The five buildings selected to receive grants from LPC for repair work. Image credit: LPC

Recipients in all five boroughs received anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 to restore, repair or rehabilitate the facades of their buildings. On January 16, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) awarded five grants to low and moderate-income homeowners and nonprofits to offset the cost of repairs to their landmarked properties as part of the Historic Preservation Grant Program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Created in 1965, the Landmarks Preservation Commission is responsible for protecting and preserving New York City’s architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites.

The grant program selects properties in income-eligible census regions. As part of its program outreach, LPC partnered with elected officials and community groups to host information sessions in eligible communities. Recipients in all five boroughs received anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 to restore, repair or rehabilitate the facades of their buildings. The grants also include technical assistance for the restoration and support during the contractor bidding process. Grants are distributed based on the number of applications received, the amount of funding available, the financial need of the recipient and the effect of the repair on improving the building or historic district.

The properties selected for repair include:

529 47th Street, Brooklyn – Central Sunset Park Historic District: $35,000 awarded to repair and recoat the brownstone stoop and bottom portion of the facade; repaint the ironwork and other painting projects at the entrance.

17 Marion Avenue, Staten Island – Paul’s Avenue – Stapleton Heights Historic District: $35,000 awarded to replace windows and repair and repaint wood elements of the façade.

Homes for the Homeless, 734-36 Kelly Street, Bronx – Longwood Historic District: $35,000 matching grant awarded for restorative facade work, including repairing masonry and replacing doors.

34-37 84th Street, Queens – Jackson Heights Historic District: $15,000 awarded to replace gutters at the facade and reconstruct the front steps.

Estonian Educational Society, 243 E 34th Street, Manhattan – Individual Landmark: $10,000 matching grant awarded for patching of limestone and terracotta, and repairing columns on the front facade.

Landmarks Chair Sarah Carroll stated, “The LPC Historic Preservation Grant Program is a great resource that enables us to support homeowners and non-profit organizations. I am thrilled that this year’s grant recipients, who represent all five boroughs, will get the funding they need to maintain their landmark buildings and bring pride of place to these communities.”

Renee Epps, Chief Officer of Facilities for Henry Street Settlement, a past non-profit grant recipient, stated, “The generous grant we received from the Landmarks Preservation Commission allowed us to put the finishing touches on a major exterior restoration project of our historic headquarters on the Lower East Side, allowing us to restore the building’s highly decorative original cast and wrought iron railings from the 1830s.”

By: Anna Kovalevska (Anna is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, class of 2020.)