REMARKS
Council Member Carlina Rivera supports Jacob Day residence landmark designation
0:02:44
ยท
104 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera delivers remarks in support of designating the Jacob Day residence at 50 West 13th Street as a historic landmark. She highlights the building's significance in civil rights history, artistic innovation, and architectural heritage in Greenwich Village.
- The building was home to Jacob Day, a prominent African American businessman and civil rights leader, and hosted other notable figures like Sarah Smith Tompkins Garnett.
- It served as a hub for advocacy efforts and later became a center for artistic expression, housing the 13th Street Repertory Theatre.
- Rivera strongly encourages her colleagues to support the landmark designation.
Carlina Rivera
0:02:44
Thank you.
0:02:45
Good morning.
0:02:46
Today, we will be hearing the application submitted by the Landmark Preservation Commission regarding the designation of the Jacob Day residence located at 50 West 13th Street as a historic landmark in Greenwich Village located in the council district I represent.
0:03:02
Thank you, Chair Hanks, for the opportunity to deliver brief remarks in support of this application.
0:03:08
50 West 13th Street is a historical and cultural landmark that embodies the spirit of civil rights advocacy, artistic innovation, and architectural heritage.
0:03:20
Dating to the mid 19th century, the building was home to Jacob Day, a prominent African American businessman and civil rights leader, and hosted trailblazers like Sarah Smith Tompkins Garnett, the first African American woman principal of a New York City public school.
0:03:38
It served as a hub for advocacy efforts including the founding of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the Equal Suffrage League.
0:03:48
In the 20th century, the building became a center for artistic expression, housing the Afro American folkloric troupe and later the 13th Street Repertory Theatre, which staged Line, the longest running off off Broadway show.
0:04:04
Its Greek revival architecture and storied past make it a critical piece of Greenwich Village's history, deserving of preservation for future generations.
0:04:17
I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this designation and am grateful to advocates and neighbors for their advocacy and testimony and support.
0:04:27
Thank you.