Real estate and business groups opposed creating new historic district in downtown Brooklyn. On September 13, 2011, Landmarks unanimously approved the creation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District in downtown Brooklyn. The district comprises twenty one buildings along Court Street, bounded to the north and south by Montague and Livingston Streets. The area was developed primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became Brooklyn’s commercial core. Notable buildings in the district include Brooklyn Borough Hall, the Temple Bar Building, and a 22-story building at 32 Court Street considered to be Brooklyn’s first true skyscraper.

At Landmarks’ December 2010 public hearing, representatives from the Court-Livingston- Schermerhorn BID and the Real Estate Board of New York opposed the district. Elected officials including local Council Member Steven Levin supported the district, but requested that Landmarks remove a co-op building at 75 Livingston Street from the district. Brooklyn Law School also opposed the inclusion of one of its properties in the district. Brooklyn Community Board 2 and preservation groups supported designation. 8 CityLand 11 (Feb. 15, 2011).  (more…)

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 16 Court Street, the 32-story Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Building at 75 Livingston Street, and the thirteen-story Temple Bar Building at 44 Court Street. Many of the buildings were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries following New York City’s consolidation and at a time when speculators believed downtown Brooklyn would become a financial and commercial center to rival lower Manhattan. Landmarks calendared the proposed district in October 2010.

At a hearing, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz spoke in support stating that the district was a “monument to the borough’s history.” Markowitz, however, asked Landmarks to exclude 75 Livingston Street, which is now a residential co-op, from the district. He said the tenants opposed designation because it would add onerous fees and complicate a planned renovation. Representatives of Assembly Member Joan Millman and local Council Member Steven Levin also recommended that Landmarks exclude 75 Livingston Street. Several residents of the co-op attended the hearing also to speak against including their building in the proposed district. (more…)