Landmarks approves Park Slope Historic District Extension

New Brooklyn historic district brings another 600 buildings bordering original Park Slope Historic District under Landmarks jurisdiction. On April 17, 2012, Landmarks unanimously approved the creation of the Park Slope Historic District Extension. The extension includes 600 buildings on the southwest border of the 1973-designated Park Slope Historic District. The new district is generally bounded by 7th Street to the north, 15th Street to the south, 8th Avenue to the east, and … <Read More>


Landmarks approved Tavern on the Green’s renovations

Tavern on the Green’s renovation plan. Image: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and ARX Solutions Inc.

The City will renovate and restore 1871 building with eye toward casual restaurant. On February 21, 2012, Landmarks approved the City’s renovation plan for the landmarked Tavern on the Green restaurant on the west side of Central Park near West 65th Street. The Victorian Gothic building was built in 1871 as a sheepfold. It was converted into a restaurant … <Read More>


Metropolitan Museum’s plaza renovation approved

Metropolitan Museum of Art’s plaza renovations. Image: Courtesy of OLIN

Opponents were concerned about how changes to plaza would impact views of the museum. On February 21, 2012, Landmarks issued a favorable advisory report on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s proposal to redesign its plaza along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The museum is an individual City landmark, while the plaza is considered part of Central Park, which is a scenic landmark. … <Read More>


Kate Ascher on Our Urban Environment

Kate Ascher, head of Happold Consulting’s U.S. practice, has perhaps become better known for her popular books on how cities work. Ascher received her masters and doctorate degrees from the London School of Economics, where she focused on the interface between the public and private sectors. She previously worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and Vornado Realty Trust. Currently, Ascher teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate … <Read More>


Rudin plan for St. Vincent’s redevelopment approved

Rudin tweaked project’s site plan in response to concerns raised at hearing. On January 23, 2012, the City Planning Commission approved the Rudin Management Company Inc.’s plan to redevelop the former St. Vincent’s hospital complex into a 450-unit mixed-used project. The project site is situated on two parcels in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The East Site parcel includes eight former St. Vincent’s Hospital buildings along West 12th Street, down Seventh Avenue and along … <Read More>


Ten-building project approved in Central Bronx

Crotona Park East. Image: Courtesy of Dattner Architects.

Proposed 1,300-unit project near the Bronx River led by Gifford Miller would include a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments. On October 5, 2011, the City Council approved Signature Urban Properties’ proposal to build a ten-building mixed-use project overlooking the Sheridan Expressway and the Bronx River in the Crotona Park East and West Farms sections of the Bronx. To facilitate the approximately 1,300- unit project, Signature submitted … <Read More>