By Dana Schulz, Today, September 22, 2020 Photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission
The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted today to designate Public School 48 in South Jamaica, Queens as an individual landmark. Built in 1936, PS 48 was an early example of a school building serving as a “monumental civic structure” in the community. “Its Art Deco style details, which are quite striking in person, make it unique, and it is one of the first elementary schools New York City to incorporate this architectural style,” said LPC Chair Sarah Carroll, who also noted that it’s the neighborhood’s first historic landmark.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, August 11, 2020 Street view of East 25th Street; Map data ©2020 Google
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday calendared a block in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood for consideration as a new historic district. The proposed strip on East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D consists of 56 remarkably cohesive limestone and brownstone buildings built by a single developer between 1909 and 1912. The effort to landmark the block, which has been awarded the “greenest block in Brooklyn” by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden four times, is being led by the community, which asked the LPC to evaluate the area last year.
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By Dana Schulz, Wed, July 15, 2020 Photo of the Stonewall Inn, a cultural landmark, by NPCA via Flickr cc
When it comes to landmarking in NYC, some of the biggest news as of late is that the LPC has calendared a building in Downtown Brooklyn that was home to abolitionists before the Civil War. If landmarked, the decision will be based on the structure’s cultural merit, not necessarily its historic architecture. And with more and more people realizing the importance of preserving cultural history, the Historic Districts Council is asking New Yorkers to suggest the cultural sites that they believe are worthy of landmark designation.
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By Devin Gannon, Wed, July 15, 2020 View from John Street Rendering courtesy of Woods Bagot/ NYC Parks
An open-air waterfront restaurant and bar could be coming to the South Street Seaport Historic District. The Howard Hughes Corporation and the city’s Parks Department on Tuesday presented a proposal to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a new concession along the East River Esplanade under the FDR Drive overpass. Designed by Woods Bagot, the “Blockhouse Bar” would be a year-round establishment, with plans to add decking over the pavement, planters, and vinyl coverings during the winter months.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, June 30, 2020 227 Duffield Street; Map data © 2020 Google
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar a property in Downtown Brooklyn that was home to abolitionists in a move that could potentially save the historic home from demolition. Harriet and Thomas Truesdell, known members of the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War, lived at the Greek-Revival row house at 227 Duffield Street from 1851 to 1863. Last year, preservationists and local officials called on the LPC to designate the building after a developer filed permits to raze the three-story structure and replace it with a much taller mixed-use building.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, June 23, 2020 Streetview of 842 Manida Avenue, Map data © 2020 Google
The Bronx has gained a new historic district, making it the 150th district to be landmarked in New York City. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the Manida Street Historic, a block of semi-attached brick homes in Hunts Points. Residents first pushed for the South Bronx street to be recognized in 2010, as development began to accelerate in the neighborhood. “This gem of a district is a complete district that still exists and is not only a reminder of the 20th-century residential development of the South Bronx, but it’s also a reflection and testament to the commitment of its current community,” LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said on Tuesday.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, May 26, 2020 Rendering courtesy of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
Plans to build a public plaza under the Brooklyn Bridge that will connect the Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo sections of the waterfront park are moving forward. The Landmarks Preservation Commission last week approved designs from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to transform a currently fenced-off lot into a two-acre civic space. The project is the final section of the park; construction began in 2008 and has been opening in phases over the last decade.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, May 19, 2020 Proposed east-west view; Rendering by Gensler/ RFR Realty, courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission
An observation deck will return to the Chrysler Building. During a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Tuesday, Aby Rosen’s RFR Realty, which bought the Art Deco landmark last year for $151 million, presented its proposal to revamp the skyscraper’s 61st and 62nd floors to allow for public access. The Chrysler Building previously housed an observatory, which opened on the 71st floor in 1945 as the Celestial.
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By Devin Gannon, Wed, May 6, 2020 Rendering of proposed exhibition space by Culturespaces/ Woods Bagot, courtesy of LPC
An art center with immersive art exhibitions has been proposed for a landmarked former banking hall in Lower Manhattan. Culturespaces, a French museum operator, presented its plan to adapt the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank into a center of digital art to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday. The design proposal from Woods Bagot Architects includes alterations to the landmarked interior to accommodate a ticketing area and necessary audiovisual equipment for the art center, as well as modifications to the exterior of the building.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, April 28, 2020 Rendering by Gabellini Sheppard Associates courtesy of Tishman Speyer; via Landmarks Preservation Commission
A proposal to renovate Rockefeller Center’s public realm was approved on Tuesday by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Led by Tishman Speyer and designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the project aims to restore the connection between the concourse and the sunken plaza, an element included in the original plans for the historic Midtown site. The design, which was revised following a public hearing in January, focuses on the pools of the channel gardens, the sunken plaza, and new seating and planting to maintain the plaza’s well-defined edges.
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