Webster Hall designated over owner’s objections

Late 19th century building served as performance space, ballroom and assembly hall. Landmarks voted unanimously to designate Webster Hall, located at 119 East 11th Street, as an individual City landmark on March 18, 2008.

Architect Charles Rentz designed the Renaissance Revival-style building in 1886 with a brick exterior and terra cotta ornaments. The building once served as a venue for Progressive Labor Party rallies during the labor movement. In the 1920s, it was nicknamed … <Read More>


Hotel approved for West Village

Morris Adjmi and Landmarks agree on hotel design. On March 25, 2008, Landmarks voted to approve an application by 145 Perry Fee Owners LLC to build a six-story hotel, with penthouse, in the Greenwich Village Historic District. Under the application, the owners will demolish a two-story, 1938 stucco building to make room for the hotel.

The application originally proposed a seven-story hotel, with penthouse. At the initial public hearing on February 12th, Manhattan Community Board … <Read More>


Landmarks considers NoHo HD extension

Map of the proposed NoHo Historic District extension. Image: LPC.

Developers and property owners oppose extension. Landmarks heard testimony on a proposal to extend the NoHo Historic District to include 56 buildings, located between Broadway and Lafayette Streets from Bleecker to West 4th Street.

The proposed extension includes a historically commercial area characterized by mid-19th century loft buildings, Federal- and Greek Revival-style structures, and tenements built to house local workers. The area remained almost exclusively … <Read More>


BSA okays 16-story bldg. one year after rezoning

Council Member Letitia James opposed vested right claim. On March 4, 2008, BSA allowed construction of a 16-story building at 163 Washington Avenue to move forward despite the fact that the building is out of compliance with the recently adopted Fort Greene- Clinton Hill Rezoning plan. The building will have community facility use on the first floor with residential use in the remainder of the building. It will also have a second- floor terrace, supported … <Read More>


West 49th St. development approved

Residential development approved for former manufacturing district. On March 10, 2008, the Planning Commission approved Real Estate Industrials’ proposal to build two, seven-story residential buildings and a public parking garage adjacent to an as-of-right residential building and an existing four-story Red Cross headquarters on West 49th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. The as-of-right building would have 41 dwelling units, while the two additional buildings would have 124 units total. The developer would demolish four … <Read More>


125th Street rezoning moves forward

Angry local opposition jeered and escorted out by security. After a public review that included over 170 meetings with local residents, the Planning Commission voted to approve the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone the 125th Street corridor, which includes 124th and 126th Street.

Once a prestigious epicenter of African American culture, the 125th Street corridor has suffered from a lack of public and private investment since the 1960s. In recent years, however, renewed … <Read More>