Excerpts from French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Letter to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
“You are familiar with the history of this church, which is remarkable on several fronts, and is an important symbol of French identity and the French-speaking presence in the heart of Manhattan.”
- Nicolas Sarkozy
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“Over the years, this heritage has helped make the church a meeting and gathering place not only for New York’s French community but for a growing number of Africans, West Indians and Haitians. I know how important it is to you to promote this kind of diversity, which the entire world considers the hallmark of New York.”
- Nicolas Sarkozy
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“I believe the application to obtain landmark status for the building, prepared by the organizing Save St. Vincent de Paul, deserves to be presented to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, even though it was dismissed without any real justification by City agencies.”
- Nicolas Sarkozy
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“…[Y]ou will understand my surprise that this application is not being examined more closely and that the church’s historical, cultural and architectural richness—on par with that of other churches that have received landmark status from the Commission—are not being taken into account.”
- Nicolas Sarkozy
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“Thank you in advance for everything you can do to ensure the survival of the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, notably by enabling the New York City Landmarks Commission to study this application”
- Nicolas Sarkozy
