Trinity Church’s Special Hudson Square District Wins Council Approval

Modifications to private rezoning application centered on encouraging affordable housing. On March 13, 2013, the City Council voted to approve Trinity Church’s Special Hudson Square District proposal with modifications. The proposal was intended to facilitate residential development and protect existing office space. Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee Chair Mark Weprin announced modifications to the proposal at a Subcommittee meeting on March 13, 2013. The modifications addressed many of the concerns expressed by community residents and … <Read More>


Controversial East Village/Lower East Side Historic District Approved by Council

Support and opposition to landmarking reiterated at City Council level. On January 31, 2013, the City Council’s Land Use Committee voted to approve the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District in Manhattan. The district includes approximately 325 buildings, and is composed of two distinct sections on each side of First Avenue. On October 9, 2012, Landmarks approved the designation after modifying the boundaries of the proposal initially presented to … <Read More>


City Council Proposes Important Changes to Landmarks Law

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (“LPC”) has designated more than 1,400 individual landmarks and 107 historic districts.  Approximately 29,000 buildings are under LPC regulation. With only five percent of that total comprising individual landmarks,95 percent are subject to LPC regulation solely because they are located within historic districts, regardless of individual merit.

With the proliferation of buildings subject to LPC regulation, both as individual landmarks and within historic districts, attention has increasingly focused … <Read More>


Martha Washington and Barbizon hotels considered

The Martha Washington Hotel and Barbizon Hotel for Women provided housing for single women pursuing careers. In July 2011, Landmarks held public hearings for the potential designation of two residential hotels in Manhattan that served an emerging class of professional women in the early 20th Century. The Martha Washington Hotel is located at 30 East 30th Street, and the Barbizon Hotel for Women is located at 140 East 63rd Street.

Architect Robert W. … <Read More>


Interior and exterior of Art Deco skyscraper considered

70 Pine Street in Manhattan’s Financial District. Image: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Owner and preservation groups supported designating the exterior and first-floor lobby of 66-story tower at 70 Pine Street. On May 10, 2011, Landmarks simultaneously heard testimony on the potential exterior and interior designations of the Cities Service Building at 70 Pine Street in Lower Manhattan. The 66-story tower was designed and built by Clinton & Russell, Holton & George in 1932 for … <Read More>


Iconic Coney Island Theater and Restaurant Designated

Interwar buildings recall Coney Island’s era as a family-friendly destination. Landmarks unanimously designated the Coney Island Theater at 1301 Surf Avenue and the Childs Restaurant Building at 1208 Surf Avenue as individual City landmarks. Landmarks held public hearings on both buildings in March 2010, and designated the Coney Island Theater on December 14, 2010 and the Childs Restaurant Building on January 11, 2011. Both buildings are within the area recently rezoned as part of … <Read More>