220-Property Extension to West End-Collegiate Historic District Approved [Update: Council Landmarks Committee Approves with Minor Changes]

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve district two years after initial hearing, though split on the inclusion of modern apartment complex. On June 25, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an extension to the West End-Collegiate Historic District, encompassing 200 buildings. The extension more than doubles the size of the previously designated district, and lies to the north and to the south of the original district, between 70th and 79th Streets, and … <Read More>


Proposed Residential Tower Would Encroach on Site of Steinway Hall [Update: Revised Plan Praised and Approved by Landmarks]

Applicants stated that a tower could be built as of right without the need to seek Landmarks’ approval, but the proposed plan would be more respectful toward the individual landmark. On October 1, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the proposal for the new development of a through-block site at 109 West 57th Street. The proposed residential tower, with commercial use on the lower stories, would occupy a vacant lot, as … <Read More>


19th-Century Warehouse to Theater Conversion Wins Landmarks Endorsement

Commission heard testimony from those who opposed significant alterations to preserved ruin, and those who wished to see structure used as cultural space. On June 4, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to issue a favorable advisory report following a hearing on a proposal to convert the stabilized ruins of a tobacco warehouse into a theater and community facility space. The structure stands at 45 Water Street in the Empire Fulton Ferry Park within … <Read More>


Landmarks Research Director Mary Beth Betts on her Career, the Commission, and the Fabric of the City

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Director of Research Mary Beth Betts supervises a staff of 12 that is responsible for the research and writing of designation reports, the review of requests for evaluation submitted to the Commission, and the conduct of surveys to identify buildings or districts worthy of designation. She is also involved in the environmental review process for major City projects, the identification of significant historic resources, and helps to educate the … <Read More>


New Developer’s Changes to 2007 SoHo Project Approved by Landmarks

New project would entail the demolition of two buildings, the restoration of a Wooster Street structure, and the construction of a new nine-story building. On March 12, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a proposal by developer DDG for a new development at 325 West Broadway, at the corner of Wooster Street, in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The application sought to amend a certificate of appropriateness issued in 2007 to a different … <Read More>


Thank You Landmarks Preservation Commission

Here is a bouquet of flowers for the Landmarks Preservation Commission for preserving the greatest interior spaces in New York City. This thought came to mind when I entered the former Bowery Savings Bank building at 130 Bowery in Manhattan to attend New York Law School’s annual Gala on Monday, February 25, 2013. Guests at the New York Law School Gala entered the Bank through what Landmarks described as a “triumphal arch motif” with an … <Read More>