdy from the Historical Society.

FERI wants Stimulus Money to Build FDR Park

Updated: 2:51pm for addition of City Council Member Lappin's Response

As reported on Crain New York Business.com the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt institute is applying for $25 million in Federal stimulus monies to supplement the funds they themselves could not raise in 30 plus years for the planned Four Freedoms Park to be built on Roosevelt Island. While the creation of the park will create jobs in the short term I still don't believe this is the best use of public monies at this time.

Per Crains:

"The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute wants roughly $25 million to create a park on Roosevelt Island that was designed years ago by legendary architect Louis Kahn to honor the 32nd president.

“We can begin construction in June, provide 300 jobs and be an incredible tourist attraction for New York,” says former diplomat William vanden Heuvel, who founded the institute.

Mr. vanden Heuvel has dispatched detailed applications to Gov. David Paterson, Sen. Charles Schumer and other power brokers, but he has no idea when to expect an answer. "

Other than City Council Member Jessica Lappin's (D - 5th District) comments below no word yet from our other elected officials as to whether they support this request by FERI.

If any monies are allocated to the Park out of the stimulus funds it would be shocking if they were to receive all $25M they are asking for. As such if these monies are so allocated it should be stipulated that the public areas of the park and not the memorial site and "room" be built first for fear that the FERI folks will never raise the entire $40M plus they project the Parks creation will require.

City Council Member Jessica Lappin's comments re FERI's request (courtesy of the council member's Press Secretary, John Moore):

“I do support the use of federal stimulus money to support this project. In the short term, the construction of the park will directly create 200 construction jobs over the 30 months that it will take to complete the project. In the longer term, the completion of this project will make Roosevelt Island a destination for tourists and others who wish to visit the only memorial to Franklin Roosevelt in his home state. With the design of the park completed, this is a “shovel-ready” project that will have both short and long term benefits for the Island and for our city.”

Letter to Editor re FDR Memorial

Matt Kats, our former Roosevelt islasnd Residents Association President, submitted a letter to the New York Times and the below image is the letter printed from this weekend's City Section (double click to enlarge):

Public Projects Need a Strong Transportation Infrastructure

On Friday, the New York Times published an article about the ongoing effort to bring a memorial to Roosevelt Island for FDR in the form of a public park. I was quoted for two points (1) that the Louis Kahn design which calls for trees on both sides of the park will block the 360 degree views of Manhattan and Queens and (2) that the island would be inundated by visitors. This second point is what I want to address here as I did in my discussion with Mr. Beyer, the Times Reporter, as my point had a bit more to it than what was published.

Yes I am concerned about how many visitors might come to the island. I hope a lot of visitors come to the island and all stop by the local RIHS Visitors Center, the local Strabucks, Duane Reade and Nonnos as well as hopefully further North on Main Street. My concern is not whether the island can handle the increased visitors but more specifically whether our transportation infrstructure can.

In the coming year the Roosevelt Island Tram is scheduled to be taken off line for several months, some expect a year, to be basically reconstruct the entire Tramway system, from new cables, new cabins, new mechanical systems, everything. The question will be whether this new Tram and the existing subway service will be able to handle not only the increase in tourists but the continued residential expansion of the island.

Can NYC and NYS Justify $8M for FDR Park?

This weekend when I read RIOC President Steve Shane's column, in the Main Street WIRE, and was reminded that NYC and NYS have jointly committed $8 million in total to the planned FDR Four Freedoms Park to be built at Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park I could only cry. How in this economy could this make sense? I don't see how either legislative body could allow such appropriations to continue? How can the constituents of any legislator supporting these appropriations not let them know this is wrong? Yet each of our local legislators supports this plan and no one thinks its improper in today's world.

Think how many job training programs this money could fund? How many New Yorkers could be kept in their homes? How many meals can be provided to out of work City residents? Would you close a city shelter to justify a park?

Are these statements alarmist? Perhaps not. Both Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson are predicting the worse is yet to come. Each has already called for massive cuts in existing and prospective budgets. So I ask each of you now how can we keep in the City's and State's budget $8 milion dollars for a park even if the intent is to honor as great a president like FDR? The answer is we can't and we should not.

---------

PS: The $8M is only for Phase 1 of the park's construction and is dependent on FERI matching the $8M. The projected costs for the complete memorial is in excess of $40M and you can bet if the park is started and FERI can not raise the additional funds they will be looking to the City and State to bail them out and to pony up additional funds.

Hey Brooklyn ! We Want Our Granite Back ! Keep Roosevelt Island Granite on Roosevelt Island !

According to the linked article about the future Brooklyn Bridge Park they plan on using granite salvaged from the Roosevelt Island Bridge for their park.

While I am not happy about the design of the future FDR Four Freedoms / Louis Kahn Memorial Park shouldn't the granite from Roosevelt Island be first provided to a local park project on Roosevelt Island?

FDR Wanted Only a Simple Monument

As noted in the images below, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted nothing more than a simple marker placed outside the National Archives in Washington.

In these harsh economic times are we really honoring his wishes by raising $20 million in donations for a monument / memorial park when the funds could better spent on social programs geared to putting those out of work and hungry back on their feet? Perhaps duplicating the below monument and placque would be more appropriate and placing it at the Southern most point of the island facing the United Nations.






Each photo can be enlarged by double clicking the image. The original photos were shot by VotePrime and can be found on Flickr HERE.

Text:

"In September 1941 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called his friend, Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter, to the White House and asked the Justice to remember the wish he then expressed:

"If any memorial is to be erected to me, I know exactly what I should want it to be. I should like it to consist of a block about the size of this (putting his hand on the desk) and placed in the center of that green plot in front of the Archives Building. I don't care what it is made of, whether limestone or granite or whatnot, but I want it to be plain without ornamentation, with the simple carving, 'In Memory of _____'."

A small group of living associates of the President, on April 12, 1965, the twentieth anniversary of his death, fulfilled his wish by providing and dedicating this modest memorial."

NYT City Room Blog Post re FDR Memorial

Sewell Chan of the New York Times City Room blog has posted an article today regarding the recent movement of the Louis Kahn designed FDR Memorial.

The article makes no mention as to how the design (30 years old +) is regarded by the local community. It makes no mention of what the space has become to the local community and what will be lost.

If you like or dislike the design here is a very public forum to leave your comments. Please do so.

FDR Four Freedoms Park Billboard at Southpoint

As stated yesterday a billboard has been erected at Roosevelt Island's Southpoint which in truth simply provides a web site address regarding the future FDR Memorial Four Freedoms Park. It actually is not as large as my "satirical photo mock up" predicted. It still directs web users to a page soliciting funds towards the construction of the park. It does not specifically state that the location of the billboard to be the parks actual location.

It seems a wierd mix to see a sign discussing the four freedoms and basically a small gunboat in the foreground. The Coast Guard boat was in these waters to prevent any boats getting near the United Nations while the General Assembly is in session this week.

The Roosevelt Islander has a great post this afternoon about the billboard and FERI's use of this short term billboard to solicit funding for the park. I encourage readers to go to that post and read it as I agree with it fully.

Big FDR Memorial Sign Marring Views of Southpoint Park?

A report has come in that a large sign has been placed on the grounds of Roosevelt Island’s Southpoint Park advertising it as the site of the dreaded Louis Kahn designed FDR Memorial. I am guessing it is big enough to be seen from the FDR Drive as otherwise what’s the point.

I have not seen it but I hope it is not so tacky to be listing web addresses or phone numbers to donate money. If it is asking for cash this would be evidence that FERI is unable to raise the funds as interest is not there.

The concept of a sign asking for money for an FDR Memorial from a highway named after FDR is a bit strange don’t you think?

RIOC Vote on FDR Mem. at 9/11 Board Mtg.

This Thursday, September 11, 2008, at the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporations's September Board of Directors meeting the FDR Memorial issue is being raised as a vote "Conditionally Designating the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Development of the FDR Four Freedoms Park". I must admit I am somewhat at a loss as what this actually means.

If it means a positive vote vests full control over the site to FERI without their yet securing the $40 million in funds they estimate as needed I am opposed and would counsel the voting directors to do the same. My recollection has been that RIOC President Stephen Shane has stated in the past that if FERI could not secure the funds (by dates now that have come and past) he would counsel RIOC to veto the project. This may not be his exact statement but it was my understanding of it.

I do recall that at one point the deadline was pegged to the groundbreaking of Phase I of Southpoint's development which would be when the Trust for Public Land formally starts construction of the garden area which is planned for between the Smallpox Hospital and Goldwater Hospital. Such a groundbreaking has not yet occured due to some sort of environmental study. I personally have wondered if this study was pushed back to give FERI more time but I am guessing that is just my being cynical.

Mr. Shane has stated in the past that RIOC is bound to the Kahn design, if the park is memorial is created at all, based on a long ago 1974 agreement entered into by its predesessor the RI Development Corporation as well as other State and City agencies. I just seems to me that if each of these organizations today were to state they have no interest in this design that the agreement would be null and void. The odds are but for RIOC no one at these other State and City agencies even knows this agreement exists.

As I stated above if the vote this Thursday is to formally bind RIOC to the Kahn design I ask that the voting directors vote no for reasons I have stated in prior posts that the design is from another time and no longer serves the community and detracts from the natural beauty of the site.

A Wedding at Southpoint Park

All I have to say is you have to go see these pictures by Jerry Yoon Photography of this wedding at Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park. I have never seen a personal event like this at Southpoint and I have to say if this is the first wedding at the site this couple did it right. they look amazingly happy and the groom is a lucky fellow as his bride looked radiant.

If pictures like this alone do not justify stopping the FDR Memorial from destroying the views I don't know what will. Can we convince RIOC that if it continues to rent out Southpoint Park for weddings perhaps they will see that the space is more valuable than any old FDR memorial can possibly be to the community? Of course if they actually take up this idea we would want to limit the number of dates the park is taken out of public use. If RIOC agrees then we can keep the land undeveloped in the manner most of us love today.

Southpoint Park: Paths Not Taken - UNIS

Apparently one alternative use considered for the land at Southpoint Park was to build the United Nations International School at the site. The school eventually settled at the FDR Drive and about 24th Street.

Just imagine if that had happened we would not be having all the discussion of who is for or against the current Louis Kahn designed FDR Memorial.