‘To Be, or Not To Be’ — That Is the Question for Knickerbocker Greys

To be, or not to be, that is the question, eh? New York’s Knickerbocker Greys are set to see a performance of Hamlet. A coincidence? The oldest youth patriotic cadet corps in the country is confronting the same question faced by the Danish prince.They had faced a June 1 eviction deadline to vacate their basement premises in the Park Avenue Armory. That deadline, though, has come and gone, and the group still has, however tenuously, its position at the Armory, which seeks to remove the group. The Knickerbocker Greys are the oldest after school program and patriotic corps in the country. Initially, the Greys were set to be evicted on the first of June. Yet since then the Greys have heard nothing from the Armory while being forced to conduct practices off site, according to Adrienne Rogatnick, the Greys’ board president. While the Greys have been unable to access the Armory for practice use, Mrs. Rogatnick said that on Friday “the Greys were able to pick up flags and medals for their offsite practice.” The Greys were permitted to enter only through the side entrance, as the Armory had forbidden them from using the main entrance to the facility. As word spread of the plan to evict the Greys, a good bit of community support has welled up. It has been helped by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who represents the Upper East Side, State Senator Liz Krueger, and other key figures.As of Monday, the Greys have not been evicted, even after receiving a letter of eviction from the Park Avenue Armory in May. On Sunday, May 30th, the Greys were invited by the Seventh Regiment Veterans Association to march in their Memorial Day parade.After the parade, the Greys were supposed to be able to attend the memorial service inside the Armory following the parade. Management and security of the Armory, though, refused to permit the entry of the Greys to attend the event.The armory denied three cadets and two active duty Army colonels from entering the Armory. The Greys have had more than 5,000 cadets over the years, including Vice President Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt Junior, and numerous past members of the Seventh Regiment.Some veterans of the Greys fell for their country in service in World War I and World War II. Memorial plaques dedicated to members of the Greys who died while serving in the Seventh Regiment are prominently displayed in the armory lobby. The group, now comprising 30 cadets, would be forced to meet in Central Park, where they learn drills, study history, and visit historical sites. Without an office and the ability to drill at the Armory, it is unclear how the group will be able to continue attracting new cadets. Leadership of the Greys argue that this could call the group’s future into doubt. On June 14, the Greys are set to attend a performance of Hamlet at the Park Avenue Armory, in full cadet uniform. Whether they will be able to attend the play at the Armory is still unknown. “Let’s see how our cadets are received at the performance of Hamlet,” says Mrs. Rogatnick. Representatives for the Park Avenue Armory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘To Be, or Not To Be’ — That Is the Question for Knickerbocker Greys

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