CUNY mural saved by...Joe Lhota?

FYI... The mosaic mural at City Tech has been saved! The college hired a firm to take the mural down in sections and crate it. Actually Joe Lhota, who is a CUNY trustee, and others, spoke on behalf of saving it at one of the board meetings.

Since 1% of the new building cost must be set aside for art, they're hoping it will be re-installed somewhere in the new building. They're still working on the details. But even if that doesn't work out, at least it wasn't destroyed.

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Jet age architecture soon to be lost

From the Wall Street Journal:

Advocates for the now-vacant Worldport terminal at Kennedy Airport hope their preservation efforts will gain momentum with the bittersweet designation of the former Pan Am building as one of America's 11 most-endangered historic places.

The annual list, compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and slated for release Wednesday, selects architectural and cultural heritage sites in danger of destruction or damage. The flying-saucer shaped Worldport, long-slated for demolition to make room for more operating space at the airport, was cited for its symbolic jet-age architecture.

Constructed in 1960 by Pan American World Airways, the building was known for its large elliptical roof canopy, measuring 450 by 350 feet, which allowed aircraft to taxi under it, providing protective covering for passengers between the plane and the terminal. It was famously featured as a backdrop for the Beatles as they departed on a Pan Am Boeing BA -1.76% 707 after their 1964 U.S. tour, and epitomized the glamour of jet travel in movies such as "Come Fly With Me" and the 1962 "That Touch of Mink," starring Cary Grant and Doris Day.

Delta Air Lines DAL -1.48% assumed the building and other Pan Am assets when the carrier collapsed in 1991. Renamed Terminal 3, it was in use until May 23, when Delta opened the adjacent $1.4 billion Terminal 4 the next day.

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Long Island group tries to save historic house

From CBS New York:

The house was built in 1900 by Civil War veteran George Sumner Kellogg. It is now owned by Nassau County, which plans to build a much-needed larger police precinct at the site.

“When I heard that this house – the Kellogg House – might be (demolished), it was sort of something that I just couldn’t sit quietly by,” said architectural preservationist Arthur Rollin.

History buffs stepped in to save what they called a remarkable time capsule.

“The shingles, the clapboards – a lot of exterior elements – in addition to everything, practically, on the interior, is original to when it was built,” Rollin said. “And it’s 113 years old, so that’s pretty rare to find.

Tubs, sinks and stained glass are also original. The arches are perfect examples of Queen Anne constructionform when Long Island was transitioning from farm land to suburbs.

The house faces what in 1900 was a wood-planked road, which later became known as Merrick Road. At the turn of the 20th century, it was lined with majestic homes of prominent families.

New York State last week deemed the house eligible as a national landmark. Nassau County officials have offered to move the house, but that could compromise its rare brick foundation with tree trunk supports.

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