The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Don't Let the 7th Wonder of the Park Crumble


A Sad State Of Affairs
The Oriental Pavilion needs your help!

The fact that the Q got married under its gorgeous ceiling should not persuade or dissuade you. This is one of the great East Park gems and deserves the funding to fix it up. So what can you do? Don't pick up a hammer and nails...pick up your laptop, or better leave it right there so you don't drop it, and hammer out an email. Local Prospect Park activist Seth Kaplan has made it really easy for us. Here's what he says:
Dear Friends,


If you love Prospect Park, please read on. We told the Alliance that the Oriental Pavilion is important to our community and they listened. Now we need your help!

The Pavilion is both a natural gathering place for our residents and a symbolic gateway to our neighborhood. But in recent years it has deteriorated from water damage, Hurricane Sandy and neglect. Last year it became so structurally unsound it was barricaded from use all together.

But it's not too late. The park's leadership has made the repair of this 140-year-old edifice its top priority. And it's asking the City Council for $2 million to restore the Pavilion, fix pathways, repair staircases, add new lighting and a host of other improvements to the Concert Grove. 

Here's what YOU can do. Send a message to the City Council members who will vote on this initiative. Repost this on your Facebook page. Tell your friends. Show that we are committed to bringing this piece of history back to life!

Send an email with the subject “Save the Pavilion” to:

Mark Treyger (mtreyger@council.nyc.gov)
Darlene Mealy (dmealy@council.nyc.gov)
Mathieu Eugene (meugene@council.nyc.gov)

If you'd like a sample form letter, see below or message me directly. Thank you for helping protect Prospect Park. Your input can make a difference!

Sample Letter:
Dear Council Members,

My name is [fill in the blank]. 

I would like to express my support of the Prospect Park Alliance’s capital request to the Brooklyn Delegation of the NYC Council for $2 million to restore Prospect Park’s Oriental Pavilion and surrounding area.

With these funds, the Alliance and NYC Parks can repair the water damage to the Pavilion’s roof and make additional restorations to the surrounding paths, including the installation of path lighting and the restoration of stairways leading down from Breeze Hill. The Oriental Pavilion is a critical community resource, used by our community to celebrate birthdays, weddings, family gatherings and picnics, but it is currently closed due to the need for repairs. The Pavilion is a piece of Brooklyn’s history and I ask that you support this Delegation request. Thank you for your consideration.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Done! Thanks for making this easy with the form letter. I love the old pics of this pavilion - there used to be a restaurant on that flat area in front of it, and you can still see very slight parts of the foundation if you really look.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/concessions/images/Prospect_park_restaurant_postcard.jpg

Seth said...

The funding is for a great deal more than just the structure itself. From the park:

"This plan will completely restore the Oriental Pavilion including an entirely new roof and rebuilt ceiling. The iron railing will be recreated and supports will be repainted. And beneath the structure, the Bluestone will be repaired.

In addition there will be an overhaul of all of the hexagonal block pavement in the upper terrace of the Concert Grove. This work will include modernizing the drainage as well. We will also improve the path to the Breeze Hill parking lot with new lighting and additional drainage. New site lines will be created giving park goers a clear view of the Concert Grove and the LeFrak Center from the Breeze Hill path. Both granite staircases will be reconstructed with new iron railings added for safety."

Anji said...

Done!

Anonymous said...

I have a distinct memory of all this being included in the original Lakeside proposal when that fundraising was launched.