Designations include Lord & Taylor store and Eberhard Faber Pencil Co. complex. On October 30, 2007, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate seven individual buildings and one new historic district.
In Manhattan, Landmarks designated the Lord & Taylor flagship store in Midtown, the Manhattan House in the Upper East Side, and two federal-era rowhouses in the Lower East Side. The Lord & Taylor store dates back to 1914 and is an example of the Italian Renaissance … <Read More>
SoHo Alliance seeks BSA intervention to halt construction. On October 26, 2007, the SoHo Alliance Community Group filed an appeal with BSA in an attempt to thwart construction of the Trump SoHo, a 42-story condominium hotel that would be located at 246 Spring Street, between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue. The appeal comes after the Department of Buildings denied the Alliance’s request to revoke approval for the condominium hotel.
Buildings approved the plans for … <Read More>
BSA finds no ambiguity in zoning text. Developer 4175 Building Corp. filed permit applications to build two four-story, semi-detached buildings on the same residential zoning lot in the Elmhurst section of Queens. The developer proposed a community facility use in the buildings’ first floor and cellar, with residential uses on the floors above.
The Department of Buildings told the developer to revise its plans to conform with residential bulk regulations. The developer then submitted revised … <Read More>
Owner tries to evict tenants based on zoning while seeking to convert building to residential use. Amy Kreiling and Roy Williams leased a studio unit from Thames Realty, owner of a loft building located within a manufacturing zoning district in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Although the lease limited their use to business purposes, the tenants used the unit as their residence. Five years into the tenancy, Thames notified them that it wished to terminate the lease. When … <Read More>
Vallone and Astoria residents argued that DOB lacked authority to grant cell phone equipment permits. In 2005, Omnipoint Communications received a Department of Buildings permit to install cellular phone antennas and equipment cabinets on the roof of an Astoria, Queens building. Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. and Astoria residents appealed the permit to BSA, arguing that Buildings lacked the authority to approve the cell phone equipment. According to Vallone, approval required a special permit … <Read More>
Nearby demolition and development lent urgency to potential designation. On July 24, 2007, Landmarks heard testimony on the proposed Eberhard Faber Pencil Company Historic District. The proposed historic district comprises five buildings dating from the 1880s to the 1920s relating to the former Eberhard Faber pencil factory. The company moved to this Brooklyn location after a fire at its Manhattan plant in 1872 and remained there until 1956. The buildings feature stone lintels and terra … <Read More>