The Diamond District and the Tennis Center are among the beneficiaries. On November 13, 2007 the New York City Industrial Development Agency voted to provide over $105 million in financial assistance to four entities.
IDA awarded up to $51 million in tax benefits to Extell Diamond Tower LLC, an affiliate of Extell Development Company, which will build an integrated diamond and jewelry industry facility in Manhattan’s Diamond District. IDA will extend a mortgage recording … <Read More>
Designation does not include adjacent lot to accommodate trade group. Landmarks voted on November 20, 2007 to designate the former P.S. 90 building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The Round-Arch style building dates back to 1878 and was built by John Y Culyer, chief engineer of Prospect Park and designer of the nearby Flatbush Town Hall. Landmarks first held a public hearing on the building back in 1989.
At the September 18th public hearing, representatives from the … <Read More>
Proposal would increase fines for illegal conversions of residences into hotels. On December 3, 2007, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on a proposal to increase fines on building owners who illegally convert residential units, especially rent-regulated ones, into hotel units.
Council Member Gail Brewer sponsored … <Read More>
EDC intends to transfer property to non-profit trade group. On September 18, 2007, Landmarks heard testimony on the possible designation of the former Public School 90 building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Architect John Y. Culyer, also responsible for the nearby Flatbush Town Hall, a City landmark, designed P.S. 90 in 1878, before Flatbush assimilated into the city of Brooklyn. P.S. 90 built additions to the school in 1886 and 1906. Chair Robert B. Tierney stated that … <Read More>
Jamaica Savings Bank had been denied landmark status in 1974 and 1992. On May 15, 2007, Landmarks held a public hearing on the Jamaica Savings Bank, an 1898 Beaux-Arts style building prominently located on Jamaica Avenue near 161st Street in Queens. Landmarks designated the building twice in the past, but the Board of Estimate overturned the 1974 vote and the City Council denied Landmarks’ second attempt in 1992. The owner of the building opposed designation … <Read More>
Landmarks unanimously designated the 1886 piano factory. On February 27, 2007, Landmarks voted to designate the Sohmer Piano Factory in Long Island City, Queens as an individual landmark. The architectural firm of Berger and Baylies designed the factory as well as many of the warehouses and lofts in Tribeca historic districts.
Though not as well known as the nearby Steinway Piano Factory in Astoria, Sohmer was a significant manufacturer in the late nineteenth and early … <Read More>