Tweed Courthouse. Image credit: CityLaw

New York City has a long and rich history of scandal and corruption. Here are three examples from favorite books that visit past scandals in complete and revealing detail.

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West Side church claims designation will hinder its ability to restore and remain in Romanesque Revival structure. On July 14, 2009, Landmarks heard extensive testimony on the potential designation of West Park Presbyterian Church, at 165 West 86th Street in Manhattan. The red, sandstone- clad Romanesque Revival building was built in two phases. In 1883, the church commissioned Leopold Eidlitz, who also worked on the Tweed Courthouse and St. George’s Episcopal Chapel, to design a small chapel on the site. Six years later, Henry Kilburn expanded the church, incorporating the original brick chapel with a new sanctuary and bell tower, and cladding the entire structure in Longmeadow sandstone, the only church identified within the City to use this material.

West Park congregation members and other representatives of the church spoke in opposition to designation. Kramer Levin attorney Valerie Campbell, representing West Park, testified that instead of helping to preserve the church, designation would hasten its decline. She stated that the building suffered severe structural deficiencies, including a damaged roof, forcing the congregation to worship at another site. (read more…)