LIC Preservationists Say Condo Developer Is Sabotaging Their Landmarking Attempt

Long Island City is no stranger to development, and with over two dozen skyscrapers set to rise in the neighborhood over the next several years, an eight-story condo is comparatively innocuous. But when locals learned that the century-old Elks Lodge would be demolished to make way for more luxury development, they immediately submitted the building to the Landmarks Preservation Committee, hoping to prevent its demolition. Just a few days later, construction workers were spotted illegally removing portions of the building's facade, in what locals believe was an attempt to make it unsuitable for landmark status.

Several people captured footage of construction workers destroying the terra cotta facade yesterday, and nearly a dozen submitted complaints to the DOB, alleging that the work was being done without a permit. By the afternoon, the DOB sent an inspector down to the site at 21-42 44th Drive.

"DOB inspected this site yesterday and issued a stop-work order, along with a violation for work conducted without a permit," a DOB spokesperson said, adding that they'll be monitoring the site closely from here on out.

According to DOB records, the workers were probing for asbestos in the facade. But the timing is suspicious, advocates say, given the recent push to keep the building. The facade, which features intricate terra cotta elks' heads, is part of what makes the building so special, said Bob Singleton, executive director of the Greater Astoria Historical Society—and before the stop work order was issued yesterday, workers successfully removed several of the heads and antlers.

"They were 100 years old," he said. "The symbolism here—the very fact that the community got together and said, 'We think that this is important, we find that there is real value in this,' but an event like yesterday's tells the community, 'You're not important, what you want is not something that is of value—I think sends the wrong message."

After gathering community support, Singleton submitted the building for landmark consideration last week, with the hope that if it the building is landmarked, it could be repurposed as a community center. Before it was sold to developers last fall for $8.5 million, it was a meeting place for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association. It hasn't been home to the Elks since the 1920s, when they moved to a new location in Elmhurst, Singleton said.

"Many of the people that were involved in this landmarking effort were artistic and creative people, and one thing they'd mentioned of deep concern was the fact that being artists, there's a real fear that with all the development they will be pushed out of the community," he said. "This group of people is being given the message that they are not important, and that they are to be marginalized."

Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents the neighborhood, told the LIC Post that this was a clear attempt to derail the building's landmark application, calling it a "a disgraceful act of civic vandalism."

"They are trying to destroy the facade of the building, which is the most architecturally significant part," he said. "The historical presence is extremely important in the landmarking process."

According to the LIC Post, the development would be on both the Elks Lodge's lot and the neighboring vacant lot, and will have luxury condos. One of the developers told the LIC Post in December that the building is "going to be very unique to the area, and it's going to contribute a lot to the 44th Drive corridor." Planet Partners, the developer whose name is on the most recent DOB filings, did not respond to request for comment.

The Elks Lodge isn't the only issue at stake here: there is a concern that Long Island City's overdevelopment is now a given, and older buildings are doomed to be replaced by shiny condos and office towers.

"Why are there no comprehensive plans for responsible development in the neighborhood?" demanded one concerned activist. "What is happening in this city that it's been given away to all developers? ...Those who try to eek out a living in this city are being taken for granted and our history is being erased by the greedy."