New Appeal on Behalf of Condemned Admiral's Row

The curator of Brooklyn's Other Museum of Brooklyn (B.O.M.B.) has written a letter to Gov. Eliot Spitzer asking that he "pardon" Brooklyn's historic Admiral's Row, which are slated to be demolished to make way for a supermarket. (You can see their entire web page devoted to Admiral's Row as well as the letter and a variety of documents here.) The structure have been deemed worthy of landmarking by a variety of groups, but the city says they are in too far an advanced state of ruin to save. Others differ. In any case, the letter reads, in part:

Don’t allow the Mayor of the city of New York to demolish a national heritage site to satisfy a political favor. It appears that you are the only person who, with a stroke of your pen, can undo this madness and insure longevity for Admiral’s Row. Please rescind the A.R.M.O.A. (Admirals’ Row Memorandum of Agreement).

In 1996 the New York State Historic Preservation Office issued the A.R.M.O.A. to the United States Corps of Engineers allowing Admirals’ Row to be demolished without any landmark review (city, state or federal). The demolition permit (A.R.M.O.A) transfers with the title, so that 11 years later the Mayor of New York City can demolish Admirals’ Row without due process; Admirals’ Row is an undesignated landmark and is vulnerable. The A.R.M.O.A. was designed to keep Admirals’ Row from becoming a landmark so that it could be demolished...Please review this urgent matter and rescind the Admirals’ Row Memorandum of Agreement (The New York State issued demolition permit), which would then allow Admirals’ Row to receive a Landmark Review/Due Process.

Gov. Spitzer hasn't so far shown any particular appetite for intervening in Brooklyn development battles, so it will be interesting to see if he has any interest in saving structures that could--with some investment and care--be restored to their former glory.