Wednesday, September 24, 2014

More Delays In Restoring Crumbling Historic Harlem Fire Watchtower


The historic Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, (1856) sits atop the Acropolis, the highest elevation in Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mt. Morris Park) deteriorating. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 

The area has long been a hotbed for drugs and prostitution. Instead of providing the necessary resources to secure and maintain the area which would allow the public to enjoy this formerly majestic spot,  for decades the city has instead allowed it to remain in disrepair.  The watchtower,  a city landmark, has been allowed to severally deteriorate. Instead of fixing it the Parks Department shamefully erected a chain link fence around a large section of the perimitor of the crumbling watchtower which has created additonal public safety issues.    

The watchtower, a city landmark, is the only surviving one of eleven cast-iron watchtowers placed throughout New York City in the 1850s.  $ 4 million dollars was allocated last year to repair the crumbling structure however delays have continued.

The Parks Department has entered into a $2.5 million emergency contract with Nicholson & Galloway, a leading preservation firm, to remove the tower and  put it into storage at Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens.

That area of the park was in the news earlier this month when a man was shot by police.

Manhattan

The project is going to get done, city officials say, but it’s going to have to be done differently than initially planned.  

The decaying state of Manahttan’s only remaining cast-iron fire watchtower forced officials to re-think earlier plans to dismantle, restore, refabricate and re-install it under one contract, said Parks Department spokesman Philip Abramson, according to the New York Daily News.  

Marcus Garvey Park’s Fire Watchtower Preservation

My office announced a $1 million allocation yesterday that will complete the preservation of the historic Fire Watchtower in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park—the last such 19th century structure standing in New York City. This allocation was the final financial piece needed to finish a restoration project that began in the early 90’s.
Without the funding provided today and the restoration work to follow, we were in danger of losing a significant part of Harlem’s history I’m proud that a structure which had been abandoned and fenced off will once again become a beautiful and vibrant part of this public park. I’m also proud to have worked with the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance and the Mount Morris Community Improvement Association to have made this possible.  
This 47-foot, cast iron tower has been watching over Harlem since 1857 and was designed as a lookout post for fire volunteers, who would climb the stairs, look out for fires and ring a 10,000-pound bell in the event of a blaze. Even as the fire department modernized, replacing towers with telegraphic alarms, the tower played a role in the community, with the bell sounding during the week and on Sundays for timekeeping and church purposes. The tower is a designated New York City landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

August 28, 2013. Last Summer Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer held a press conference to announce the restoration of Harlem fire watchtower and a $1 million allocation.



The last of eight 19th century Manhattan emergency alert systems was found to be in “poor to failed structural condition” by a Department of Buildings inspector earlier this year. 

Additional supports were found to be insufficient and even dangerous, Abramson said. 

“The only responsible action is to dismantle and store the structure as quickly as possible so that we do not risk losing it entirely,” he added.  

The agency entered into a $2.5 million emergency contract with Nicholson & Galloway, a leading preservation firm, to take the tower apart and get it into storage at Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens.


A decrepit staircase leading to the Harlem Fire Watchtower.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 


City and elected local officials doled out a combined $4.2 million last year toward the restoration of the watchtower, and preservationists and residents have expressed concern that the city-ordered changes in the plans could delay the project.

“Everybody has a sense of interest and pride (in the watchtower) — it’s in our neighborhood,” said Sam McClendon, president of the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association. 

“The concern is the down time, the lag time in getting the (work started). It’s the delay that concerns everyone the most.”  

Councilwoman Inez Dickens, who contributed nearly $2 million toward the project, said she was going to meet with the Parks Department for an update. She also hopes to add WiFi to the tower.  

The agency has begun discussions with an engineering firm, Thornton Tomasetti, to revise the design contract, Abramson said, adding that the plans will be modified and shared with community groups this summer.  

Shortly thereafter, the agency will start looking for a contractor to begin restoring the rusty, crumbling 47-foot relic.

The historic Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, sits atop the Acropolis, the highest elevation in Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mt. Morris Park).


Read More:

New York Daily News - September 23, 2014 - By Jan Ranson 

WCBS - August 28, 2013 

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