Central Harlem West 130-132nd Historic District. Image credit: LPC.

164-building potential district characterized by 19th-century residential architecture, and cultural and political history.            Landmarks held a public hearing on the potential designation of the Central Harlem West 130-132nd Historic District at its meeting on April 17, 2018. The district is composed of the block interiors on 130th, 131st, and 132nd Streets between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The district includes approximately 164 buildings, chiefly built during a brief period of development in the final decades of the 19th century. The speculative rowhouses were constructed in architectural styles appealing to the middle class of the period, primarily Neo Grec, interspersed Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, and Romanesque Revival. Landmarks Executive Director Sarah Carroll stated that the proposed designation had come about through Landmarks’ study of properties associated with African-American history and the civil rights movement. (read more…)

827-831 Broadway Rendering. Image credit: LPC.

Proposed additions to recently designated buildings, known for housing artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement, reduced in visibility with modifications to design to better relate to existing building. On April 24, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a revised proposal to create a rooftop addition to the 827-831 Broadway Buildings, an individual City landmark designated in October of 2017. The buildings were designated partially for its architecture as proto-cast-iron commercial architecture, designed by Griffith Thomas and inspired by Italian palazzi, and also for their association with 20th century art. Willem De Kooning lived and worked in 831 Broadway, and other artists that lived in the buildings included Elaine de Kooning, Larry Poons, Jules Olitsky, and Paul Jenkins. (read more…)

Coney Island Boardwalk. Image credit: LPC.

Many speakers asked Landmarks to seek more binding control to ensure the boardwalk’s wood planking is replaced in kind. The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the potential scenic landmark designation of the Coney Island Boardwalk at its meeting on April 17, 2018. The designation would include the boardwalk and all structures on it, including furniture, concession pavilions, comfort stations, and lifeguard stations. A 100-foot-wide corridor of sand below and adjoining the boardwalk would be included in the designation. (read more…)

Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten. Image credit: LPC.

Two adjoining buildings from different eras with shared history to be considered together as an individual City landmark. Landmarks voted to add two buildings to its calendar for consideration as individual landmarks at the Commission’s April 10, 2018, meeting. The buildings are the 238 President Street House and the adjoining Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten at 236 President Street. The structures stand in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. (read more…)

Engine Companies 264 & 328, Ladder Company 13. Image Credit: LPC

Early 20th century buildings, a firehouse and police precinct house, reflect civic development of Far Rockaway. On March 13, 2018, Landmarks voted to add two buildings in Far Rockaway, Queens, to its calendar. The buildings are the Firehouse, Engine Companies 264 & 328, Ladder Company 13 at 16-15 Central Avenue, and the 53rd Precinct Police Station, at 16-12 Mott Avenue.  A seaside resort community through most of the 19th century, Far Rockaway was not linked to the rest of Queens until the construction of a railway bridge across Jamaica Bay in 1888, when the first year-round residences were constructed. (read more…)