Governors Island Motel Headed for the Wrecking Ball?

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Back in 2004, the Public Art Fund sponsored a photography exhibit called "Governors Island," shot by Lisa Kereszi and Andrew Moore. In it, a new generation of New Yorkers were introduced to the creepy old abandoned buildings on the former military/Coast Guard base—chief among them the bowling alley, the Burger King and the Super 8 motel. Now that there are some big changes in store for Govs Island, it's safe to assume that many of these spooky set pieces will not survive the transition. Indeed, at tomorrow's Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, the LPC will consider an application to demolish Building 293 in the Governors Island Historic District, so that new landscaping can be installed. Building 293 is the Super 8 motel, seen above in a photo by Lisa Kereszi. Will it be missed? Probably not, given the years of inactivity and unfortunate choice of carpeting. However, while looking for more info on the Super 8, we stumbled upon the online resumé of Bee Dalton, who was the assistant manager of the motel from 1987-88 and helped implement a "reservations check system, reducing errors in reservations." You never forget your first implementation of a reservations check system, so somewhere out there, Bee Dalton is shedding a tear.
· NYU Targeting Governors Island for Expansion [Curbed]
· Governors Island React-o-Matic: Stunning, Inspired, Swampy! [Curbed]
· Governors Island Going Dutch [Curbed]

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