Crown Heights historic district to be considered

Landmarks takes first step towards designation of new, 470-building historic district. On June 20, 2006, Landmarks voted to hold a public hearing on the proposed Crown Heights North Historic District, which will encompass 470 buildings, primarily along Dean and Pacific Streets; St. Mark’s, New York, Nostrand and Bedford Avenues; and Grand Square in Brooklyn.

At the June 20th vote, Landmarks staff provided a synopsis on the area’s transformation from farmland to the rapid row house … <Read More>


Emotional hearing held on Lower East Side school

Landmarking process begins for P.S. 64, a former school,now facing renovation. On May 16, 2006, Landmarks heard emotional testimony regarding the potential designation of P. S. 64 at 605 East 9th Street in the East Village.

P.S. 64 was built in 1903-04 by C. B. J. Snyder, then superintendent of school buildings for the City. The school is in the French Renaissance Revival style, and built in Snyder’s signature H-plan to maximize light and air … <Read More>


Two new historic districts approved for West Village

Landmarks simultaneously designated two adjacent areas in the Far West Village. On May 2, 2006, in front of a jubilant public audience, Landmarks completed the final step in designating the Weehawken Street Historic District and the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension.

The waterfront Weehawken Street Historic District comprises 14 buildings, built between 1830 and 1938. The district is on the former site of Newgate Prison. When the prison was closed in 1829, an open-air public … <Read More>


Bronx piano factory and SI cottage landmarked

Landmarks designated two new individual landmarks. The 1886 Estey Piano Factory, at 112 Lincoln Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, is the oldest piano factory in New York, and the centerpiece of the once thriving industrial area. With its prominent clock tower, brick facade, and historical significance, the piano factory was roundly endorsed at the April 11 hearing. 3 CityLand 4 (May 15, 2006).

Landmarks also designated the Theodore F. and Elizabeth … <Read More>


Interior of Loew’s Paradise Theater landmarked

Landmarks approved designation for 1929 Art Deco “wonder theater.” The interior of Loew’s Paradise Theater, at 2405-2419 Grand Concourse in the Fordham area of the Bronx, was designated by Landmarks on May 16, 2006. The 1929 theater was designed by architect John Eberson, the inventor of what were called “wonder theaters” that featured artificial trees and birds and a machine that simulated clouds shifting on the ceiling. One of five such theaters built by Loew’s, … <Read More>


Estey Piano Company Factory receives hearing

New York’s oldest known piano factory begins landmarking process. On April 11, 2006, Landmarks held a public hearing on the Estey Piano Factory, located at 112 Lincoln Avenue in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx. The factory was built between 1885 and 1886 by the firm of A. D. Ogden and Sons. An addition was added in 1890, and further additions were built between 1895 and 1919. Though not as renowned as Astoria … <Read More>