We have included a few prototypes for those wishing to write to the Chancellor pleading for the needed restoration of The Erasmus Hall Academy.
We especially hope that alumni from NYC, voting constituents, join the fight and express your views.
Thank you.
Contact:
Mr. Joel Klein, Chancellor
New York City Department of Education
52 Chambers Street
New York City, New York 10007
(212) 374-0200
Here are the prototypes:
Date
Dear Mr. Klein:
Prototype A.:
Due to tremendous neglect, the once-proud, Federal style building is today closed because it is structurally unstable. Gone from public view are period classrooms, a dining room, a kitchen and bedrooms designed by the Brooklyn Museum which gave young student visitors great insight in to a time when our populace wrote with quill pens and read by candlelight.
It would be an unthinkable loss if this City and Federal landmark indeed, the second oldest secondary school in the country--were to disappear simply from neglect. Unfortunately, it took the loss of the magnificent Pennsylvania Station for New York City to realize the importance of preserving our landmark structures for generations to come.
The Erasmus Hall H.S. Alumni Association has, in fact, the ability to raise the more than $2 million needed to restore the school but the project has not gotten off the ground because of issues that cannot be resolved with the Board of Education. As you may know, Erasmus has graduated a number of business titans and celebrities, including Al Davis (owner of the Oakland Raiders), Rabbi Harold Kushner (author), Samuel LeFrak, Bernard Malamud, Jerry Reinsdorf (owner of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox sports teams), Beverly Sills, Barbra Streisand, Preston Robert Tisch, Cheryl Toussaint and many others.
It is a dereliction of duty on the part of the city to have let this situation deteriorate to where it is now.
Please, let the Association move ahead and give them the approvals needed to get the work done.
Thank you for your prompt consideration in this matter.
________________, Class of
Prototype B.:
The building serves as a laboratory for Travel and Tourism guides who lead elementary and junior high school students back in time to a boarding school of the 1800's where they can write with quill pens and climb in a hay mattress bed. There are period classrooms, a dining room, a kitchen and bedrooms designed by the Brooklyn Museum.
Our alumni have labored for years to support this wonderful educational project. The study on renovation has been completed by the Buildings Department. Kindly express your interest on behalf of this project. Please keep us informed of your efforts. Best wishes for your success as Chancellor.
Sincerely,
_____________, Class of
In attendance at the noon meeting yesterday April 29th 2008, were John Weiss, Esq. Deputy Counsel Preservation and Wiliam Neeley Jr., Deputy Director, Preservation, both of the Landmarks Preservation Commission of the City of New York, Len Kassan, Principal, EHHS, Len's engineer, Wilhemena Kelly, Ed Golembe and myself, Terry Kaplan (of the EHHS Alumni Assn.)
As you can see from the report, it was encouraging in that "the building was still structurally sound" and we now had the attention of the LPC.
Once we determine what damage has to be repaired we will be able to go out to bid on the actual restoration construction and raise the the required funds.
Money is only part of the problem. Coordinating with the various city agencies who must get involved is the other problem.
At the Alumni Association Board meeting, December 18, 2004, Paul Fraser, and alumni of the school as well as a contractor gave us a pre-summary report on the building. He spoke to the Custodian last Friday, and this week went with him to look at the outside of the building. The custodian said the roof was okay and not leaking. Once exterior is sealed, inside would be okay. A steam heating system was installed, however, Paul wants to get up on the roof to see for himself.
Francine reported when she attended the meeting in March she said there was
a five year budget in place. If not used for classrooms, money would not be available.
The New York City Landmark Commission is to get the school restored, and is supposed to give us a grant for half the Conditions Survey. We have to get School Construction and Department of Education involved with this. We can raise the money and then fix it.
Marty Markowitz told Charles Young, if we can get the money, he would cut the red tape. It was suggested that we invite him to our January meeting. School Construction is the governing body for all schools.
written by Eady Shebroe, class of 1963
We, the Erasmus Hall High School Alumni Association, implore you to get the desperately needed funds to preserve Brooklyn's treasure, which is surrounded by Erasmus' four-building City Landmark. Preservation must be done now before damage is irreversible.
Please contact the Mayor, Chancellor, Congressmen, anyone you think should be able to help!!!
See the photos below to help get the city to restore the "Academy" building.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Chancellor Joel Klein
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
The original Academy Building at Erasmus Hall High School in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, N.Y., opened in 1787 as a boarding school for 26 students. Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and Peter Lefferts were among those who provided contributions to build the school.
As a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, I am writing to you to implore you to restore the precious jewel box Academy Building which houses the Erasmus Hall Museum of Education. It has fallen into a sad state of disrepair having stood proudly in its current location for over two hundred years, a testament to the value of education in America.
On April 29th, members of the Alumni Association board met with representatives from the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the following is their report:
We first had a short discussion in Len's conference room about the recent history of efforts to save the building and then proceeded to the building itself for an inspection. We toured the first and second floors, and some of the participants went up into the attic. We then walked around the building and looked at the exterior. Mr. Neeley, an expert in preservation of landmark buildings made most of the comments about condition.
A short synopsis of some of his statements is that: The exterior, which has most of what is left of the "original" part of the building (As a major reconstruction of the interior sometime in the early 20th century left the interior decidedly unoriginal) is in danger of loss due to damage from the elements, and would need restoration fairly quickly to save it. He mentioned graying of the wood siding and linseed oil. Cost around $1 million. The roof is leaking but not causing the damage he was expecting to see. He was not sure where the water was going, and, as there had been a relatively strong rain the night before, and he did not see pooling of water, he thought that it was not as urgent. He said that it was a tin roof and gave an estimate of about $750,000 for that repair. As far as the structure, Mr. Neeley said that it was sound and not in danger of falling down anytime soon.
As far as a complete renovation, discussion was around use in current times and it was clear that some changes would have to be made to accomodate the handicapped like a ramp or wheelchair lift as per local law.
The two gentlemen made it very clear that they did not care in the least bit about what the building would be used for. They did say that their job was to see that local landmarks were "preserved" but did not say quite how. They also said that they did not actually do the preservation, and had no money for such projects except for small grants not available to City owned buildings. They said that they would somehow communicate their findings to the appropriate agencies, but specifically indicated that there was not a forthcoming written report.
My personal take on the outcome, is that the meeting and subsequent inspection was a positive thing, but not a pivotal event at all. It does not scratch the surface of the problem left at the end of the last round of negotiations with the School Construction Authority (SCA). It does give us ammunition, however.
We did not venture into the basement, which is currently being used for storage of construction supplies, junk etc. There are said to be the missing shutters down there, and may or may not be some of the antiques that were in the building. There are, however, cats living there, which was apparent from the odor wafting up to the 1st floor. This was confirmed by the engineer.
None of the small items which used to be in glass cases were apparent during our tour, but we did not look into each closet, bathroom, etc. There were, however a few pieces of larger furniture of note. 2 old armoires a chest and a later table. A 4 poster bed looked new and made for an exhibit which was apparently done on the second floor to show life in the early times of the building, along with copies of school desks etc. Some mid 19th Century framed photographs were disintegrating under the attic stairs.
The board is now considering possible options and strategic plans and will continue to keep the alumni informed.
At our Board meeting of November 19, 2005 a letter, received from the BOE in response to our letter (see below Update 10/22/05) was read. In short, it stated that they will not change their position and that our attorney should meet with theirs. We continue to meet with a city and bureaucracy that is insensitive and only interested in adding to their own coffers. We are now in the process of securing an attorney with experience in these matters and will provide us his or her services pro bono. Anyone interested in this challenge, please contact the Association. (see the Home Page for contact Information)
They continue to drag their feet while time is against us. The Academy must continue to weather the elements and further deteriorate and our Alumni, especially those in positions to contribute to the restoration continue to age and pass on. We cannot let this happen.
The Board today took the following action regarding the continuing saga to get the Academy Building restored. The Memorandum of Understanding from the BOE was received and reviewed by our Board and many of the terms were unacceptable. We replied by letter as to the terms we would be willing to proceed with. This was answered by the BOE, again stating their terms that were unacceptable. They wanted to control the fundraising and take a percentage, control the money and select and pay the contractors, proceed with the funding and restoration over a 5 year period, they wanted us to be liable for any contingencies in perpetuity, ad nauseum.
They wanted us to set up an appointment with our attorney and theirs to work out an agreement. We are writing them that until they agree to some of our basic concerns we will not meet, but take other appropriate actions to save the building. Watch here for further developments.
At our Board meeting today, we were informed that the Letter of Understanding from the NYC BOE has been received and is now under review. Watch here for further information.
We have some good news to report on the progress of the Alumni Association's efforts to repair and preserve the Academy Building as an Erasmus Hall High School Museum.
A Memorandum of Understanding is being prepared by the attorney's for the BOE to allow the Erasmus Hall Alumni Association to take the necessary steps to make the needed repairs.
More information will be posted here as soon as it is received.
Please continue to check here for latest developments.
On December 16th,2004 Francine M. Rothenberg met with Bill Neeley, the Director of the Historic Preservation Program at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Landmarks has recommended that we begin the restoration of the Academy Building with a Condition Survey. We have received several bids from restoration specialists who will determine exactly what has to be done to repair the building, and Landmarks has agreed to give us a Grant for 50% of the cost of the Condition Survey.
We have been speaking with people at the School Construction Authority in order to determine who from the city will sign the contract for the Condition Survey. As soon as a contract is signed we will be able to get started.
Without the roof, he estimate the cost the repairs would be in
the neighborhood of $9,500 to $10,000. Porch area shingles and window shutters need to be replaced. Everything has to be hand made to resemble how it was originally constructed. We will have to have insurance in place. Once we can get approval, Paul estimates it would
take 2 to 3 months to complete the work. His preliminary estimate without work on the roof came in at $173,000 for repairs. Question was asked about the work being guaranteed, and he said yes.
The custodian mentioned he heard that the inside of the building was going to be used as office space and an administration building for the new schools. We want to preserve the building as a Historical Museum.
Question came up, who signs the contract to do this work? Francine was told it should get started by Spring. Landmark Commission also agrees it should be a museum.
Issues:
1. Usage of the Building - a Museum not office space
2. Get repaired by Spring if possible.
Our Francine M. Rothenberg attended a meeting of the City Council of New York to plead our case regarding the deteriorating conditions of the Erasmus Hall Academy. Her report and testimony was heard and was referred to the Chancellor's office.
The Chancellor's office refused to do anything, stating they do not have the funds, and that, "the building does not serve as a classroom facility". They go on to say that we should explore alternative means of funding. THANK YOU CHANCELLOR.
The Alumni Association has voted to begin the process of the restoration by first, acquiring the services of a Restoration Engineer to get us an estimate of the costs involved.
Second, we will begin a fundraising campaign with it's goal, the financing of the operation.
Finally the letting of bids and getting the necessary permits to get the job done. More information to follow. 
A Federal Landmark, Erasmus Hall High School's original building, Erasmus Hall Academy, is in serious need of repair. Remember the song "Manana"? Well, to quote from it: "The roof she is a-leaking and the ceiling's falling down." Beyond that the floors are buckling, walls are warped, exterior paint is peeling, a window is caving in, front and back porches are rotting.At our Homecoming on May 4th and again at the Super Reunion on June 7th, hundreds of our alumni visited and toured the school and academy buildings. Many of them wanted to know what could be done to fix up the Academy Building, or as it is currently called, "The White House." I explained that as an Historic Landmark we could do nothing; however, you could. Dr. Thomas Lenihan, retired Assistant Principal and Curator of the Museum of Education, is asking the alumni to pressure the Chancellor of The NYC Department of Education to restore the Old Building. It is in dire need of repair, exterior painting, a new roof and new gutters. The Executive Board of the Alumni Association strongly supports Dr. Lenihan. We would like to launch a letter writing campaign to pressure the Chancellor, Joel Klein, to fund the necessary repairs. He prefers snail mail to e-mail and can be reached at the addresses listed below.
Please contact the mayor, chancellor, legislative and community leaders to help us restore the Academy and Erasmus to its former glory. See below for contact addresses.
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) 212-788-9600
FAX (212) 788-2460
E-MAIL:
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
52 Chambers Street, Room #320, B4
New York City, NY 10007
PHONE: (212) 374-0200
E-MAIL: JKlein@schools.nyc.gov
Executive Division
209 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
E-MATL: marty@brooklynbp.org
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