At Final Backlog Hearing, Testimony Considered on Manhattan Items

The proposed designation of the former Yuengling Brewery Site in East Harlem proved contentious, dividing preservationists and those who wished to see site developed.  On November 12, 2015 the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the final of four special hearings organized to address the backlog of items added to the Commission’s calendar before 2001, but never brought to a vote on designation.  The final hearing consisted of items in Manhattan, occupying Community Boards six through twelve.  … <Read More>


Commission Requests Revisions to Plan to Replace 19th-Century Corner Building

Applicant had previously planned to restore existing building, but engineers had determined it to be structurally unsound. On November 10 2015 the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the proposed demolition of an existing structure, and the erection of a new building at 327 Bleecker Street, in the Greenwich Village Historic District, at the corner of Christopher Street. Landmarks previously approved a plan for the alteration of the existing structure in 2012.


Union Square Park, Bergdorf Goodman, IRT Powerhouse Among Items Considered at Third Special Hearing

Wide support voiced for designation of monumental Stanford White-designed powerhouse and iconic Classicist department store, despite owner opposition. On November 5, 2015, Landmarks held the third of four special hearings to address the backlog of items calendared prior to 2010, but never brought to a vote on designation. Previous hearings were held on October 8 and 22, 2015. The November hearing was the first devoted to items in Manhattan.


A Pastor’s Plea Against Landmarking His Church

I presently serve as pastor, of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. The church, formerly St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church, 7558 Amboy Road in Tottenville, Staten Island, has been in existence for 156 years and has seen so many changes over the years that, to my mind, it truly does not meet the criteria of “historic landmark.” But the larger issue isn’t really about St. Paul’s UMC specifically, but about the nature of … <Read More>


Special hearing on Backlogged Items Devoted to Staten Island Properties

Items at issue included a former retirement community for sailors, a Colonial-era stone farmhouse, a lighthouse, and the Vanderbilt family mausoleum. On October 22, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the second of four special hearings to address the backlog of items calendared before 2012 but never brought to a vote on designation. The hearing consisted of three batches, of seven to eleven items each, all located in Staten Island. Twenty-six items in total were … <Read More>


New Meals on Wheels Complex Approved after Revisions

Revisions to site plan made for more green spaces, while the buildings’ materials and design would better relate to the historic district. On October 20, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a plan to develop a new facility housing Meals on Wheels operations at 460 Brielle Avenue in Staten Island’s New York Farm Colony-Seaview Hospital Historic District. The site, currently empty, lies in the Seaview Hospital portion of the district. The Health and Hospital … <Read More>