South Side of Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn. Image Credit: LPC.

The 100-year-old block stands out in the neighborhood for its high architectural quality and aesthetic consistency. On June 25, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate Bay Ridge’s first historic district, “Bay Ridge Parkway – Doctor’s Row.” The new historic district is comprised of 54 two-story and basement rowhouses located on a prominent 100-foot wide, tree-lined block along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4^th and 5^th Avenues in Brooklyn. The rowhouses were all constructed between 1906 and 1913 and designed by two architects in the Renaissance Revival style, some in combination with Colonial Revival elements. The block earned its name as Doctor’s Row for the concentration of medical professionals who have lived and worked there starting in the mid-20^th century. Landmarks calendared the proposal on March 26, 2019, and held a public hearing on May 14, 2019. (read more…)

Five of the seven buildings designated as individual landmarks on June 11, 2019. Image Credit: Google Maps

Commissioners commented on the importance of communicating the benefits of landmarking to the public. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate seven buildings as individual landmarks on Broadway south of Union Square. The buildings are located at 817 Broadway, 826 Broadway, 830 Broadway, 832 Broadway, 836 Broadway, 840 Broadway, and 841 Broadway. The seven buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1902. The buildings housed garment manufacturers, book publishers, and even a movie studio and reflected a time when Manhattan was continuing to grow north. (read more…)

The church was constructed by Emery Roth, a Hungarian immigrant. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the First Hungarian Reformed Church as a New York City landmark. The First Hungarian Reformed Church is located at 346 East 69^th street in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan. The church was constructed in 1915 by Emery Roth and serves as the home of the First Hungarian Reformed congregation. The church has continued to serve the Hungarian population in the neighborhood for 103 years. (read more…)

Rendering of proposed 20-story building at 200 Montague Street, Brooklyn. Image Credit: Beyer Blinder Belle/LPC.

The Commission’s approval to demolish the existing building was primarily based on the collapse and replacement of the building’s original curtain wall in 2006. On May 21, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and voted to approve revised plans to demolish an existing four-story building and construct a new 20-story building at 200 Montague Street in the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District in Brooklyn. Designed by Philip Birnbaum, the existing four-story Modern-style building was initially constructed to two stories in 1959. Two additional stories were added in 1967-68. The building was used as a bank and had a drive through until the 1990s. In 2006, the building’s curtain wall collapsed from water and air infiltration and was replaced with a kalwall façade designed by FacadesMD. Landmarks classified the building as Altered Modern in its 2011 designation report on the historic district. (read more…)

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Image Credit: NYC LPC

The six buildings are up for consideration in honor of the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. On May 14, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a calendaring hearing for five buildings in Manhattan and one building in Staten Island to consider for future designation. The six sites – the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, Women’s Liberation Center, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, the Caffe Cino, the James Baldwin Residence and the Audre Lorde Residence – all reflect some aspect of New York’s LGBT history. (read more…)

Rowhouses along 50th Street in Proposed Sunset Park 50th Street Historic District. Image Credit: LPC.

On May 7, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed landmark designation of four historic districts in Sunset Park, Brooklyn: Sunset Park North, Sunset Park South, Sunset Park 50^th Street, and Central Sunset Park. The four proposed districts encompass blocks that were found to be the most cohesive and intact concentrations of Sunset Park’s architecture, representative of its primary periods of development. If approved, designation would provide Landmark protection to over 539 buildings, the majority of which are rowhouses constructed between the 1890s and 1910s. (read more…)