WGPA

The result is certainly not what we wanted, but thank you nonetheless to everyone who supported the designation of the Austin, Nichols & Co. Warehouse.

The Council, once again led by David Yassky, Simcha Felder and Melinda Katz, voted 37 to 8 with 2 abstentions to overturn Mayor Bloomberg's veto. We picked up a few votes from last week's hearing, but still wound up 4 votes shy of victory. While no one really wants to hear it, that in itself is an incredible accomplishment.

So thank you again for all of your work and all of your support. Thanks to everyone who wrote postcards and signed petitions (there were thousands of you); thanks to everyone who attended hearings (there were hundreds of you); thanks to everyone who called and lobbied council members over the past few days (there were more council members who were sympathetic to our cause, but just not willing to buck the trend).

If you are so inclined, please take a moment to write to those elected official who did support the designation of Austin, Nichols. They did so because it was the right thing to do; because the building deserves landmark status, and because the landmarks process should not be held hostage to the whims of any one council member.

This includes the council following members, all of whom were incredibly eloquent today:

Tony Avella
Charles Barron
Letitia James
Allan Jennings
Margarita Lopez
Michael McMahon
Bill Perkins
Al Vann
Gale Brewer (abstained)
Vincent Gentile (abstained)
(and that doesn't include the 4 members who did not vote)

It also certainly includes Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

And last but certainly not least, it includes Robert Tierney and his staff at the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

All of these people, and their staffs, went out of their way to support designation. Send them a note of thanks.

And, of course, thanks to the staff of the Municipal Arts Society, the Historic Districts Council and the NY Landmarks Conservancy, all of whom put it all out on this issue.

And now, on to the next building(s)...