Provincetown Playhouse Demolition Press Conference
Oct 21st, 2008 by Take Back NYU!
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a press conference today to protest NYU’s planned demolition of the Provincetown Playhouse. NYU has put up scaffolding and boarded up windows in anticipation of a permit to demolish the Playhouse, despite not yet having a permit to begin de-construction. With Reverend Billy at their side, the GVSHP pointed out that NYU has already begun to break promises set out in the NYU 2031 process - in this case, the promise to preserve and re-purpose buildings before demolishing.
The building is considered historic because of its past as a site for original performances of works by Eugene O’Neill, William Carlos Williams and EE Cummings, among many others. The NY State Historic Preservation Society recently designated the building eligible for landmarking.
NYU’s backtracking on promises made about demolition shows why the Take Back NYU! campaign is so important. In order to make sure NYU keeps its promises and preserves the surrounding community, it should take steps towards democracy, accountability and transparency.