Master Plan for Future Adaptations to West Side Powerhouse Approved

To facilitate the continued use of the former Interborough Rapid Transit Company Powerhouse as Con Edison Steam plant, plan adopted to allow for rooftop mechanical equipment and the creation of entrances for installing equipment. On January 9, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (“Landmarks”) voted to approve a master plan presented by Consolidated Edison (“Con Edison”) for the recently designated Interborough Rapid Transit Company Powerhouse at 855 11th Avenue on Manhattan’s West Side. The block-sized Beaux-Arts … <Read More>


Late-19th-Century Residential Area to be Considered as Historic District

Proposed 164-property historic district constructed in late 19th century for upper-middle-class housing; served important role in Harlem and history. On December 12, 2017, Landmarks voted to add the Central Harlem West 130-132nd Street Historic District to its calendar for possible designation. The proposed district consists of the interiors of three blocks on 130th, 131st, and 132nd Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue. Landmarks staff identified the potential historic district while surveying … <Read More>


Civil War-Era Commercial Buildings that Later Housed Artists’ Studios Designated

Buildings’ significance largely derives from their association with post-World-War-II Abstract Expressionist movement; owners expected to soon apply for permit to build additions. Landmarks voted to designate two twin adjoining buildings as an individual City landmark at its meeting on October 31st, 2017. The buildings, at 827 and 831 Broadway in Manhattan, date to 1867 and were designed by architect Griffith Thomas for Pierre Lorillard, heir to the Lorillard Tobacco Company. The building’s facade is composed … <Read More>


Block-Sized City-Beautiful Powerhouse Landmarked after 38 Years

Massive West Side powerhouse, designed by Stanford White, continue to operate as steam-generating plant. On December 5, 2017, Landmarks voted to designate the former Interborough Rapid Transit Powerhouse, at 850 Twelfth Avenue, an individual City landmark.  The structure, which occupies an entire block along the West Side Highway, dates to 1905 and was designed by McKim, Mead and White’s Stanford White. The monumental generating station was built to power the Interborough Rapid Transit subway system, … <Read More>


Former Dairy Building Designated an Individual Landmark

Owners asked for exclusion of portion of site due to need for environmental remediation; Landmarks decided to designate property as originally proposed. Landmarks voted to designate as an individual City landmark six buildings constituting the former Empire State Dairy Company complex on December 5, 2017. The complex dates to the early 20th century and occupies an entire blockfront at 2840 Atlantic Avenue. The commission added the property to its calendar in March of 2016, … <Read More>


Postmodern Icon to be Considered as Individual Landmark

Tower’s design, which flamboyantly rejected the precepts of the International Style, generated tremendous publicity and controversy. On November 28, 2017, Landmarks voted to add the former AT&T Building, at 550 Madison Avenue to its calendar, formally commencing the designation process. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the building is considered an icon of Postmodernism. The building, built between 1978 and 1884, is just old enough to be considered under Landmarks’ rules mandating that only … <Read More>