LPC

April 12, 2022

Public Design Commission temporarily extends ‘Fearless Girl’ statue’s stay on Broad Street

The New York City Public Design Commission (PDC) voted Monday to extend the iconic "Fearless Girl" sculpture's permit to remain at her current spot across from the New York Stock Exchange, but with the caveat that plans for a permanent location must be presented in six months, the New York Times reports. The city's vote extends the permit for 11 months, but asset management firm State Street Global Advisors, the statue's owner, and Kristen Visbal, the artist who created the statue, must meet with the city again in six months to determine where its permanent home will be.
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December 15, 2021

Landmarks votes to keep ‘Fearless Girl’ statue across from the Stock Exchange for three more years

New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission agreed in a unanimous vote on Tuesday to keep the popular "Fearless Girl" statue in its home on Broad Street across from the New York Stock Exchange for three more years.  As 6sqft previously reported, the statue’s permit with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) expired on November 29. State Street Global Advisors, the statue’s owners, submitted a request for a ten-year permit last year, which will ultimately be addressed at a hearing before the Public Design Commission, which oversees the city’s art collection. The LPC vote was based solely on the statue's placement in a historically significant location.
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February 26, 2020

See the approved plans for Trader Joe’s new Upper East Side store under the Queensboro Bridge

In a public hearing on Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed and approved an application to open a Trader Joe’s in the city-owned space underneath the Queensboro Bridge on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The cavernous space, known as Bridgemarket, is regarded for its 5,000-square-foot Guastavino-tiled arcade as well as its unique location. Former tenant Food Emporium moved out in 2015. The bridge and the space beneath it were designated a city landmark in 1974. The LPC applauded the proposal's "sensitive approach" to the space.
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May 14, 2019

LPC calendars six sites linked to New York City’s LGBT history for possible landmark status

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to calendar six individual sites related to the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in New York City. The proposed landmarks highlight both groups and individuals who have advanced the LGBT rights movement by providing structure for community and political support, as well as raising public awareness. The commission's decision to calendar the sites comes ahead of next month's 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and NYC's annual Pride celebration. LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said on Tuesday a public hearing to discuss the sites will be held June 4.
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May 14, 2019

Bay Ridge’s first historic district moves one step closer to landmark designation

Bay Ridge residents and elected officials voiced their support for the neighborhood's first historic district during a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing Tuesday. The commission voted in March to calendar the proposed Brooklyn district, known as the Bay Ridge Parkway Doctors’ Row Historic District. Comprised of 54 architecturally consistent row houses along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues, the district includes a row of limestone-fronted houses–referred to as Doctors’ Row based on both its historic and current residential demographics. This block reflects the neighborhood’s growth from a suburban resort community to an urban neighborhood ahead of the opening of the 4th Avenue Subway line in the early 20th century.
Making the case for historic Bay Ridge, this way
May 1, 2019

First hearing for Tin Pan Alley’s possible landmark designation draws debate

The Landmarks Preservation Committee heard mixed testimonies yesterday during a public hearing over the designation of five buildings on West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues known as Tin Pan Alley. The buildings in question—ranging from 47-55 West 28th Street—are notable for the significant concentration of sheet music publishers they housed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As music publishers continued to flock to the block, the nickname “Tin Pan Alley” was coined in 1903 to describe the sound of piano music that could be heard from every corner. Though most everyone in attendance agreed on the historical significance of these buildings, some pointed to the racist tunes that were also written there as a reason to block the landmark designation—with even the buildings’ owner, controversial developer Yair Levy, arguing against it.
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March 26, 2019

Bay Ridge historic district to be considered for landmark status

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted today to calendar the Bay Ridge Parkway Doctors' Row Historic District in the first formal step toward designation. The proposed district is comprised of 54 architecturally consistent row houses along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood. The row of limestone-fronted houses–referred to as Doctors' Row based on both its historic and current residential demographics–is a distinguished example of the neighborhood's growth from a suburban resort community to an urban neighborhood ahead of the 4th Avenue Subway line in the early 20th century.
More about the neighborhood, this way
March 12, 2019

Five ‘Tin Pan Alley’ buildings may be landmarked for their musical history

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday in favor of calendaring five buildings on West 28th Street in Manhattan's "Tin Pan Alley," in the neighborhood now called Nomad. The buildings at 47-55 West 28th Street were an integral part of the area known for having New York City's most significant concentration of sheet music publishers at the turn of the 20th century, and as the birthplace of iconic American songs like "God Bless America." It's also where popular music icons like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin wrote songs. Calendaring is the first formal step in the historic status designation process.
Sounds like a good idea
December 11, 2018

Landmarks designates new Inwood historic district

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted today to designate the Park Terrace West-West 217th Street Historic District in the Inwood section of Manhattan. The historic district features an enclave of picturesque early 20th-century houses with landscaped topography that stand out among the neighborhood’s apartment buildings.
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September 18, 2018

LPC designates former Carroll Gardens schoolhouse as New York City landmark

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday designated the Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten at 236 President Street and the adjacent apartment building at 238 President Street as individual landmarks. The two Carroll Gardens buildings are associated with Elmira Christian, an advocate for early childhood education. "These two properties are distinguished by their architecture and share a great history of education and social reform in Brooklyn," LPC Vice Chair Frederick Bland said in a statement.
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April 24, 2018

After landmarking news, historic Carroll Gardens schoolhouse is back on the market for $5M

An unusual Carroll Gardens building, once the first freestanding kindergarten to be built in Brooklyn, is seeking a new owner, asking $4.95 million, now that it may not be headed for the wrecking ball. The Landmarks Preservation Commission calendared the building (along with the apartment building next door), now a unique single-family residence, at 236 President Street for landmark status consideration on Tuesday. Neighborhood residents and concerned citizens–including folk hero Joan Baez, whose grandfather once lived next door–have been rallying to stop the building's planned demolition as Brooklyn Paper reported last month.
Imagine the possibilities
March 16, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image:  Shinya Suzuki via Flickr After repeatedly declining to protect the celebrated walkway–even as its wooden planks become increasingly replaced with concrete and plastic as a result of Superstorm Sandy repairs–the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to add the historic Coney Island Boardwalk to the agency's list of properties to consider for protected status, according to remarks made at a LPC hearing Thursday, Crain's reports. LPC chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the boardwalk–its official name is the Riegelmann Boardwalk–could be protected as early as this spring or summer.
It could happen in time for summer
December 13, 2016

Historic districts and landmarking: What they mean and how they could affect you

In New York City, where buying and selling real estate is a high-stakes endeavor, the topic of historic and landmark designation is frequently raised. There are heated discussions on the subject of listing neighborhoods or buildings on the State and National Register of Historic Places or having them designated by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. It's important to know what those organizations do and the distinctions between them. You could even be eligible for significant financial aid for your renovations if you own property in an historic district.
Find out what these designations mean, how you could benefit from them and why they're sometimes controversial.