NEWS:  Carnegie Hall Corporation Firms Plans to Destroy Artist Studio Towers


For Immediate Release
February 16, 2010
savecarnegiestudios.org

The Carnegie Hall Corporation, under the Management of Sanford Weill (Citigroup), and under ownership by The City of New York and Michael Bloomberg, is firming up plans to destroy one of the most precious of cultural jewels: the Artist Studio Towers that have lain atop the concert hall since 1894.

Ironic it is that such action is being taken in light of the fact that the studios are the only source of artistic output of a significant importance in all of New York.  Andrew Carnegie, William Burnet Tuthill, and later Henry J. Hardenberg designed Carnegie Hall and its studio towers as a center of artistic expression and as a cultural mecca of grand proportions.

Throughout the years, Carnegie Hall has enjoyed the reputation of being one of the world's principal centers of music and dramatic arts.  But, with this barbaristic turn of events, Carnegie Hall's management has lost sight of its core mission and has endangered the viability of the building; thus, unwinding all the factors that led to the success of saving the edifice in mid-1960.

The magic of Carnegie Hall's success has been the individual artists who have resided there and planned their concertizing activities in the three halls that the building supports.  Besides these activities there were myriad numbers of famous artists who taught individually. (There are 5 Rent Controlled Tenants remaining; A Poet, Classical Pianist, Two Photographers, and a designer.  50 Tenants were forced to leave in 2007 and 2008.)

In addition, famous schools, chamber groups, choruses, ballets, poets, painters, photographers, actors, and orchestras were home to the Carnegie Hall studios.  In stark contrast, if the management puts in an education facility, (The Sanford Weill Music Institute), that occupies only 25 % of where the studios once were, while 75 % of the studio spaces are turned into Carnegie Hall Corporation offices, how can this adequately take the place of Carnegie Hall's professional activities and the afore-mentioned cultural climate?  It will be the case that Carnegie Hall will lose its panache and its professional standing in the world's stage and its loss will be a terrible tragedy for upcoming future generations of budding artists from every field who will have nothing to inspire them.

Carnegie Hall has been, throughout the years of its existence, home to practically all the great personages in music.  Where is our sense of history, if we see all that perish due to the whims of a "Corporation" directive?  Even if such directive rings an apparent attractiveness, we should consider well the far reaching effects that such plans inflict upon the cultural climate of New York and the world.  Will Carnegie Hall still produce great personages of art and culture in the future?  If we believe that the Carnegie Hall Corporation has the artistic patrons' best interest at heart, how can it be that they could actually throw out a pipe organ in the trash dumpster and still call themselves defenders of the arts and culture?  How can it be allowed that the “Corporation” plans to DEMOLISH every square inch of its historic studio space, removing forever a massively important piece of New York and the country’s Cultural History, only to replace it with a contemporary design put into place by Mr. Weill’s Son-In-Law?   How can it be that the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the removal of the historic skylights from the roof of the Concert Hall, only for it to become a roof-top garden for Trustees and fundraising purposes extending from a restaurant on the 9th floor, forbidden from the public? Must we remind the New York City taxpayer that they are earmarked to shell out over $40,000,000 for this project and the New York State Taxpayer over $10,000,000, without their knowing it!? And all this in the middle of a recession?

Carnegie Hall and its studios are an international jewel that must be preserved for all posterity, including every facet of its contributions to the posterity of all the arts.  Carnegie Hall is a noble beacon which keeps the lamp of civilization going.  If we snuff it out, our world will be the poorer for it.

This release is an appeal to all journalists to take up the cause and correct this wrong before the building is again put in danger of the wrecking ball.  The actions of the Carnegie Hall Corporation's Management and Board of Trustees are an antithesis to culture and the fine arts.  This is an urgent call for action.  Time is running out.

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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