A recent decision by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve a non-compliant addition to a building within an historic district has enraged residents who are held to stricter standards, and preservationists who see the floodgates opening to the deterioration of the historic districts on a broader scale.
Search Results for: Historic Districts
LPC Community Outreach is Good Government
I would like to respond to a recent CityLand guest commentary by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) that suggested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission practice of notifying property owners prior to “calendaring” a property is detrimental to the landmarks process. The Commission’s successful record can be directly attributed to our efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of, and help build support for, landmark designations in their neighborhoods.
Previously Approved Building Plan Reduced in Height from Five to Four Stories
Landmarks approved application for five story building at site of existing garage in 2013; applicants sought to amend permit to reduce height while retaining approved design. On June 24, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved an application to amend a certificate of appropriateness for a planned new building at 151 Mercer Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. According to the Real Deal, the new building will serve as a flagship store for fashion … <Read More>
REBNY Issues New Report on Landmarking and Housing Production
REBNY report shows that housing production, particularly affordable housing, is drastically lower in landmarked areas in the five boroughs. In 2013, the Real Estate Board of New York conducted a study which showed that nearly 28 percent of Manhattan is landmarked and that fewer than 2 percent of new housing units built in Manhattan over a ten-year time period (2003-2012) were constructed on landmarked properties. On July 1, 2014, REBNY released a new report which … <Read More>
Glass Retail Building Proposed for Corner Lot
Architecture firm that designed glass Apple store retained to design glass structure in SoHo. On June 3, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing for a proposed new structure on a vacant corner lot at 144 Spring Street in Manhattan’s SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The narrow 20 ft. by 80 ft. lot, which has been vacant for approximately 70 years, was previously occupied by a rowhouse built in 1820. The company that owns … <Read More>
Proposed New Building with Separate Glass and Masonry Facades Met with Criticism
No opposition voiced against demolition of one-story 20th-century building on site. On April 1, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application to develop a triangular lot at 192 Seventh Avenue South in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The site, which faces 11th Street to the north, was created by the extension of Seventh Avenue, and is currently occupied by a one-story building constructed in the 1920s, and heavily altered in the 1940s.