The Bloomberg administration will be remembered for, among other initiatives, a major reallocation of public street space for new and innovative uses. Cars and trucks have been joined by a host of new users, most recently by the long anticipated bike share program. Citibike is a worthy experiment.
The City’s Department of Transportation chased vehicular traffic from portions of Times Square, Herald Square and Madison Square and rededicated the space to movable chairs, tables and … <Read More>
Applicants will retain brick from neglected Federal style row houses’ unstable facades on the verge of collapse. On May 21, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an application for the demolition of two adjacent structures at 321 and 323 Canal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The action was presented as necessary to prevent the imminent collapse of the vacant buildings. Landmarks’ Deputy Counsel John Weiss explained that the application … <Read More>
High rises are built in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a historic rate and most of them remain empty while very few lots are preserved as open space. One such lot at 99 South 5th Street in Williamsburg is owned by Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the City government agency charged with managing affordable housing, and has been vacant for at least 20 years. Last year HPD released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the lot (alternate … <Read More>
Instead of a tower on a base, the revised project would rise to six stories at the streetwall, with a minimally visible penthouse. On May 14, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve a proposal to construct a new building at 42 Crosby Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The meeting was the third time the Commission addressed the proposal, and the Annabelle Selldorf-designed project underwent significant changes in its … <Read More>
Howard Slatkin, the director of sustainability for the New York City Department of City Planning, was a frequent visitor to NYC while growing up in New Jersey, but it was not until he moved to the City after studying history at Brown University, that he became interested in architecture and the social life of places. He earned a master’s degree in urban planning at Columbia University in 2000. At that time the concept of sustainability, … <Read More>
Hall served as home to powerful City political organization after abandonment of 14th Street headquarters. On May 14, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the former Tammany Hall, formally commencing the structure’s consideration as an individual City landmark. The building is located at 100-102 East 17th Street, just off Union Square.
The Neo-Georgian building was completed in 1929 based on the designs of the firm of Thompson, Holmes & Converse and architect … <Read More>