SHEEPSHEAD BAY — Senator Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) held a news conference Monday to protest what he called the “desecration� of the landmarked Lundy’s restaurant site in Sheepshead Bay.

Standing outside the shuttered Spanish Mission-style building at 1901 Emmons Ave., Kruger charged that the recent removal of the signs, awnings, ornamental lanterns, shrubbery and sidewalks outside Lundy’s “is a clear violation of its landmark status and an attack on the entire Sheepshead Bay waterfront community.�

One of the city’s most famous seafood houses, Lundy’s could hold 2,500 people for dinner in its heyday. Following a six-year community battle, it was declared a landmark by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in the mid 1990s in an apparently successful attempt to maintain the building’s distinctive exterior — one of only five city structures to receive this designation between 1990 and 1995.

Kruger said that generations of Lundy’s diners, not to mention Sheepshead Bay residents and historians, “would’ve dropped their lobster forks in horror� if they saw the current condition of the building.

“Lundy’s is one of the most recognizable sites in our borough — a major attraction that was given long-overdue protection by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to keep its familiar exterior intact and maintain it for future generations to enjoy. Now the location is being desecrated and destroyed,� Kruger said.

Theresa Scavo, chair of Community Board 15, who joined Senator Kruger at the news conference, called the removal of the Lundy’s sign “a despicable act and an assault on our community.�

Kruger said he has already spoken to the chairman of the LPC, Robert Tierney, who sent staff to visit the site last week. A warning giving the owner 60 days to respond was issued.

Kruger made a similar request to the Department of Buildings, where two complaints were received last week; and asked the Department of City Planning to revoke the permit initially granted to the Cherry Hill Gourmet Market.

The “so-called gourmet market has turned out to be nothing more than a low-end fruit store, complete with outdoor stands to display fruits and vegetables,� Kruger said, adding that this particular use is not permitted under the requirements of the Sheepshead Bay Special District, where Lundy’s is located.

“The clock is ticking away at Lundy’s,� Sen. Kruger said. “The desecration of the site would be irrevocable, and a loss beyond words for our community and the entire city.�

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net