Revised hospital plan approved for St.Vincent’s

St.Vincent’s still faces fight over associated residential development. In a March 10, 2009 public meeting, Landmarks voted to grant approval for a new hospital on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The site is currently occupied by the 1963 O’Toole Building, for which Landmarks approved demolition in October of 2008. 5 CityLand 158 (Nov. 15, 2008).

Representatives of St. Vincent’s presented an amended design that considered the criticisms … <Read More>


Council approves Battery Maritime addition

Battery Maritime Building. Image: Courtesy of NYCEDC.

Restoration of Battery Maritime Building along with addition of boutique hotel wins approval. On March 11, 2009, the City Council voted to approve the Economic Development Corporation and Dermot Company’s redevelopment plan for the Battery Maritime Building, located on the southern tip of Manhattan just east of Battery Park.

The 1909 building, once part of the original Whitehall Ferry Terminal, was designated as an individual City landmark in … <Read More>


Robert B. Tierney on the Pursuit of Preservation

Robert B. Tierney comes from a background of law and government rather than architecture, but his experience and training serve him well in his current position as Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. His love for learning about the City’s fascinating history and built environment, which he describes as a hobby and passion pursued for over 40 years, has allowed him to approach designation from a well-versed position, while his expertise in navigating through City … <Read More>


19th century Bed-Stuy development designated

Alice and Agate Courts Historic District, Brooklyn. Courtesy of New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Designation endorsed by local Council Member, residents. On February 10, 2009, Landmarks voted to designate Alice and Agate Courts in Bedford- Stuyvesant, Brooklyn as a historic district. Alice and Agate Courts, two cul-de-sacs off Atlantic Avenue between Kingston and Albany Avenues, contain 36 Queen Annestyle rowhouses that were developed by Florian Grosjean in 1888 – 1889.

Designed by local architect … <Read More>


Chase Tower and Plaza landmarked

Chase Tower and Plaza. Photo: LPC.

Mid-century International Style tower designated. On February 10, 2009, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate One Chase Manhattan Plaza as an individual City landmark. Designed by Gordon Bunschaft and Jacques E. Guiton of Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the site consists of a 60-story tower, a six-story base, and a 2.5 acre plaza that incorporates an Isamu Noguchi-designed sunken garden.

The tower was planned after the merger between Chase National Bank … <Read More>


St.Vincent’s future remains uncertain

Commissioners deeply divided in their responses to proposed new hospital. In the most recent chapter of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center’s process to gain approval for a consolidated, modern hospital, Landmarks met on December 16, 2008, to discuss the proposed new building. A month earlier, Landmarks had approved the demolition of the 1964 O’Toole building on Seventh Avenue between West 12th and West 13th Streets, clearing the way for construction of a new hospital on … <Read More>