This is a follow up to the letter I sent about the street work being done on Horatio St. and what I consider the theft of the original 150 year old cobblestones. Besides writing to Council President Corey Johnson’s office I also wrote to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, NYC Landmarks Violations unit and even the Times. To date I have not received an answer from anyone, nor did anyone come to inspect the work being done. Well, all the new cheap rough cut bricks have been laid. When I was taking these pics, the on-site foreman approached me and said, “so you are the trouble maker” adding that “the city knows what we are doing.” Once before I complained to Mr. Johnson’s office when they were doing the same switch at Gansevoort Street. Johnson’s office just came back to me with the story the contractor told them, that “the old stones were of an irregular size so could not be used.” For one, they had no trouble installing them 150 years ago, and two, if they were being laid on a flat concrete base, they have stone cutters that can cut them shorter to fit. For me, I have had enough. In the future I will just ignore what goes on. The city either does not care or they are aware of contractors selling these stones and replacing them with cheap rough cut ones. The city Government doesn’t care, so why should I?
—Mark Duncan Felix
