The planned sale of the iconic American Irish Historical Society building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is going ahead, this despite vociferous objection from with the city's Irish American community, and indeed opposition from within the Irish government.
The asking price remains $44 million - down from an initial $52 million.
And the current administrators of the society are moving to put together a twenty-member Historical and Cultural Advisory Panel to be drawn from academic and cultural figures on both sides of the Atlantic.
Prospective members of the panel are being contacted by the new president of the AIHS, Michael Higgins, son of Irish president Michael D. Higgins.
In a letter to one individual being asked to join the panel, Mr. Higgins speaks of the AIHS having a "certain patrician air" for a long time.
In the letter, a copy of which has been seen by the Echo, Mr. Higgins ties this patrician air to "a sense of celebrating a transatlantic Irish ascendency."
He goes on to write: "It has also nevertheless been an amazing platform for Irish scholars, artists and writers to find success in America. For my own part, I'm going to try and make the Society return to its roots and focus on its contribution to historiography rather than hosting the elite social events it is associated with at present."
And he continues: "I personally feel there's a frozen and sacralised version of Irishness in America which is doing a disservice to both Irish and American people. I know many Irish people cringe when they think of Irish-America and the tedious efforts to promote a hagiographic and triumphalist portrayal of everything Irish/Green.
"I see my own mission, in keeping with the spirit of Robert Emmet, to vindicate the character, motivations and experience of the amazing people who have found themselves consigned to 'repose in obscurity in peace.'"
Mr. Higgins writes of a desire to involve himself and the society in "telling the story of the Irish in America to encompass the fascinating relationships and shared moments between Irish women and men with African Americans, Native American, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Chinese and so many other people and communities. I think it is time for Irish-America to acknowledge that it was both complicit in and resistant to injustice."
He notes that one interesting distinguishing feature of the society is that it has "from inception been a non-partisan, non-sectarian Society, and effectively helped act as a banner that could encompass both the Scots-Irish and Catholic Irish."
He states in the letter: "We are in the business of refreshing our board and I am seeking to ensure that the new composition should be much more inclusive, diverse and contemporary of its composition and feature cultural and historical figures, rather than the usual overabundance of financiers and lawyers."
Mr. Higgins goes on to underpin the plan to sell the society's headquarters at 991 Fifth Avenue.
He states in the letter: "It would not be fair of me (not) to mention that a certain pall of controversy sits over the society due to a period of turbulence in the past and the decision to sell its very beautiful headquarters on 5th Avenue.
"While I understand the sadness over the sale of the building, ultimately it is very unsuitable as a scholarly location, and the proceeds will ensure that the Society will be incredibly well endowed....and all that money - without any compromising donor involvement - will be very much dedicated towards the pursuit of historiography and the generating of new forms of cultural expression."
He refers to "The Advisor Panel" as an "informal group the AIHS will be able to draw upon as a sounding board and source of wisdom as we develop our future plans and activities. It is a broad-based and inclusive group which includes renowned historians from Ireland and the US, as well as artists, scholars and experts on culture, community relations, social, environmental, equality and human rights issues. I have attached the list of panel members."
Somewhat ironically, the recent controversies surrounding the AIHS, and the headlines arising from them, follow the dismissal of board members and employees who were engaged in efforts to cast aside the elite airs and graces that had been like a fog over 991 Fifth Avenue for many years.
Critics of the sale plan are of the view that since the dismissals a game of musical chairs has been taking place within the society's governing structure, the end result of which has been new faces, but no truly fundamental change in that structure.
Just over a year ago, New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, signaled that her office was closely monitoring the proposed sale of the AIHS building, a move that the Echo reported at the time as having "aroused a storm of protest in the Irish American Community and has prompted objections from the Irish government."
In a statement released on St. Patrick's Day, 2021, James said: “Like so many New Yorkers, I know the importance of honoring the spirit of our cultural institutions.
"The American Irish Historical Society building on Fifth Avenue has been a focal point of the Irish experience in America for decades, and I take the recent concerns regarding the future of the building seriously.
"We are vigilantly monitoring the situation, and I want to reassure Irish communities here and abroad that any potential transaction would not move forward without consent from my office or consent from the courts.
"Irish Americans are an integral part of the fabric of our nation, and we are better off because of their hard work, strength, compassion, and resilience. I firmly stand in support of the Irish-American community and this historic landmark, on St. Patrick’s Day and every day.
"The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has not received a formal request from the American Irish Historical Society building regarding the sale of its building. The American Irish Historical Society is a nonprofit entity. Under state law, the sale of property by a nonprofit organization is contingent on approval by OAG or the New York State Supreme Court."
The sale price at the time was $52 million. It fell to $44 million earlier this year.
In early March, the real estate firm Brown Harris Stevens, which is handling the sale, took out a full page ad in the Sunday New York Times Property Section with a top of the page headline "The Best Location Now at the Best Price."
That "Best Location" was 991 Fifth Avenue.
The ad included seven interior photos from 991 but not an exterior shot. And the building was not identified in the ad as the AIHS.
The ad stated in part: "One For The Ages Many buyers find a townhouse to be the most exquisite form of city living - so much space, utterly self-contained, flexible renovation options, with private outdoor spaces than can pan an entire roof top, rear gardens and elegant terraces."
The fact that the proposed sale had also generated an uproar for the ages was not mentioned.
