Rainbow Room Renovation & Restoration Approved by Landmarks Commission

Approved plans would retain and restore remaining original elements of interior landmark, while replacing the dance floor and altering the wall, floor, and ceiling surfaces. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve a renovation plan for the Rainbow Room on January 8, 2013. The interior landmark, on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Plaza, was designated by Landmarks on October 13, 2012 and approved by the City Council on December 18, 2012.

The Rainbow Room, … <Read More>


HDC Identifies Six Preservation Priorities for 2013

Advocacy group selects areas in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island as meriting preservation attention in 2013. The Historic Districts Council announced its “Six to Celebrate” list of preservation priorities on January 3, 2013. The areas identified by HDC consist of the Bronx Parks System, Manhattan’s East Village/Lower East Side and Tribeca neighborhoods, Brooklyn’s Greenpoint and Sunset Park neighborhoods, and Harrison Street in Staten Island.

The six areas were chosen from applications … <Read More>


Landmarks Approves 23-Story Hotel for West 28th Street Site

Alterations to facade design win approval for setback tower to be built on existing two-story base. On December 11, 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an application by Quartz Associates LLC for a site at 250 Fifth Avenue in the Madison Square North Historic District. The plan calls for the construction of a tower that will rise to 23 stories on top of a one-story extension to the bank building facing West … <Read More>


Landmarking of Brinckerhoff Cemetery Proceeds to Council Vote Despite Owner’s Opposition [Update: Designation Approved By Full Council]

Owner of the vacant former cemetery site claimed she purchased the lot to build a home for herself, not knowing of the property’s history, and was not competently represented throughout the landmarking process. On December 6, 2012, the New York City Council’s Land Use Committee voted to recommend approval of the designation of the Brinckerhoff Cemetery as a New York City Landmark.  The property, at 69-65 182nd Street in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens, … <Read More>


Former Ridley & Sons Department Store Buildings Designated as an Individual Landmark, Awaiting Full Council Approval [Update: Designation Approved By Full Council]

Lower East Side department store, closed since 1901, approved for designation after adjacent property removed from consideration. On December 6, 2012, the New York City Council’s Land Use Committee voted to approve the designation of the former Edward Ridley & Sons Department Store Buildings. They voted to approve the designation after its Council’s Subcommittee on Landmark’s, Public Siting & Maritime Uses hearing on December 4, 2012.  Located at 315-317 Grand Street and 319-321 Grand … <Read More>


Landmarks Commission Unable to Agree Upon Brooklyn Heights Cinema Demolition and Construction Proposal

Ridgeton Poultry Inc. proposed to demolish heavily altered, mid-19th-century one-story building, and develop new five-story mixed-use structure. On November 27, 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal for the demolition of a one-story building at 70 Henry Street in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, and the construction of a new mixed-use building on the property. The building, located on the corner of Orange and Henry Streets, is now occupied by the Brooklyn Heights … <Read More>