
Rendering of proposed new building at 31 Lispenard Street/Image Credit: GF55 and Urban Standard Capital
Landmarks Preservation Commission had concerns with proposed building’s façade and bulkhead height. On September 17, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish an existing one and a half-story commercial brick building and construct a new seven-story mixed-used building with an elevated mechanical bulkhead at 31 Lispenard Street, Manhattan. The building is on the corner of Lispenard and Church Streets and located within the Tribeca East Historic District. Built in 1947 by Mac L. Reiser, the building was originally occupied by a garage and retail store but now houses a restaurant and a barbershop. The application was presented by Gregory Dietrich of Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, David Gross of GF55 Architects, and Seth Weissman of Urban Standard Capital.
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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 4th and 5th 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-20th century. Landmarks calendared the proposal on March 26, 2019, and held a public hearing on May 14, 2019. (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 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. For CityLand’s prior coverage of these six buildings, click here. (more…)

South Side of Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn. Image Credit: LPC.
Due to its high degree of integrity, the block still looks much like it did 100 years ago and still houses medical professionals. On May 14, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of “Bay Ridge Parkway – Doctor’s Row Historic District” in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The proposed historic district would be Bay Ridge’s first, comprised of 54 century-old rowhouses located on the same block of Bay Street, between 4thand 5thAvenues. The limestone rowhouses, built in the Renaissance and Colonial Revival styles, are significant for their architectural integrity and aesthetic consistency. The block earned its name for the number of medical professionals living and working there, both currently and in the past. (more…)

Nos. 47 – 55 West 28th Street were the home of many sheet music publishers in the 1890s and 1900s. Image Credit: NYC LPC
Proposed buildings were home to prominent sheet music publishers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. On March 12, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to add five buildings on West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue to its calendar for consideration for landmark designation. The five buildings – 47 – 55 West 28th Street – represent a time when the street was known as “Tin Pan Alley” due to the noise of all of the piano music from various sheet music publishers located on the block. (more…)