Plan to Site Restored Modernist House on Vacant Lot Stirs Controversy

Owners said construction of a new residential development would help fund the maintenance of the 1931 prototype for mass-produced housing. On October 15, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on a proposed new development from Norcor Management Group for a vacant lot at the corner of 39th Avenue and 50th Street in Queens’ Sunnyside Gardens Historic District. (See CityLand’s past coverage here.) The application would include the installation of the Aluminaire … <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>


Former Piano Showroom City’s Newest Interior Landmark

Reception room and hallway of ornate Steinway & Sons piano showroom, designed by Warren & Wetmore, date to 1925. On September 10, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the hallway and reception room of the former Steinway & Sons retail space at 109 West 57th Street as an interior City landmark. The interior is housed in a 16-story building designed by the firm of Warren & Wetmore, the architects behind other prominent City … <Read More>


Council Approved Bed-Stuy HD Expansion

Council’s subcommittee heard numerous voices urging ratification of historic district expansion. At its stated meeting on August 22, 2013, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the Landmark designation of the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in Brooklyn. The designation covers approximately 825 buildings.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the expanded district in April of 2013, after a well-attended January hearing. The expansion drew strong support from area residents and preservationists. However, a few … <Read More>


Jacques Ely Kahn-Designed Manufacturing Building City’s Newest Individual Landmark

Modern classical structure, completed in 1930, was built as part of an industrial development of the area following the opening of the Holland Tunnel. On August 6, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Holland Plaza Building, at 75 Varick Street in Manhattan, as an individual landmark. The 1930 building was designed by Jacques Ely Kahn, a prolific New York-based architect who was also responsible for the Municipal Asphalt Plant, and … <Read More>


Opulent Piano Retail Space Considered as a Potential Interior Landmark

Owner’s representative expressed support for designation; testified that landmark would be preserved in context of planned larger development. On July 23, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the potential designation of the reception room and adjoining rooms and hallways of the Steinway & Sons retail space at 109 West 57th Street in Manhattan. The neo-Renaissance interior was completed in 1928 to designs by the firm of Warren & Wetmore. Warren & … <Read More>