Residents living near the house at 26-19 12th St….
By Dustin Brown
The gray-brick facade of a turreted 19th century home on 12th Street in Astoria Village has emerged as the focal point of a community debate over the future of one of the borough’s oldest neighborhoods.
Residents living near the house at 26-19 12th St. have reportedly received letters from the homeowner telling them it will be demolished — a prospect that has enraged local preservationists intent on maintaining the historic character of the area.
“What you have here are the remnants of a 19th century village,” said Anastasios Sarikas, a 27th Avenue homeowner who is helping to spearhead the fight for preservation. “To allow it to be destroyed without doing anything about it is a crime.”
If the house were demolished and replaced with a contemporary multi-family dwelling, as neighbors anticipate, it would repeat a pattern that has already played out many times in the modern history of Astoria Village.
Steve Sideris, owner of the house that was built in 1880, did not return repeated phone calls for comment.
The neighborhood along 12th and 14th streets by 27th Avenue is a patchwork of historical influences, where churches dating back to the early 1800s sit among the square brick faces of recently constructed multi-family homes and tall white columns of antebellum mansions.
The possibility of losing yet another historic home to contemporary development has galvanized residents to organize a campaign they hope will result in the designation of the neighborhood as a historic district by the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society sponsored a forum in June to explore options for the neighborhood, and last weekend Sarikas was elected president of the Friends of Old Astoria Village, a community group that plans to set the landmarking application process in motion.
A self-described history buff, Sarikas bought a Civil War-era home on 27th Avenue two years ago, sandwiched between his mother’s home on the east side and a modern multi-family dwelling he describes as a “brick box” to the west.
“Two corners are decent, two corners are eyesores,” Sarikas said as he pointed to the intersection of 14th Street and 27th Avenue earlier this week, noting a spot where he believes modern buildings clash with the area’s historic quality. “That type of thing is going to continue until the entire neighborhood has no character.”
While designation as a historic district would require homeowners to submit applications before making any changes to the exterior of their houses, it would also prevent speculators from razing historic buildings to make way for more lucrative multi-family dwellings.
If it does not become a historic district, Sarikas fears the village’s future will be dictated by short-term economic interests rather than an appreciation of its long-term historic value.
“There’s an old Greek phrase that I don’t like: ‘After I’m gone, I don’t care if the grass grows,’” Sarikas said. “There’s something morally wrong with that attitude.”
Although Sarikas said some neighbors are hesitant because the designation would bind them into a partnership with the Landmarks Commission, Sarikas stressed that the commission would be “an extremely good partner in your home.”
What remains to be seen is whether the neighborhood has maintained enough of its historic fabric to be designated a historic district.
Charles Sciberras, a sales associate at Remax Today Realty on Steinway Street, believes the neighborhood has seen too much modern development to be a viable candidate for a historic district.
“I think it’s good if you have enough housing stock,” Sciberras said. “You don’t have enough housing stock over there.”
But Sarikas said representatives of the Landmarks Preservation Commission indicated the neighborhood would have a fair chance of getting the designation when its members informally toured the neighborhood earlier this year.
“We wouldn’t be spinning our wheels and wasting anyone’s time if we didn’t think it could be done,” Sarikas said. “There are patches left. I want to save the patches.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
