In August, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) demolished two city-owned, landmarked, Fort Totten 1892 barrack buildings (323 Story Avenue and 322 Murray Street), as well as earlier frame structure (317 Murray Street) from 1883, without involving the local community board or local residents.
The DOB claimed that the buildings posed an immediate safety concern, but the Department had issued the “emergency” demolition order in 2021, yet did not act on it until 2023.
Fort Totten, in Bayside, Queens, is a former US Army base owned by the federal government but leased to the City of New York under a long term agreement, and managed by the New York City Fire Department.
The base, located on the Willets Point peninsula at the head of Little Neck Bay where the East River widens to become Long Island Sound, includes a New York City-designated historic district of more than 100 buildings and secondary structures, built between the 1830s and 1960s.
In response to the demolitions, Historic Districts Council , the Municipal Art Society of New York and the New York Landmarks Conservancy sent a joint letter to the Mayor’s office to underscore their concerns about the maintenance and preservation of City-owned landmarks.
They received a response from Landmark Preservation Commission. In their letter, the Commission assured the organizations that many City-owned buildings are in good repair.
The advocacy organization remain concerned however, and are advocating for an overarching plan for monitoring City-owned landmarks in order to proactively address the preservation of these important civic assets.
Photo: Fort Totten buildings being demolished in August 2023.
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