Commissioners and preservationists call for revisions to development. On August 5, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on a proposal to build a three-story addition to a 1926 garage at 21-25 West 20th Street, and a new 16-story building at 19 West 20th Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. The plan calls for the garage’s parking use to be retained, with a three-story residential addition. The new 16-story residential building would replace an existing parking lot.… <Read More>
Search Results for: Historic Districts
Paul Goldberger discusses design, projects, and people
Paul Goldberger, the New Yorker’s architectural critic, previously spent 25 years as the architecture critic for the New York Times. Goldberger received a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for distinguished criticism, and has authored several books, most recently Up From Zero, an examination of the process of developing the former World Trade Center site.
Originally an English student at Yale, Goldberger felt himself continually drawn to architecture, journeying all night to see le Corbusier buildings and … <Read More>
Appropriateness disputed despite praise of design
- LPC rejects plans for 172 Duane. Photo: Jesse Denno.
Four-story addition opposite Duane Park sent back to drawing board. On June 10, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on the construction of a four-story addition and penthouse to 172 Duane Street, a two-story building within the Tribeca West Historic District. Built in 1871 as a store-and-loft building, the owners extensively renovated it in 1991 prior to the historic district’s designation. The widely-praised renovation, overseen by architect … <Read More>
Proposed MoMA skyscraper generates opposition
Jean Nouvel-designed tower requires air rights transfer from two nearby landmarks. The University Club, located on the corner of West 54th Street and Fifth Avenue, and St. Thomas Church, located at West 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue, sought Landmarks’ approval for the sale of their developable air rights to Hines Realty. The sale would allow Hines to construct a 75-story mixed-use tower in the vacant mid-block lot adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art. The … <Read More>
Kenneth K. Fisher Shares His Insights on Term Limits, Land Use Law, and Government
Kenneth K. Fisher was born into a political family. The son of Harold Fisher, the former Chairman of the MTA, Fisher “didn’t grow up playing golf or tennis” but rather “handing out flyers” at every election for as long as he can remember. In fact, his earliest memories consist of “campaigning for Hugh Carey and John F. Kennedy.”
After attaining his law degree from Syracuse University, Fisher joined the New York State Energy Research and … <Read More>
John Belle and Richard Southwick on 40 Years of Practicing Before Landmarks
Fresh from a business trip in Europe, John Belle, founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP, and Richard Southwick, partner and director of the firm’s preservation department, recently sat down for an afternoon with CityLand. Joined by Olivia, Belle’s mild-mannered golden retriever, the two architects discussed the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the impact of preservation on land use.
Self-described as “one of those immigrants,” Belle was born in Cardiff, Wales, … <Read More>