Edited by: TJVNews.com
The old cliché. “out with the old and in with new” is not going over very well with some Queens residents. The New York Post has reported that there are plans in the works to demolish an historic synagogue and diner and in their stead would be built a 15-story mixed use condominium building, Neighbors and residents in the Rego Park area are not at all pleased about such a prospect.
According to a change.org petition, more than 3500 people in this area of Queens have signed on to save the Ohr Natan Synagogue which is housed in an Art Deco-style building with an iconic clock tower – and the Trylon Theater & Tower Diner in Rego Park.
The project was the subject of a debate at Community Board 6 meeting in Queens on Wednesday evening.
The Post reported that in written testimony to the board, Queens resident Carol Hagarty who has lived in the area for the last 40 years said, “this proposed change is not just disturbing, it is devastating. No accommodations are in place to preserve whatever is of historic, architectural, or social value on the block!”
Also in written testimony, another public commenter, Joanne Davis, said: “Build apartment buildings elsewhere. Raze ugly square buildings. Do not destroy this beautiful building.”
The Post reported that according to foresthillspost.com the plan by developers RJ Capital Holdings calls for 158 apartments and 18,000 square feet of commercial space to replace the religious institution and restaurant. Rudolf Abramov, the company’s head of development, has previously said he hopes to break ground in 2022.
The project, however, requires a zoning change that must be approved by the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, and is first subject to a public hearing, which was held by the community board on Wednesday, as was reported by the Post.
The petition also states that “A new development would also increase congestion, kill trees, block sunlight, and would lead to a domino effect of demolition & over development in nearby communities. We strongly call on the developer RJ Capital Holdings … and all city agencies and elected officials to be team players and listen to the concerns of the public.”
The petition offered a vibrant history of the buildings that developer RJ Capital Holdings under Trylon LLC (via Rudolf Abramov) want to tear down. According to foresthillspost.com, the plan by developers RJ Capital Holdings calls for 158 apartments and 18,000 square feet of commercial space to replace the religious institution and restaurant. The Post reported that Rudolf Abramov, the company’s head of development, has previously said he hopes to break ground in 2022.
As was stated in the petition: “The Art Deco style theater was named after the 1939 World’s Fair’s symbolic spire-like monument, the Trylon, which stood alongside the globular Perisphere monument. Analogous to the Fair’s theme, “The World of Tomorrow,” where exhibits featured technological innovations, the theater was known as “The Theater of Tomorrow.”
From a streamlined stone façade with a glass brick projection tower illuminating Queens Boulevard, an elliptical marquee once boasted classics such as “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland, “Gone with the Wind” starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, and “The Ghost Breakers” starring Bob Hope, as well as many more recent memorable films including “Pretty Woman” and “Evita.”
Deemed a novelty, the theater was designed by New York architect Joseph Unger (1896 – 1996), a Cooper Union alumnus. Neighboring mom & pop shops were Mildred’s Luncheonette, Trylon Soda & Ice Cream, Trylon Realty, Trylon Tailors, and Trylon Liquors (remains in operation). With multiplexes on the rise, the Trylon shuttered after its 60th anniversary celebration in 1999, and was presumably one of the last single screen theaters citywide. Since 2006, the theater operates as the Ohr Natan synagogue, a center of Judaism and community life.”