Proposed Boerum Hill Historic District Extension. Image Credit: LPC.
Controversy focused on small section of Atlantic Avenue commercial corridor proposed for inclusion in district extension, characterized by 19th-century low-rise buildings. Landmarks held a hearing on the designation of the Boerum Hill Historic District Extension on May 8, 2018. The extension would be composed of three direct sections adjoining the existing Boerum Hill Historic District to the north, south, and west. Approximately 288 buildings are included in the proposed extension, roughly equal in size to the existing 300-property district. (read more…)
Proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. Credit: LPC
New district would encompass more than 300 buildings in an area that was home to successive waves of immigrant groups. On June 26, 2012, Landmarks heard extensive testimony on the proposed designation of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. The proposed district would encompass approximately 330 buildings located primarily along Second Avenue between St. Marks Place and East 2nd Street and adjacent side streets. A portion of the district would extend along East 6th and East 7th Streets, reaching Avenue A.
The area is largely characterized by multi-family 19th century tenement buildings that housed various immigrant groups newly arrived to the country. The area became home to German and Irish immigrants as wealthier New Yorkers moved uptown, and in time became known as Kleindeutschland (Little Germany). Later, the area became home to Jewish and Eastern European immigrants, and Second Avenue became a focal point for lower Manhattan’s Jewish community, gaining the title of the “Yiddish Rialto.” After World War II, the neighborhood came to be dominated by Latin American immigrants. Realtors began calling the neighborhood the “East Village” shortly after the removal of the elevated Third Avenue subway line in 1955. The area has a rich legacy in the arts, and in social activism. Landmarks calendared the district on June 28, 2011.
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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, and Mediterranean Revival styles. The proposed district would include approximately 426 buildings, the St. Albans Congregational Church and its campus, and the eleven-acre St. Alban’s Park.
In addition to its architectural significance, Addisleigh Park is also notable for its social and cultural history. It was home to many celebrated African-American jazz musicians, entertainers, and athletes. Ironically, Addisleigh Park was originally created as an all-white neighborhood, and its discriminatory goals were enforced through restrictive covenants prohibiting the sale of property to non-whites. Although many African-American families had already moved into the neighborhood, the restrictive covenants were upheld by State courts in two separate lawsuits in the 1940s. Nonetheless, Our World, a national magazine edited for African-American readers, described Addisleigh Park as being home to the “richest and most gifted” African Americans in 1952. Pianist Thomas “Fats” Waller was possibly the first prominent African American to move into the area, living on Sayres Avenue until his death in 1943. W.E.B. DuBois, Lena Horne, Count Basie, and Jackie Robinson were among some of Addisleigh Park’s most well-known residents, in addition to the many middle-class homeowners. (read more…)
