LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES,
There are four artists still living and working in the Carnegie Hall Towers.
In reference to Daniel Wakin’s reporting about the Carnegie Hall Corporation on January 28th, and most recently on February 24th, I am concerned with a number of omissions. The major omission is that there are four artists still living and working in the studios above the concert hall, built by Andrew Carnegie in 1894. It is simply not enough to say that the proposed “work” will, as quoted by Mr. Wakin, “expand Carnegie’s footprint into the studios in the two towers once rented by artists and others”. Primarily, they weren’t “once” rented to “artists and others”; Rent is STILL being paid by the four remaining rent controlled tenants. When the corporation’s administration moves down the street to live across from Caroline’s Comedy Club, the real joke will be that these four artists will be left alone in their studios. No mention is made as to whether proper services will be maintained for them, as is required by the DHCR. There is only mention of “box-offices operations” being “unaffected”.
Secondly, those Tenants are not accepting Carnegie’s offers to relocate them and are about to be threatened by the Corporation which seeks to have them forcibly removed from their longtime homes by proceeding with Certificates of Eviction at the DHCR after March 4th. This action by the Carnegie Hall Corporation will seriously jeopardize the lives of these individuals, one of which feels, along with her doctors, that she will most certainly not survive a move.
Thirdly, Carnegie’s “footprint” was already stamped on top of the concert hall in 1894 and 1896 when Carnegie himself commissioned Henry Hardenburg to build 180 mixed-use studios in a massive display of artistic ingenuity that created the first multi-cultural arts center in the United States. Mr. Wakin omits that all but three of these studios are to be totally demolished with $ 40,000,000 dollars in NYC taxpayer’s money and $ 10,000,000 from the NYS taxpayer’s money. Many of our revered cultural institutions in this city, namely The Guggenheim and Barnard College, had their very births in the studios of Carnegie Hall. There will be no record of this after Sanford Weill, Joan Weill, and their Son-In-Law Natan Bibliowicz are through with it. In addition, if anything is to be stamped on Mr. Carnegie’s towers it is offices, which will comprise approximately 75% of the space formerly used by myriads of this country’s greatest artists of all disciplines. Ask to see the plans if they’ll show you. It’s shocking. The City of New York is desecrating its own cultural history. Does Penn Station ring a bell?
The next omission is the non-reporting that historic skylights once lighting spectacular northern light atelier style studios on the roof of the building are to be demolished and replaced by a rooftop terrace extending from a 9th floor restaurant (replacing the studios of the former Barnard Club, Barnett Newman’s painting studio, and the Author’s club which was used by Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt and Mr. Carnegie himself). This rooftop garden and restaurant, or event space as the Carnegie Hall Corporation calls it, is to be used ONLY for trustees and donors for fundraising purposes. The public that is footing $ 50,000,000 of the bill will not be allowed access. The rooftop is under contract to be named THE SANFORD AND JOAN WEILL ROOFTOP TERRACE.
The next omission is that the reported debt by the Carnegie Hall Corporation for a $5.4 million loan purchasing a massive condominium for Artistic Director Clive Gillinson in the Barbizon on 64th St. actually cost $ 8,400,000. There is no mention or call to arms at this massive financial irresponsibility and arrogance of the Carnegie Hall Corporation with the purchasing of this apartment in the height of the recession last January, 2009 by Richard Matlaga, the Hall’s Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Wakin reports in regards to $110,000,000 in bonds sold to finance this project. Omitted from reporting is that there are members of the Board of trustees that have direct relationships to the banks involved in the transaction, most notably the Chairman, Mr. Weill, former head and creator of Citigroup. Should not the Attorney General be notified that members of this non-for profit corporation are benefiting their son-in-laws (Natan Bibliowicz already received $5,000,000 in grant money from the Empire State Development Corporation) and the banks of which they formerly or currently serve? Is it not a fair question to ask what individuals purchased these bonds and do any of them have any relation to the Board of Trustees of The Carnegie Hall Corporation or any elected office? I’m sorry; I failed to mention there was no conflict of interest with Mr. Weill’s son-in-law being the architect because Mr. Weill miraculously stepped out of a Carnegie board meeting conveniently at the time that the board voted to hire him. What heroics!
In conclusion, however, I am most concerned with what will happen to the four remaining rent controlled artist tenants who are still living and working in their studios. It’s life and death after all.
Billy Lyons, The Wyoming, February 28th, 2010
For further information, please contact:
Billy Lyons
(917) 576-8771
http://www.studiotowerartists.com
Otto Schulze
(219) 931-6000
http://www.savecarnegiestudios.org
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