Roosevelt Island Master Plan Drawing From Architect Philip Johnson Up For Sale - Read First Main Street 1973 Report Of Roosevelt Island Dedication

Image of left, Raj Ahuja, John Burgee and Philip Johnson in 1987 from NY Times Via Atlanta Journal Constitution

Interested in Roosevelt Island history?

According to Architectural Record, among the drawings from architect Philip Johnson's archives being put up for sale is his Roosevelt Island Master Plan drawing.

The NY Times has more on the Phillip Johnson archive sale including:

A huge and previously unknown trove of archival material from Philip Johnson’s architectural practice — including his hand-drawn sketches for towers that helped define postmodern architecture — is to be put up for sale by one of Johnson’s former partners, who has had them in storage for years....

and:

... Mr. Robinson was especially struck, he said, by the degree to which the drawings concern themselves with the surrounding context.

“Nobody thinks of Johnson as a planner,” Mr. Robinson said. “They think of him as an antiurbanist. He really was concerned with how life interacted with these buildings. You get elaborate plans for walkways, roads, the works.”...

Below is very first issue of the Roosevelt Island Main Street newspaper (via RIOC) with a front page article and pictures of the 1973 dedication of Roosevelt Island including the receipt by Philip Johnson of a Diamond Jubilee Award for his work on the Roosevelt Island Master Plan by then Mayor John Lindsey.
Roosevelt Island Dedication 1973 Main Street WIRE

RIOC, (the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp) is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the signing of the Roosevelt Island Development Plan and has more on the Island's development history here.

For more information on Philip Johnson, check out this You Tube Video of Philip Johnson interview from American Architecture Now.

RIOC Seeking Help Writing Roosevelt Island's 40 Year History - Who Controls The Past Controls The Future. Who Controls The Present Controls The Past

Image of George Orwell from allposters.com

RIOC has issued this Request For Proposals, dated July 7, 2008, for qualified consultants to:

... document the development history of Roosevelt Island (1969 to Present).

While the early years of Roosevelt Island, before it was so named, have been well documented by on and off Island landmark and historic conservancy groups, the development years, starting with the Lease and General Development Plan (Dec.1969) have been less so. Though the planning and opening of the original Roosevelt Island residential community (the WIRE buildings) was publicly heralded, there has been very little documentation of the continued development, which more than doubled the population and modified the very detailed physical and social planning efforts establishing this government sponsored “small town in town” urban experiment.

December 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the 99 year lease between New York City and New York State, which gave rise to this experimental urban, East River island community. It provides the opportunity to reflect on what had been promised, what has actually been delivered and where the two do and do not converge. Some expectations have been exceeded and some frustrated; some deemed obsolete and some still out of reach.

RI is finally generating income, assuring its financial security, self sufficiency and ability to finance the completion of the “Plan” as amended. Its contemplated residential components have been built or are underway. As a result RIOC finds itself in the pivotal position of setting and funding service, operational, social and infrastructure priorities which will influence the second half of the lease period
and the ultimate success of this “small town in town” urban experiment. How RIOC manages the legacy opportunity of completing the plan and the promise will be studied for years to come.

In order to project forward, however, there is a need to have a better shared understanding of the past and the present. After 40 years key City Hall officials do not know of the lease and general development plan and are surprised by the notion that Roosevelt Island is entitled to City municipal services, the same standoffs regarding jurisdictional responsibilities have festered for the life of this
community; most lifelong New York City residents have never been here and many think of Roosevelt Island only when the Tram is troubled.

Contacted by architecture and urban studies students and representatives of groups such as the American Planning Association, which last met on the Island in the 70’s, RIOC has no current publications, documents or events trumpeting its successes or proposing future directions suitable for the general public much less for professional groups, students, and elected officials. The most recent compendium of demographics, retrospectives and future planning ideas appears to have been produced in 1994, before either the Octagon or Southtown developments were even proposed, much less built.

The full amended document requesting proposals is here.The submission deadline for bidders on this RFP is July 28 at 2:PM.

This may at first seem to be an unimportant academic study of Roosevelt Island's history. However, it could be very important to the ultimate outcome of controversial Island issues such as the future of affordable housing, development of Southpoint Park and the Coler-Goldwater Hospital campus as well as issues of local governance because whoever determines the historical record, also creates the "facts" upon which future decisions are based. As stated in the RFP about the study:

It provides the opportunity to reflect on what had been promised, what has actually been delivered and where the two do and do not converge. Some expectations have been exceeded and some frustrated; some deemed obsolete and some still out of reach.

Below is the Roosevelt Island General Development Plan as amended (2003)

Roosevelt Island GDP Amended & Restated June 2003 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Roosevelt Island GDP Amended & Restated June 2003

Also, the Roosevelt Island Master Lease Between the City and State of New York is here.

The quote in the title

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past

is from George Orwell's 1984.

Is Roosevelt Island's Southtown Riverwalk Project Complying With Affordable Housing Requirements?

Image from NY Times

Below is joint letter from Roosevelt Island elected officials to Deborah VanAmerongen, Chair of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and Commissioner of New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). In light of NYU's $43 million purchase for faculty housing of 58 Riverwalk condo units, the letter urges the Spitzer administration and RIOC to comply with the Roosevelt Island General Development Plan by ensuring an affordable housing component to the 9 Hudson/Related Southown Riverwalk buildings. To date, the extent of the required 40% affordable housing component included in the 4 existing and 2 almost completed buildings remains unclear.

Here is an advertisement for 25 affordable rental units out of a total of 221 at Riverwalk's Building 4. I am not sure if this is accurate, but I recall being told that the Weill-Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering units in Buildings 1 and 2 being used for staff housing constitutes "affordable housing".

The letter is signed by Congress Member Maloney, Assembly Member Kellner, State Senator Serrano, Manhattan Borough President Stringer and Council Member Lappin.

January 29, 2008

Deborah VanAmerongen
Chair, Board of Directors
Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation
25 Beaver Street
New York, NY 10004


Dear Chair VanAmerongen:

Together we have worked hard to preserve affordability in Northtown, and we are pleased that the new administration appreciates the role of the General Development Plan (GDP) as Roosevelt Island’s blueprint, a document that cannot be ignored or amended at a whim.

We appreciate the Governor’s commitment to ensuring 100 years of affordability on Roosevelt Island, and we take this opportunity to remind you that this goal must encompass not just Northtown but also Southtown, and that the latter remains just as subject to the mandates of the GDP as the former.

In light of the recent news that New York University has agreed to purchase 58 apartments in Riverwalk Landing for faculty residences, there has been a renewed focus on Southtown’s place in the fabric of the Roosevelt Island community. We believe it is important that the administration and RIOC ensure that new housing in Southtown includes truly affordable units as required by the GDP.

Roosevelt Island’s amended General Development Plan mandates that at least 10-20% of housing in Southtown must be reserved for families whose incomes do not exceed 50% of the prevailing median income in the New York City metropolitan area, while at least 30-40% must be reserved for families whose incomes do not exceed 120 % of the area’s prevailing median income. With four of Southtown’s nine buildings completed, and the fifth and sixth buildings having just been topped off, it is vital that RIOC and DHCR be prepared to ensure that this 40% benchmark for affordability is upheld. What is being done to ensure that Hudson-Related upholds the terms of the GDP and that when all nine buildings are completed, 40% of their units are affordable and occupied by low- and middle-income residents?

Preservation and expansion of affordable housing is at the core of the State’s role in Roosevelt Island. This administration has demonstrated its commitment to this principle with respect to Northtown. It must act now to show that it is equally committed to guaranteeing affordability for Southtown.

We ask that you reply to Assembly Member Kellner at 315 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065.

Very truly yours,

Carolyn B. Maloney Scott M. Stringer José M. Serrano
Member of Congress Manhattan Borough President State Senator

Micah Z. Kellner Jessica S. Lappin
Assembly Member Council Member

cc: Steve Shane, President, Roosevelt Island Operation Corporation
David Kramer, Hudson-Related
James Clancy, Office of the Governor
Mathew Katz, President, Roosevelt Island Residents Association

Here is May 2007 Main Street WIRE interview with VanAmerongen in which she discusses the issue of affordable housing on Roosevelt Island.

UPDATE 4:51 - 1/10 Main Street Wire interview with VanAmerongen on Roosevelt Island Mitchell-Lama affordable housing:

On affordable housing in New York City as a whole: "It demands a greater level of creativity and commitment. But we are doing new affordable housing within the five boroughs every year... Almost everything we have done required weaving together various sources of financing. Affordable housing in New York City is difficult because of the lack of available land, the high cost of construction, and a number of other factors that make it more complicated. But it is something we are definitely committed to." She said she would look into whether there might be a way to use the $20 million mortgage pay-off Rivercross made to ESDC over a year ago for affordable housing on Roosevelt Island.

UPDATE 2/5 - If you wish to participate in a new poll on the topic of Roosevelt Island housing, here is the question: Should there be more subsidized "affordable housing" or "market rate" housing on Roosevelt Island"? The poll is located on right column page below Roosevelt Island Governing document links

Governors Island Says No Way to Louis Kahn/FDR Memorial! Why Can't Roosevelt Island Residents Do Same?

I have made the suggestion in earlier post that Governor's Island would be a more appropriate venue for the proposed Louis Kahn/FDR memorial than the current proposed site at the southern tip of Southpoint Park on Roosevelt Island. From that earlier post:

Maybe supporters of Governor's Island development would like the honor of being the site for the Louis Kahn's memorial. In fact, a memorial based upon FDR's Four Freedom's speech (here is transcript and audio) is far more appropriate at a location facing downtown Manhattan and the World Trade Center/Freedom Tower site than on Roosevelt Island where it is not wanted and detracts from a real, green, waterfront park. A memorial to FDR, who overcame many health difficulties, on Governor's Island would also be a fitting tribute that complements Mayor Bloomberg's International Public Health Center proposal for Governors Island.

Roosevelt Island would be glad to cede the Louis Kahn Memorial to Governor's Island. To paraphrase the great, all knowing and wise Henny Youngman - Take the Louis Kahn memorial ... PLEASE!

Apparently Governors Island does not want the Louis Kahn memorial either.

I attended a recent meeting concerning the NYC waterfront. At the meeting were representatives of waterfront neighborhoods, City planners, public officials and others interested in the future development of NYC's waterfront. I had a conversation with a representative of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) about the proposed Louis Kahn/FDR memorial and asked that person's opinion on whether GIPEC would be interested in including the Kahn memorial in the plans for Governors Island. The response was that there was NO WAY they wanted that thing on Governors Island and that the 1970's concrete and granite design was not appropriate for a modern park.
So I ask again. Why does Roosevelt Island get stuck with the Louis Kahn/FDR memorial for Southpoint Park instead of the Trust for the Public Land's Wild Gardens/Green Rooms plan that is favored by the residents of Roosevelt Island and that retains these fantastic views that will be blocked by the Kahn design?

One of the arguements made in favor ot the Louis Kahn design by its advocates is that some sort of committment or binding obligation had been made by New York State to have it built. However, there is no mention at all of the Louis Kahn design in the Roosevelt Island General Development Plan (GDP) but there is a specific mention of a park at Southpoint. Had there in fact been such a committment for the Kahn memorial it would have been included in the GDP which outlines the approved development of Roosevelt Island. Since the Kahn design is not in the GDP please stop making such arguments.

Image of No Way sign is from Image Chef.
Governors Island image is from GIPEC.
Image of Louis Kahn/FDR memorial is from Architectural Record.

UPDATE: 12/23/ - NY Times article from 12/20/ describing the plan chosen for Governors Island development:

The design, commissioned by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, calls for transforming much of the flat, sober island, which is roughly a half-mile from Lower Manhattan, into green space. That includes a two-mile promenade at the water’s edge, a new park on the southern flat expanse of landfill — where abandoned Coast Guard buildings are to be demolished — and an improved park in the island’s northern historic district. The architects proposed using the detritus from the buildings that are to be destroyed to form hills that would exploit the island’s views, which include the Statue of Liberty.

And:

... one of the architects, said: “We tried to establish different ecological zones with the park. Topography, shoreline, freshwater places for migratory birds to land because they use the Hudson River as their compass.”

Gee, doesn't that sound like the Trust for the Public Land's Wild Gardens/Green Rooms design for Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park? I don't see any concrete or granite memorial for Governors Island Park but that is what is planned for Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park.

Open Government and Transparency Emerging on Roosevelt Island

One of the first posts on this blog (during the ALL CAP DAYS) stated a goal to:

...provide concerned citizens easy access to the historical background of how Roosevelt Island has been governed in the past and to promote openness and transparency by our current governmental representatives

and noted:

... it would be of great use to the community if other important Roosevelt Island governing documents such as the General Development Plan and all Amendments thereto be made available to the public.

Thanks to RIOC President Steve Shane, the Roosevelt Island General Development Plan and the 1969 Roosevelt Island Master Lease between the City of New York (Lessor) and the NY State Urban Development Corporation (Lessee) and Welfare Island Development Corporation (Subsidiary) are now available online for review by all who may be interested. A permanent link will be on the right side column under the title Roosevelt Island Governing Documents.

The 12/11/07 Washington Post had an article describing problems accessing government information by citizens as well as by other federal, state and city agencies. According to the article:

The biggest hurdle agencies face in sharing information with one another and with citizens is not the technology but rather how the agencies organize information, said Karen Evans, who oversees the e-government program for the Office of Management and Budget.

The article also reports that Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and officials from Google will testify before:

the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs today, urging Congress to require federal agencies to make their Web sites, records and databases more searchable

and according to Wales:

"It's really important for the notion of public participation for [agencies] to be striving to be as open as possible,"...

Who could have imagined at this time last year that RIOC would be ahead of the curve in making government documents and information available to the public. Certainly not me nor the NY State Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions that concluded in 2005 of prior RIOC administrations:

The operation and management of RIOC has exhibited, in the past, a pattern of secrecy and unaccountability consistent with what the Committee has found at other authorities. With respect to relations with the Island's community and institutions, including matters such as open meetings, FOIL requests, public participation and RIOC activities and full public disclosure of important public issues, RIOC must show significant improvement.

Certainly RIOC operations have begun to change for the better here on Roosevelt Island. If anyone has any suggestions for additional information or documents concerning Roosevelt Island to be made publicly available please let me know and I will try and get it. Good job by RIOC in providing citizen access to these essential Roosevelt Island governing documents.

Image is from Inman News.

OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY

ONE OF THE PRIMARY GOALS OF THIS BLOG IS TO HELP PROVIDE CONCERNED CITIZENS EASY ACCESS TO THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HOW ROOSEVELT ISLAND HAS BEEN GOVERNED IN THE PAST AND TO PROMOTE OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY BY OUR CURRENT GOVERNMENTAL REPRESENTATIVES. TO DATE, THE CURRENT RIOC ADMINISTRATION HAS EXPRESSED BY WORDS AND DEEDS SIMILAR GOALS.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE MINUTES OF THE RIOC BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS FROM 1997 -2006. PERHAPS, IN THE SPIRIT OF OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY, RIOC CAN MAKE AVAILABLE ON THEIR WEB SITE THE MINUTES TO THE 2007 BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS AS WELL

ALSO, THE RIOC WEB SITE INCLUDES A LINK TO THEIR 2007 FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND 2007-08 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF RIOC COULD POST FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR PRIOR YEARS ON THEIR WEB SITE SO THAT COMPARISONS COULD BE MADE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

IT WOULD BE OF GREAT USE TO THE COMMUNITY IF OTHER IMPORTANT ROOSEVELT ISLAND GOVERNING DOCUMENTS SUCH AS THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND ALL AMENDMENTS THERETO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. ANY IDEAS FOR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THAT SHOULD BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC WOULD BE WELCOME.