Tower Adjacent to Park Avenue Christian Church Approved after Changes

Revised proposal would allow three-dimensional perception of existing church, schist facade at base would acknowledge annex to be demolished. On January 13, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to award a Certificate of Appropriateness to a proposal for 1010 Park Avenue in the Park Avenue Historic District. The plan calls for the demolition of an existing six-story 1963 annex, to the Park Avenue Christian Church and the construction of 13-story tower, with three additional … <Read More>


CPC Hears Request to Convert Artists’ Building to Residential Use

Proposed renovation would restore two floors lost to fire and open loft building to non-artist tenants. On December 3, 2014 the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application for a special permit for 102 Greene Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, Manhattan. The building is three stories, with the Galeria Melissa gallery on the ground floor and two apartments above. The apartments are designated as Joint Live-Work Quarters for Artists … <Read More>


Proposal for New Tower on Church Property Proves Controversial

Park Avenue Christian Church, which would demolish annex for mixed-use development in partnership with Extell, claimed finding was necessary to maintain historic church fabric and its religious mission. On October 21, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on a proposal for the demolition of an existing church annex and the construction of a new 15-story building on property belonging to and adjacent to the Park Avenue Christian Church at 1010 Park Avenue in … <Read More>


New Glass-Faced Structure on Vacant SoHo Lot Approved after Modifications

In approval of new structure from the architects of the Apple stores, Commissioners included language that would maintain transparency of the facade should the building be repurposed in the future. On September 16, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve the construction of a new building at the corner of Spring and Wooster Streets in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The site has been occupied by a 20-by-80-foot vacant lot for approximately 70 years, … <Read More>


LPC Community Outreach is Good Government

I would like to respond to a recent CityLand guest commentary by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) that suggested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission practice of notifying property owners prior to “calendaring” a property is detrimental to the landmarks process. The Commission’s successful record can be directly attributed to our efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of, and help build support for, landmark designations in their neighborhoods.


Protecting Landmarks and the Landmarking Process

Nearly 50 years ago the city passed its landmarks law, with the goal of ensuring that historically significant sites and areas could be saved before they might be destroyed, as happened with Penn Station and countless other fallen landmarks. The law gave the city the right to landmark a property or area, but only after notifying the owner that they were considering doing so, holding a hearing at which the owner and anyone else could … <Read More>