Council voted without debate to uphold Landmarks’ designation of the interiors of the Plaza Hotel. On October 27, 2005, the full Council voted to support the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of eight interior rooms of the Plaza hotel as individual landmarks with very little debate. Landmarks had moved quickly to designate the Plaza’s interiors in April 2005 after Elad Properties, the Plaza’s current owners, filed a change of use application to alter some of the … <Read More>
Search Results for: Landmark Designation
Council rejects designation of Queens Blvd. bank
Objections by building owner and lack of positive support by council member sank designation. On October 27, 2005, the City Council overturned the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the 1966-built, former Jamaica Savings Bank on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst. Landmarks designated the bank in June 2005, calling it a striking example of 1960s popular modernist architecture. 2 CityLand 92 (July 15, 2005). The bank, designed by William F. Cann, features a 116-foot long curved copper … <Read More>
Far West Village to have district designation hearings
Two new proposed districts would encompass 50 buildings west of Greenwich Village Historic District. Landmarks took the first step towards expanding the Greenwich Village Historic District and creating a new historic district along Weehawken and West Streets in Manhattan by voting unanimously on September 20, 2005 to hold hearings on the designations.
As proposed, the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension would add 36 buildings within the three-block area bound by Perry, Washington, Christopher and Greenwich … <Read More>
Landmarks holds hearing on Brooklyn warehouse
Massive concrete building attributed to Cass Gilbert. On July 26, 2005, Landmarks held a public hearing on the proposed designation of the Austin, Nichols & Co. Warehouse, a six-story unadorned, reinforced concrete warehouse attributed by some to Cass Gilbert. Built on the East River in 1913 for the largest grocery wholesaler of the period, the 500,000-square-foot warehouse was the first collaboration between Gilbert and the Turner Construction Company, and was followed by their collaboration on … <Read More>
Two designations despite owners’ objections
The Windermere and Dickey House designated. Despite strong opposition by current owners, on June 28, 2005, Landmarks designated the Windermere Apartments in Manhattan’s Clinton section, and the Robert Dickey House in Lower Manhattan.
The Windermere, constructed in 1881, is a visually compelling three-building complex located at 400-406 West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue. Its design, attributed to Theophilus G. Smith, features distinctive cornices and polychromatic brickwork. At the public hearings, the owner strongly opposed the … <Read More>
Landmarks holds hearings on the Plaza’s interiors
The Plaza’s new owners testify in support, claiming $350 million to be spent on restoration. Landmarks held two public hearings in June on the proposed designation of interior spaces in the Plaza Hotel, including the Oak Room and Oak Bar, the Terrace and Edwardian Rooms, the Palm Court, the Grand Ballroom’s first floor, and the two entrance lobbies at West 59th Street and Grand Army Plaza. While the exterior of the Plaza was designated an … <Read More>