FRIENDS' Testimony:

While the Preservation Committee at FRIENDS is sympathetic to the Cooper-Hewitt’s need for increased visibility on Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile, subtler methods have been implemented by other Upper East Side institutions without disrupting the historic character of their surrounding neighborhood. Although the proposed LED lighting and metal canopy are reversible, and these interventions would not damage the monumental stone posts and stately iron fence surrounding the Carnegie Mansion, they are completely inappropriate for this important individual landmark and the larger Carnegie Hill Historic District. FRIENDS urges the Commission to deny this application.