City Demolishes Landmark Building

New York City Farm Colony - Seaview Hospital Historic District Building Destroyed

Farm Colony Building

Dormitory 3 & 4 in the New York City Farm Colony - Seaview Hospital Historic District was demolished by emergency order of the Department of Buildings in August 1999, at the urging of City Councilman James Oddo, with the apparent complicity of the offices of Borough President Guy Molinari and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, but without consultation with the New York City Landmarks Commission.

The excuse for this wanton destruction was the proximity of Dormitory 3&4 to two Babe Ruth League ball fields, which had been constructed within the historic district without a permit from the Landmarks Commission. One suspects that the Commission would not have permitted these ball fields, had they foreseen the consequent destruction of a key contributing building in a historic district.

ANew York Times article on September 5, 1999 describes the Landmarks Commisssion involvement: "Terri Rosen Deutsch, a [Landmarks] commission spokeswoman, said Mr. Hauer [director of the Mayor's office of emergency management] had said demolition was merely a possibility. 'He said he'd call back,' Ms. Rosen Deutsch added. 'But shortly after that, the building came down. There was no call.' Normally, if a building is not an emergency safety hazard, the commission would work with the Buildings Department to save it, she said.

In a press release, Councilman Oddo called on the mayor to "rid [the Farm Colony and Seaview Hospital] of the abandoned and decaying buildings that have long-since plagued their grounds." Mr. Oddo has managed to get rid of one landmark building. His intentions toward the others are quite clear. Councilman Oddo's attitude was described in a New York Times article on September 5, 1999: "Mr. Oddo, who avoided that process by having the city declare an emergency, said the building was not worth saving. 'It resembled something you'd see in Berlin in 1945,' he said. He said he did not consult with the landmarks commission because 'I thought they would have been obstructionist.'"

The New York City Farm Colony – Seaview Hospital Historic District, the first historic district in Staten Island, was designated in 1985. The district consists of the buildings and grounds of two municipal institutions sited on approximately 320 acres at the center of Staten Island. The two institutions lie across Brielle Avenue from one another. For two short periods in their history they fell under the same administration, but they were founded separately – The Seaview Hospital as a tuberculosis hospital, the Farm Colony as a poor farm. The demolished building - Dormitory 3 & 4 was the second building constructed in the Farm Colony. It was designed by William Flanagan and completed in 1909. This building had been damaged by arson fire in the early 1990s.

Dormitory 3 & 4 today
Dormitory 3 & 4
after demolition

Go to more information about the New York City Farm Colony - Seaview Hospital Historic District

Please e-mail Councilman James Oddo and the Chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commsiion and express your outrage at the demolition of Dormitory 3& 4 in the Historic District.

last revised September 6 1999
by Preserve & Protect