Upper East Side Armory Still Trying To Evict Century-Old Youth Group

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Park Avenue Armory is moving ahead with plans to evict a beloved youth group that has called the building home for more than a century, despite outcry from some neighbors and elected officials.

The nonprofit that controls the armory has now gone to court in an effort to evict the Knickerbocker Greys, an after-school cadet corps founded in 1881 that has held weekly drills since 1902 in the basement of the armory.

As Patch reported in May, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy told the Greys earlier this year that they had to leave their 800-square-foot home to make room for more event space. The prospect of displacement alarmed the Greys and Community Board 8, which voted to call on the state — which still owns the armory building — to work with the conservancy on a deal that would keep the Greys in the armory.

Yet in the ensuing months, the armory's only offer was to find the Greys a new location and allow them to return to the armory just once a year, leaders of the group told a CB8 committee during a Wednesday meeting.

"That's not negotiation — that's kicking us out," said David Menegon, the group's leader.

The Greys initially contended that the conservancy had no right to evict them since it does not own the armory, which it has rented from the state since 2006.

One document suggests the state is on the conservancy's side: in a letter sent to the conservancy last month, the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs confirmed in a letter last month that the Greys' formal access to the armory ended in 2006, when the conservancy signed its 99-year lease.

"That lease creates no obligation to provide access or space to the Greys," reads the Nov. 22 letter, presented during Wednesday's meeting.

But that could change: Upper East Side State Sen. Liz Krueger is now considering introducing a bill that would revise the armory lease to prevent the conservancy from displacing the Greys.

"I have been pushing, and continue to hope, for the Conservancy to see reason here and allow the Greys to maintain the tiny footprint they have had in the Armory for over a century," Krueger told Patch in a statement. "However, failing that, I'm prepared to move forward to push a legislative solution that will protect a much-loved neighborhood institution from being evicted."

Other officials have also spoken out on the Greys' behalf, including U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and City Council Member Julie Menin.

A vestige of old New York, the Greys aim to instill discipline in their young cadets through drill sessions, marches and community work. In the May CB8 meeting, group leaders said the armory space was intrinsic to the Greys' identity, while current and former cadets said the program had shaped their lives for the better.

Rebecca Robertson, who heads the armory conservancy, told CB8 that the building was "bursting at the seams," with a full slate of arts events and other programs taking up nearly all of the 194,000-square-foot building — and upcoming renovations slated to reduce the available space even further.

"The time has come now for the Greys to find a permanent home," Robertson said in May.

The conservancy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Despite pleas from the Greys' leaders, the CB8 committee declined to take up their cause again this week, as members said they supported the group but wanted to let the court case play out.

In court, the Greys have filed no response to the conservancy's September petition demanding a warrant to remove them, largely because the Greys were not present at the armory when a court notice was served on them. The case has been adjourned to January as the group tries to find an attorney.

With their legal protections in doubt, leaders of the Greys were left to make moral appeals.

"After 140 years of serving this community, this is the first time the Greys have ever been sued," Menegon said Wednesday. "And by someone called the conservancy, that is supposed to protect and preserve — I find it almost astounding."

Related coverage: Beloved UES Youth Group Facing Eviction From Park Avenue Armory