Locals Rally to Demand Landmark Status for NY Eye & Ear Infirmary

The nonprofit Village Preservation and a few politicians helmed a rally organized around landmarking New York Eye & Ear Infirmary (NYEE) on October 15, in which they extolled the remarkable history of the building.

Healthcare advocates are worried that Mt. Sinai–which owns NYEE on East 14th St., between First and Second Ave.–may not be a reliable long-term steward of the premises. In 2022, the healthcare system considered merging it with Beth Israel Hospital on E. 16th St., which it is currently in a drawn-out battle to close after claiming a decade of continuing profit losses. Advocates say that these slim operating margins appear caused by Mt. Sinai illegally closing some of the hospital’s services, without prior state approval, and believe that the closure attempt is a bid to flip the building to a developer to take advantage of prime real estate.

They’ve also repeatedly said that they believe much the same thing may occur to NYEE eventually. Therefore, groups like Village Preservation believe that landmarking the specialist hospital now–which would protect it from demolition–is imperative.

At one point during the October 15 rally, Deborah Wye of the Lower East Preservation Initiative reiterated that argument explicitly. “Over the years, we have seen historic buildings lost or threatened as real estate interests encroach upon our heritage,” she said.

Many speakers took care to emphasize what NYEE offers to marginalized communities, which they hope will give the Landmarks Preservation Commission added incentive to provide it with protected status.

“Among the nearly 40,000 landmarked buildings in New York City, none–that’s zero percent–specifically honor disabled history and the disabled community, even though an estimated 27 percent of U.S. adults have a disability,” said Village Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman, who helmed the proceedings. A throng of supporters, many holding “Landmark NYEE” and “Disabled History Matters” signs, were gathered behind him.

“We are here to say that must change,” Berman added, to cheers. “Now is the time, and this is the place, to do it.” He then broke down some fascinating details about the building, which many New Yorkers may not be aware of.

Its 1820 founding makes it the second-oldest hospital in NYC and the oldest specialized eye hospital in the Western Hemisphere, he said, although it moved into its current home in 1856. It was officially opened in 1903 after expanding in the following decades, he noted. Helen Keller participated in the ribbon-cutting, in which she reportedly said: “All that we have, all that we know, all that we have discovered, we must bestow, at least in part, for the universal good. This institution has become your sacred burden. Look on it, lift it, bear it proudly.”

The NYEE has played an “incredibly important role in African-American history” as well, Berman said; the first African-American eye specialist, one of the first enslaved people to receive a college degree, practiced there.

During the rally, healthcare professionals and patients provided first-hand testimony on the importance of landmarking NYEE. Paul S. Lee, an ophthalmologist affiliated with the infirmary, pointed out that “thousands of doctors” have been trained there over the years. “Many of the country’s best surgeons have spent time in its clinics, operating rooms, and conference rooms so that they could hone their craft to perfection.”

Sharon McLennon Wier, Ph.D., noted that she was “totally blind” and that “sensory deprivation is life-changing.” This can be “devastating for people if they don’t have the right services, if they don’t have a kind hand, if they don’t have a doctor or nurse that says ‘it’s gonna be ok.’”

A few politicians were on hand to provide support to the cause. City Council Member Christopher Marte noted that while NYEE is not technically in his downtown Manhattan district, he understands its importance: “If you were born and raised–or moved to–New York City in the past few decades, you have been a patient in here. As a kid, I was sent here to potentially get glasses, and this changed my life. NYEE gave me the service, as a low-income New Yorker, that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”

“Our history is what makes this city incredibly vibrant and beautiful. Not real estate deals, or a single decision-maker such as hospital network that may want to have certain plans for certain buildings,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “Standing here today, urging the LPC to make this a landmark, is really an issue of honoring our legacy of organizing and activism by our disabled community.”

Jumaane Williams, the NYC Public Advocate, expressed surprise that such a historic building has never acquired landmark status. “It’s hard to even explain why we have to be here,” he said. “Personally, as a person with Tourette’s syndrome, to find out that there are no landmarks for the disabled community...right off the bat, we should be figuring out how we can change that.”

Landmarking the NYEE, he concluded, would be a “no-brainer” that served that end. “Let’s get it done.”

Mt. Sinai did not respond to a request for comment by press time.