African-American enclave in Queens considered

Addisleigh Park was home to many famous African Americans,including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and W.E.B. DuBois. On March 23, 2010, Landmarks heard extensive testimony on the potential designation of a historic district in the Addisleigh Park section of St. Albans, Queens. Addisleigh Park is characterized by detached homes on large, landscaped lots, giving the neighborhood a suburban feel. Primarily developed between 1910 and the early 1930s, the area features homes in the English Tudor, Colonial, … <Read More>


Albert K. Butzel on Land Use Litigation and Lobbying

Albert K. Butzel did everything he could to avoid going to law school. After graduating from Harvard College, Butzel spent a year in Paris trying to become, as he put it, Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald. He made a deal with his father, who was an attorney, that he would go to law school if he did not succeed as a fiction writer. About a year later, Butzel enrolled at Harvard Law School.

Having … <Read More>


Rooftop addition on brownstone approved

Applicant required special permit because proposed addition would violate sliver law’s height limit. On January 6, 2010, the City Planning Commission approved a proposal by 161 West 78th Street LLC to build a one-story addition atop an existing five-story brownstone at 161 West 78th Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District of Manhattan. The twelve-foot addition would not be visible from the street and would increase the building’s height to 70 feet. … <Read More>


Horton’s Row flats designated

Only four of the 12 original Horton’s Row flats remain intact. On September 15, 2009, Landmarks voted to designate four attached three-family flats, known as Horton’s Row, as individual City landmarks. Originally comprised of 12 attached buildings and located on Westervelt Avenue in Staten Island’s Tompkinsville neighborhood, only four of Horton’s Row’s original flats remain intact. At an August 11 hearing, residents and preservation groups endorsed designating the flats. 6 CityLand 126 (Sept. 15, 2009).… <Read More>


Hearings held for nine Staten Island buildings

 

Staten Island Armory in Westerleigh, Staten Island. Image: LPC.
Dutch Reformed Church in Port Richmond, Staten Island. Image: LPC.

Commissioners hear testimony on Armory building, two churches, and several residences within the borough. On August 11, 2009, Landmarks held hearings for nine potential City landmarks on Staten Island. Chair Robert B. Tierney said the hearings were part of Landmarks ongoing effort to preserve the borough’s 19th century heritage. Council Member Kenneth Mitchell, whose district … <Read More>


Washington Square plan gains commission approval

Parks presented revised design that included additional seating alcoves. On April 16, 2009, Landmarks voted to approve modifications to the master plan for Washington Square Park’s renovation. The modifications include the construction of a performance stage and the alteration and retention of seating alcoves. At a March 17th hearing, residents, as well as Council Member Alan Gerson, urged Landmarks to deny the proposal, stating that the stage was too small and the alcoves were too … <Read More>