Artist Rendering of 34 West 21st Street. Image Credit: LPC.

Majority of commissioners believe that vertically arranged limestone-faced building integrated well into the streetscape. At its meeting on November 1, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved a proposal to construct a new six-story plus penthouse building at 34 West 21st Street  in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. The building will be used as a one-family dwelling. Landmarks approved a proposal for a similarly sized building at the site in 2007, but the project was never realized. Before previously approved construction stalled, a 1950s garage at the lot was demolished. The site is now a vacant lot. (more…)

Proposed Development. Image Credit: Morris Adjmi & LI/Saltzman Architects.

The two sites, which together constitute one through-block lot, will host new ten- and 13-story buildings designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. On June 22, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved an application to demolish two structures in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District, at 21West 17th Street, and 16 West 18th Street, and replace them with a 13-story and a ten-story building, respectively. The two lots face each other at the rear, and together make for one through-block parcel. The existing buildings on both lots have histories dating to the 19th century, but retain little or no historic fabric. The planned new buildings were designed by architect Morris Adjmi, who has successfully shepherded other projects in the neighborhood through Landmarks approval process. The properties are officially owned by 17-18 Management Company LLC, but the Real Deal reports they are owned and being developed by C.A. White. (more…)

From Left to Right: Paul Selver, Jerold Kayden, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Kent Barwick. Image Credit: LPC

Speakers spoke of the different priorities of City government and other stakeholders, examined preservation strategies of municipalities nationwide, and considered changes in the legal landscape that could affect landmarking. On October 26, 2015, , Meenakshi Srinivasan, Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and Jerold Kayden, Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, co-hosted an event titled “History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50.” The event held at the New York City Bar Association consisted of multiple addresses and panels intended to provoke and challenge common assumptions and perceptions regarding historic preservation as the City’s landmarks law enters the second half of its first century. (more…)

A model of the proposed building on 7 West 21st Street, New York, NY. Image Credit: MA.com.

Commissioners focused on the building’s sustainability and the proposed parking garage. On January 7, 2015 the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on applications for two special permits for a proposed building at 7 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District of Manhattan. The proposed building is 185 feet tall, with ground-floor retail and residential units on the upper floors. The permits would allow a waiver of the 150-foot setback requirement and construction of an underground parking garage capable of holding two hundred vehicles.  On October 15, 2013 the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted a Certificate of Appropriateness for the new building.  (See previous CityLand coverage here.)

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Project will entail the demolition of 1961 office and warehouse building occupied by the Catholic Medical Mission Board. On December 16, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an application for a new building at 8 West 17th Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. The site is currently occupied by a 3-story 1961 commercial building designed by the firm Belfatto and Pavarino, known mostly for their ecclesiastical architecture.

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