Sandy Ground designations

569 & 565 Bloomingdale Road. Image: Courtesy of LPC.

Four buildings date to 19th century community founded by African- American freedmen. On February 1, 2011, Landmarks celebrated the beginning of Black History Month by designating as landmarks four buildings in the Sandy Ground community of Rossville, Staten Island. Sandy Ground was established in the 19th century as one of the country’s earliest African-American freedmen communities. The community grew when African-American oystermen migrated from the Chesapeake … <Read More>


Council rejects designation of Queens church building

Courtesy LPC

Opposition by Grace Episcopal Church to the landmarking of its Memorial Hall only emerged after Landmarks approved designation. On January 18, 2011, the City Council rejected Landmarks’ designation of the Grace Episcopal Church Memorial Hall at 155-24 90th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. Grace Episcopal Church was founded in 1702 and is one of the country’s oldest Episcopal parishes. The church’s main building and graveyard were landmarked in 1967, and Landmarks calendared the Memorial … <Read More>


Hearing held on vacant Remsen Street building

Image: Courtesy LPC

Fear of demolition triggered hearing on six-story building within proposed Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District. On January 4, 2011, Landmarks heard testimony on the potential designation of the Franklin Building at 186 Remsen Street as an individual City landmark. The vacant building is within the proposed boundaries of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, but was calendared separately on December 7, 2010 due to “threat of demolition” after the building owner … <Read More>


Mark Silberman Brings Legislative and Litigation Experience to Landmarks

Hobbled by a bad back and recently returned from vacation, the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s General Counsel Mark Silberman sat down with CityLand to talk about his role at the Commission and Landmarks’ role in the City. He brings a perspective on the broader role of historic preservation nationally and in our culture.

A young environmentalist. Raised in Illinois and a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Silberman began his career in government … <Read More>


East Village church opposes designation

 

Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59 East 2nd Street in Manhattan’s East Village. Image: LPC.

Parishioners of 1890s-era Russian Orthodox Cathedral argued that landmarking would add to struggling church’s financial burden. On March 23, 2010, Landmarks heard testimony on the possible designation of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59-63 East 2nd Street in the East Village. Formerly known as the Olivet Memorial Church, the Kentucky … <Read More>


Landmarks’ designation process upheld

First Department ruled that preservation group failed to show its members were affected differently than general public. The City’s Landmarks law provides the public with the ability to nominate properties for landmark designation by submitting a Request for Evaluation form. After receiving a request, the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Request for Evaluation Committee, which includes the Landmarks Chair, screens the nomination in order to determine whether additional consideration is appropriate.

A nomination requiring further consideration is … <Read More>