Landmarks Unsatisfied By Revised Rooftop Addition Proposed for Harlem Rowhouse

Revised design shifted bulk of proposed one-story addition on St. Nicholas Avenue building toward front facade, but commissioners still found it excessive. On October 2, 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered 719/721 SNA Realty LLC’s revised proposal for a one-story rooftop addition to a five-story building at 721 St. Nicholas Avenue on the corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 146th Street in the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District.  The Romanesque Revival building features … <Read More>


HDC: Proposed Legislation Would Undermine the Landmarks Preservation Commission

Since its adoption in 1965, the New York City Landmarks Law has been amended several times. In 1973, the Landmarks Preservation Commission was allowed to designate landmarks as part of its regular schedule rather than having to wait three years between designation hearings, as had previously been the case, and also gained the ability to designate publicly owned parks and publicly accessible interiors as landmarks. In 1997, the agency gained the ability to enforce the … <Read More>


West Harlem Rezoning Awaits Council Subcommittee Vote

Local community board generally supported 90-block rezoning, but requested that portion of West 145th Street be downzoned to protect existing HUD buildings. On October 3, 2012, the City Council’s Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee heard testimony on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone 90 blocks in West Harlem. The rezoning would impact approximately 1,900 lots generally bounded by West 155th Street to the north, West 126th Street to the south, Bradhurst Avenue to the … <Read More>


Landmarks Approved Revised Plan for Harlem’s Corn Exchange Building

Artimus Construction plans to restore the deteriorated remains of the original six-story Harlem landmark. On September 11, 2012, Landmarks approved Artimus Construction’s redevelopment proposal for the severely dilapidated Mount Morris Bank, also known as the Corn Exchange building, at 81 East 125th Street in Harlem. Landmarks designated the 1884 six-story building as an individual City landmark in 1993. The red-brick building once featured a combination of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival-style architecture and terra … <Read More>


Bedford-Stuyvesant North Rezoning Approved By Council’s Land Use Committee

140-block rezoning proposal included new commercial zoning district tailored for blocks with elevated rail lines. On October 4, 2012, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s Bedford-Stuyvesant North Rezoning Plan. The contextual rezoning plan would impact a 140-block area generally bounded by Flushing Avenue to the north, Quincy Street to the south, Broadway to the east, and Classon Avenue to the west. The proposal also includes new regulations regarding … <Read More>


Landmarks Considers Nine-Story Project Adjacent to Manhattan’s Landmarked Merchant’s House Museum

Opposition feared construction would adversely impact individually landmarked building. On September 11, 2012, Landmarks held a hearing on Gary Spindler’s plan to demolish a one-story garage and develop a new nine-story building at 27 East 4th Street in the NoHo Historic District Extension. The property is located at the northern edge of the historic district and is adjacent to the individually landmarked Merchant’s House at 29 East 4th Street, which is not part of … <Read More>