Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District considered

Proposed Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District. Image: Courtesy of LPC.

Elected officials and business community expressed concerns about proposed twenty-building district. On December 14, 2010, Landmarks heard testimony on the proposed Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District in downtown Brooklyn. The district would include approximately twenty properties along Court, Montague, Remsen, Joralemon, and Livingston Streets. The proposed district is characterized by large commercial buildings in a range of architectural styles including the 35-story Montague-Court Building at … <Read More>


New residence OK’d on carriage house block

414 Wavery Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Carriage-house style building approved after reducing size and visibility of fourth floor. On December 7, 2010, Landmarks approved a modified proposal to develop a new building on a vacant parking lot at 414 Waverly Avenue in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill Historic District. The owner proposed building a four-story two-family residence inspired by the 19th century carriage houses that bookend the lot. The building would be clad in brick and … <Read More>


About CityLand

What is CityLand?

CityLand began in 2004 as a monthly newsletter. CityLand provides in-depth coverage of land use applications undergoing public review in New York City. We focus on the major players, including the City Council, City Planning Commission, Board of Standards & Appeals, and Landmarks Preservation Commission, and report on related legal challenges. Our articles highlight the most newsworthy actions, and include relevant public testimony, comments from elected officials and commissioners, and other crucial … <Read More>


Attorney Michael T. Sillerman Discusses Current Issues in Land Use

Land use attorney Michael T. Sillerman is often teased by his co-workers that he won’t work on a project unless there is a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner onboard. Although Sillerman doesn’t think that’s entirely true, he admits that his favorite part of being a land use attorney is how it overlaps with his love of architecture. As co-chair of Kramer Levin’s land use department, Sillerman typically spends as much time talking to architects and city … <Read More>


Nineteenth century Brooklyn brewery designated

Four-building complex is rare reminder of Brooklyn’s once-major industry. On May 11, 2010, Landmarks designated the former William Ulmer Brewery at 31 Belvidere Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn as an individual City landmark. The brewery comprises four buildings constructed between 1872 and 1890: an office building, a brew house and addition, an engine and machine house, and a stable and storage facility. Brooklyn-based architects William Engelhardt and Frederick Wunder designed the complex around a courtyard in … <Read More>


Ladies’ Mile addition rejected for second time

 

Revised design, reduced by three stories, followed form of mansard roofs common in Ladies’ Mile. On April 13, 2010, Landmarks considered a revised proposal for an addition to a six-story, through block building at 33 West 19th Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. The original plan, considered in July 2009, proposed a five-story addition for the neo-Renaissance structure built in 1903. The initial design featured a translucent metal mesh hung in front … <Read More>