South Side of Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn. Image Credit: LPC.

The 100-year-old block stands out in the neighborhood for its high architectural quality and aesthetic consistency. On June 25, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate Bay Ridge’s first historic district, “Bay Ridge Parkway – Doctor’s Row.” The new historic district is comprised of 54 two-story and basement rowhouses located on a prominent 100-foot wide, tree-lined block along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4^th and 5^th Avenues in Brooklyn. The rowhouses were all constructed between 1906 and 1913 and designed by two architects in the Renaissance Revival style, some in combination with Colonial Revival elements. The block earned its name as Doctor’s Row for the concentration of medical professionals who have lived and worked there starting in the mid-20^th century. Landmarks calendared the proposal on March 26, 2019, and held a public hearing on May 14, 2019. (read more…)

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Image Credit: NYC LPC

The designation of the six historic sites received strong public support. On June 18, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate five buildings in Manhattan and one building in Staten Island as individual landmarks. The buildings – the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, the Women’s Liberation Center, Caffe Cino, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, the James Baldwin Residence and the Audre Lorde Residence – all reflected pieces of New York City’s LGBT civil rights history. The designations come as New York City celebrates Pride Month and the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. For CityLand’s prior coverage of these six buildings, click here. (read more…)

Rowhouses along 50th Street in Sunset Park 50th Street Historic District. Image Credit: LPC.

The four historic districts contain the most cohesive intact concentrations of high-quality architecture in Sunset Park, representing its primary periods of development. On June 18, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate four areas of Sunset Park, Brooklyn as historic districts: Sunset Park North, Sunset Park South, Central Sunset Park, and Sunset Park 50^th Street. Sunset Park North, South, and Central Sunset Park Historic Districts are areas where coherent historic streetscapes continue across several blocks and together create a strong sense of place. The Sunset Park 50^thStreet historic district contains two complete rows of browstones designed by Henry Spicer and Thomas Bennet and is the most consistent block in Sunset Park. The district boundaries were determined following extensive analysis of over 4,000 buildings between 40^th and 60^th Streets and 4^th and 7^th Avenues. Landmarks calendared the districts on January 22, 2019, and held a public hearing on May 7, 2019. (read more…)

Five of the seven buildings designated as individual landmarks on June 11, 2019. Image Credit: Google Maps

Commissioners commented on the importance of communicating the benefits of landmarking to the public. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate seven buildings as individual landmarks on Broadway south of Union Square. The buildings are located at 817 Broadway, 826 Broadway, 830 Broadway, 832 Broadway, 836 Broadway, 840 Broadway, and 841 Broadway. The seven buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1902. The buildings housed garment manufacturers, book publishers, and even a movie studio and reflected a time when Manhattan was continuing to grow north. (read more…)

The National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York Headquarters at 215 East 71st Street in Manhattan. Image Credit: LPC.

Although the original landmarking proposal also included an application to designate the Headquarter’s interiors, the Colonial Dames Society withdrew their support for that application. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Headquarters of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York as an individual landmark. The four-story Headquarters building is located at 215 East 71^st Street in Manhattan, between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues. The National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York commissioned Richard Henry Dana Jr. to design the building in 1928 to serve as the Society’s headquarters and a house museum displaying colonial residential architecture and interior design. Dana, a specialist in colonial revival architecture, designed the Headquarters in the Georgian Revival style, using as inspiration a variety of colonial homes along the eastern seaboard, with the 1750 Colonel John McEver House as his primary reference. (read more…)