Federal row houses near Holland tunnel heard

Support voiced for designation of two homes built in 1823. Landmarks heard testimony on the 486 and 488 Greenwich Street houses on April 10, 2007. Built in 1823 for German-born tailor John Rohr, the two-anda- half story, Federal-style row houses feature dormered peaked roofs, brick cladding, and stone lintels and sills. Rohr built a group of five row houses at the corner of Greenwich and Canal Streets, and 486 and 488 Greenwich remain the only … <Read More>


Queens house designated despite severe alteration

Landmarks re-designates home struck from district by court order. Following a lengthy public hearing, Landmarks voted unanimously on April 3, 2007 to re-include the single- family home at 41-45 240th Street back into the Douglaston Hill Historic District.

Landmarks originally included the home within a December 2004 designation, but a court struck down the home’s inclusion, ordering Landmarks to hold a second hearing focused on the owners’ claim that the home dated to 1920 rather … <Read More>


New district for Brooklyn’s Crown Heights approved

Final Crown Heights North Historic District. Map: LPC.

Landmarks credited the residents of Crown Heights for generating designation. On April 24, 2007, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate the Crown Heights North Historic District encompassing 472 Brooklyn buildings built between the 1860s and the 1930s.

Landmarks Chair Robert Tierney opened the comments by saying that the importance of the designation became clear to him when he stood within the homes of Crown Heights’ residents and viewed … <Read More>


Hearing held on designation of Morningside Park

This buttressed retaining wall is a prominent feature of Morningside Park. Photo:Morgan Kunz.

If designated, the park would be the City’s first new scenic landmark in over 20 years. On April 10, 2007, Landmarks held a public hearing on the proposed designation of Morningside Park as a scenic landmark. If designated the park would be the City’s tenth scenic landmark and the first since 1983.

Resting on steep cliffs separating Morningside Heights from Harlem, the … <Read More>


Potential Sunnyside Gardens district proves divisive

Opposing sides report neighborhood friction, allegations of spying and harassment. On April 17, 2007, in front of an audience exceeding the hearing room’s capacity, Landmarks heard testimony on the potential designation of a Sunnyside Gardens Historic District. Sunnyside Gardens, a planned community built between 1924 and 1928, features a mixture of single-, double-, and multi-family dwellings arranged around large, landscaped open courtyards. Funded by a limited dividend company, the development provided high-quality housing for the … <Read More>


BSA hears appeal challenging NYU dorm

Challenge to construction of this 26-story, East 12th Street NYU dorm heard by BSA. Photo:Morgan Kunz.

East Village residents opposed lot merger needed for construction of 26-story dormitory. On April 17, 2007, BSA held a contentious hearing on New York University’s 26- story dormitory, currently under construction on East 12th Street in the East Village. In September 2006, a court refused to halt construction while residents appealed the building permit to BSA. 3 CityLand 144 … <Read More>