Extend Carnegie Hill Historic District one block to Protect Historic East 93rd Street

We, the undersigned, agree that the Carnegie Hill Historic District should be extended one block east so as to include historic East 93rd Street between Lexington & Third Avenues.

Currently endangered by the continuous threat of demolition, this historic block needs immediate protection from further devastation (see http://savemarxbrothersplace.wordpress.com/).

Inclusion in the Historic District, the boundary for which is currently just one block shy of this remarkable collection of some of NYC's most important homes, will help protect the unique catalogue of architectural and cultural history, as represented by the distinctive homes on this block, for future generations.

The incomparable stories told by the 19th century houses on East 93rd Street are the Rosetta Stone to understanding our particular urban culture and the patterns of development as they unfolded throughout New York City's important history.

Houses in the collection on this block pre-date any of the homes already in the Carnegie Hill Historic District, but for one wood frame house on 92nd Street between Lexington & Park Avenues. These extant houses on East 93rd Street stood on the block before there ever even existed a Lexington Avenue, now famous throughout the world.

In addition to this extraordinary catalogue of NYC's architectural history, and the story it tells regarding the evolution of the Borough's development, the block also features one of the most remarkable cultural treasures in the City's vast collection.

Making regular pilgrimages to the block are tourists from all across the globe eager to see the extant childhood home of the world's most Iconic Comic Genuises - the Marx Brothers. Described in loving detail in the critically acclaimed memoir 'Harpo Speaks', the Marx Brothers House is an irreplaceable jewel in the crown of our city's cultural history.

We urge the City of New York and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to act with all due speed to protect this historic block from further devastation. We respectfully request that the Carnegie Hill Historic District be extended one block east so as to include East 93rd Street between Lexington & Third Avenues.