128 West 17th Street © 2023 Google

The only known surviving school building that exclusively served African Americans in Manhattan may soon become a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the former Colored School No. 4 in Chelsea, a public school open to only Black students and staff from 1860 to 1894. Located at 128 West 17th Street, the nearly 175-year-old building is associated with a number of significant figures from the Civil War through the Post-Reconstruction era.

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Streetview of 277 Canal Street; © 2023 Google

A New York City developer on Monday unveiled plans for the first development in Soho under new zoning rules approved by the city in 2021. United American Land (UAL) announced a proposal for a 13-story mixed-use building with 100 units of housing at 277 Canal Street, a landmarked three-story building on the corner of Broadway. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to begin its review process of the project this summer, as Commercial Observer first reported.

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View of the Upper and Lower Promenades, Cafeteria, and South Loggia, Looking South (1936); Images courtesy of Marvel/ NYC Parks/ NYCEDC

Construction kicked off this week on a project to reconstruct the historic bathhouse and pavilion at Orchard Beach in the Bronx. The city’s Parks Department and the Economic Development Corporation on Tuesday broke ground on the $87 million reconstruction of the 140,000 square-foot landmarked pavilion, which includes a major renovation of its historic architecture, new amenities for the community, and increased accessibility.

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Photo of Parkside Avenue courtesy of LPC

Brooklyn gained another historic district this week. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the Melrose Parkside Historic District, which includes a collection of 38 intact single and two-family homes built by two renowned Brooklyn architects, Benjamin Driesler and Axel S. Hedman. Located on Parkside Avenue between Flatbush and Bedford Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, the row of homes has a “distinctive appearance and sense of place,” deriving from the two architects’ use of “then popular Neoclassical vocabulary in their designs to harmonize three different types of residences,” according to the commission.

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Street view of the Lesbian Herstory Archives at 484 14th Street in Park Slope; © Google Maps

A row house in Brooklyn that is home to the country’s oldest and largest collection of lesbian-related historic material is New York City’s newest landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to designate the Lesbian Herstory Archives building as an individual landmark, the first in Brooklyn designated for its connection to the LGBTQ+ community.

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Julius’ Bar. Streetview © 2021 Google

New York City’s oldest gay bar is on its way to becoming an individual landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar Julius’ Bar, a Greenwich Village establishment known for its historic 1966 “Sip-In” when members of the Mattachine Society protested the state law that prohibited bars from serving “suspected gay men or lesbians.” Considered one of the city’s most significant sites related to LGBTQ+ history, Julius’ Bar played an instrumental role in advancing the rights of gay New Yorkers.

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Photo of the scenic landmark Central Park, courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission on Thursday launched the LPC Designation Photo Collection, a digital photo archive with high-resolution images of designated landmarks and historic districts. Now the public can easily search, explore, and download photos of landmarked properties and neighborhoods without requesting them from the commission first. The service will also be helpful for property owners, architects, and contractors who work on historic properties.

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Photo of Parkside Avenue courtesy of LPC

A tree-lined block in Brooklyn with architecturally distinctive homes may become the city’s newest historic district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to calendar the Melrose Parkside Historic District, which consists of 38 intact single and two-family row houses built by two of Brooklyn’s most renowned architects, Benjamin Driesler and Axel S. Hedman. Located on Parkside Avenue between Flatbush and Bedford Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, the collection of homes has a distinct appearance and sense of place in the surrounding neighborhood due to the use of “neo-Classical vocabulary” in their architectural style, according to the commission.

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Photo credit: Willoughby General (@willoughbygeneral) on Instagram

The Jacob Dangler House, the historic French Gothic mansion that has sat on the corner of Willoughby and Nostrand Avenues in Bed-Stuy for 120 years, was demolished last week. Despite a campaign led by local residents and public officials to landmark the building, the city’s Department of Buildings issued a permit for a full demolition on Tuesday, according to Brownstoner. The developer plans to build apartments on the site, as 6sqft previously reported.

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Streetview of the Jacob Dangler House © Google 2022

Bed-Stuy residents and public officials are urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate a historic mansion as a city landmark to save it from demolition. Known as the Jacob Dangler House, the property, located at 441 Willoughby Avenue, was built at the turn of the 20th century and features a striking French Gothic architectural style. After a developer filed demolition permits, the LPC added the property to its agenda last minute and voted last month to calendar the property, temporarily protecting the mansion. During a hearing on Tuesday, a majority of public testimony was in favor of designation.

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