Contact: Sue Shutte
E-Mail: Sueshutte@cs.com

BAYSIDE, N.Y. -- Civil War-era landmarks cared for by New York City's Parks Department will be protected for future generations thanks to a spring volunteer project initiated by students in historic preservation planning at Cornell University.

The students and other volunteers will stabilize neglected historic buildings and battery walls at Fort Totten Battery, in Bayside, Queens, from Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14. They hope that preserving the structures now and improving their appearance will lead to city support for their eventual restoration and use by the public and nonprofit groups.

Between the Civil War and World War I, the battery was used, along with Fort Schuyler, to protect the entrance to the East River. Turn-of-the-century army quarters, batteries, magazines and a tunnel still can be found at the site, which has been designated an official New York City landmark district.

The City of New York Parks and Recreation Department will become the new steward of part of Fort Totten as soon as a planned transfer of land from the federal government goes through this year. However, Parks Department inspections of the site showed several of the structures to be in hazardous states of disrepair, and people with the department worried about finding funds to halt the deterioration -- $10,000 or more, by some estimates.

Recently, the Cornell students were hunting for a preservation project that they could accomplish over a long weekend entirely with volunteer labor and donated materials, similar to successful past projects that other Cornell students had done on Ellis Island. Maria McMorran, a planner with the Parks Department, proposed Fort Totten, which turned out to be ideal.

Joining the 40 student volunteers will be 30 Cornell preservation program alumni and several Parks Department staff members, working under the guidance of Michael Tomlan, associate professor and director of Cornell's historic preservation planning program, McMorran and Ben Haavik, acting director of the Historic House Trust, both with the Parks Department.

The volunteers will repair railings and remove overgrown vegetation from the granite water battery overlooking the East River, making it safer for visitors. Constructed but left unfinished during the Civil War, the battery consists of two stories of arched openings, circular staircases, tunnels and magazine openings and is an ideal spot for the public to wander through, perhaps imagining the past and absorbing the history of the place. In addition, the volunteers will work on three abandoned brick, neoclassical revival-style homes that once housed army officers. They will stabilize the wraparound porches and classical Doric columns, scrape off peeling paint, apply fresh coats of primer and paint and make simple carpentry repairs so the houses will be safe for public entry and preserved for future restoration.

"The army's transfer of this land to Parks means new recreational opportunities for all New Yorkers," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "We are thrilled that Cornell students and alumni are volunteering to help us prepare historic Fort Totten for now and the future."

"We want this project to show that historically important structures like these can be saved through the efforts of those enthusiastic about preservation and history," said Trina Meiser, one of the Cornell students coordinating the project. "The students have the skills and resources to take on such a project, and by allying with alumni, park staff and local supporters, they can carry out a restoration effort quickly and affordably."

The project will begin at 2 p.m. Friday with an orientation, tour of the site and speakers from both the Parks Department and Cornell. It will conclude at 11 a.m. Sunday, with a press conference and a VIP inspection.

The entrance to Fort Totten Battery is at Bell Boulevard and 212th street in Queens. For directions, see the attached or contact Linda Myers, who is listed at the top of this release. For more information or to volunteer, donate materials or make a gift to the project, contact Sue Shutte, also listed at the top of this release. For general information on visiting the Fort Totten Battery, contact Michael Agnello, City of New York Parks and Recreation Department, at (718) 352-4793.

DIRECTIONS TO FORT TOTTEN (Supplied by the New York Parks and Recreation Department)

BY CAR:

From Long Island: Long Island Expressway (1495): West to Cross Island Parkway, North, Exit #30. Take the Bell Blvd., Exit, #32. At the traffic light at the bottom of exit, make right turn onto 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From Long Island:

Grand Central Parkway: West to Cross Island Parkway North, Exit #23. Take the Bell Blvd. Exit, #32. At the traffic light at the bottom of exit, make right turn on to 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is about 1,000 feet.

Southern State Parkway: West to Cross Island Parkway, North. Take the Bell Blvd., Exit, #32. At the traffic light at the bottom of exit, make right turn onto 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From the Bronx: Whitestone Bridge south, stay in left lane, exit for the Cross Island Parkway. Take Cross Island Parkway to Clearview Expressway/Bell Blvd., Exit #32. At light at base of exit make hard left turn onto Bell Blvd. Drive three lights. At third light, 212th Street, make left turn. Go under parkway. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From Manhattan: Triborough Bridge east to Grand Central Parkway, East, to Whitestone Expressway, North. Stay in left lane of Whitestone Expressway, exit to the left for the Cross Island Parkway. Take Cross Island Parkway to Clearview Expressway exit. At light at base of exit make left turn onto Bell Blvd. Drive three lights. At third light, 212th Street, make left turn. Go under parkway. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

Midtown Tunnel east to Long Island Expressway (1495) East to Exit #27, Clearview Expressway, North. Take to Willets Point Blvd. Exit #7. Bear right off of ramp and drive two lights. At second light make left onto 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is about 1,000 feet.

From Brooklyn: Brooklyn Queens Expressway, East, to Grand Central Parkway exit. Take Grand Central Parkway, East, to Whitestone Expressway, North. Stay in left lane of Whitestone Expressway, exit to the left for the Cross Island Parkway. Take Cross Island Parkway to Clearview Expressway, Exit #33. At light at base of exit make left turn onto Bell Blvd. Drive three lights. At third light, 2l2th Street, make left turn. Go under parkway. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

Belt Parkway to Van Wyck Expressway, North to Cross Island Parkway Exit. Take Cross Island Parkway to Clearview Expressway Exit. At light at base of exit make left turn onto Bell Blvd. Drive three lights. At third light, 2l2th Street, make left turn. Go under parkway. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From Queens: Grand Central Parkway: East to Cross Island Parkway, Exit #23, North. Take the Bell Blvd., Exit, #32. At the traffic light at the bottom of exit, make right turn onto 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

Long Island Expressway (1495): East to Exit #27, Clearview Expressway, North. Take to Willets Point Blvd., Exit #7. Bear right off of ramp and drive two lights. At second light make left onto 212th Street. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From Staten Island: Verrazano Bridge: to Belt Parkway, East, to the Van Wyck Expressway, North, to Cross Island Parkway Exit. Take Cross Island Parkway to Clearview Expressway Exit. At light at base of exit, make left turn onto Bell Blvd. Drive three lights. At third light, 212th Street, make left turn. Go under parkway. Entrance to Fort is approximately 1,000 feet.

From Staten Island:

MASS TRANSIT:

By Subway: Take #7 (Flushing Line) Subway to Main Street. Go upstairs to street level and take Q13 Bus or Q16 Bus to last stop at Fort Totten.

By Bus: Take Northern B1vd. Bus to Bell Blvd. Take Q13 at Bell Blvd. to last stop at Fort Totten. For additional mass transit information, contact the New York City Transit and Travel Information Center at 212-368-8234 or 212-575-6101.

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EDITORS: Members of the media are invited to attend a press conference at the site on Sunday, April 14, at 11 a.m., when the stabilization work is complete.