
Nos. 47 – 55 West 28th Street were the home of many sheet music publishers in the 1890s and 1900s. Image Credit: NYC LPC
The five buildings were home to popular musicians and publishing firms during the height of Tin Pan Alley. On December 10, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve the landmarks designation of five Italianate-style rowhouses located at 47-55 West 28th Street, collectively known as “Tin Pan Alley.” Tin Pan Alley is known for being the home of musicians and sheet music publishers between 1893 and 1910. The area received its nickname from the sounds of pianos played by the publishers on the block. Landmarks held a public hearing for Tin Pan Alley’s designation on April 30, 2019. Many members of the public supported designation; however, the owner of the rowhouses, 45 West 28th LLC, did not. For CityLand’s prior coverage, click here.
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THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK,
THE MUNICIPAL ART SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, AND
THE CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY LAW
present

For additional information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Image Credit: LPC
Items at issue included a former retirement community for sailors, a Colonial-era stone farmhouse, a lighthouse, and the Vanderbilt family mausoleum. On October 22, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the second of four special hearings to address the backlog of items calendared before 2012 but never brought to a vote on designation. The hearing consisted of three batches, of seven to eleven items each, all located in Staten Island. Twenty-six items in total were considered at the hearing. (read more…)

Councilmember Peter Koo. Image credit: William Alatriste / New York City Council
Proposed law sets requirements for holding hearings and decisions or risk automatic decalendaring. On April 28, 2015 a bill was introduced for consideration at the City Council’s stated meeting to create time limits on the City landmarking process. The bill, Intro 775, was introduced by Councilmembers Peter Koo and David Greenfield.
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Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council
In March 2015, the City Planning Commission announced a proposal called Zoning for Affordability and Quality, which broadly calls for three principal changes in the current citywide zoning resolution. The plan proposes to change and enlarge definitions of senior housing to include more types of housing providers than currently permitted. It also proposes to increase buildable space for senior housing in some instances. The proposal also seeks to lessen or some instances no longer mandate parking requirements for designated affordable housing units or senior housing based on their proximity to mass transit. Finally, the proposal recommends raising the streetwall and building height limits from 10 – 20% within medium- and high-density contextual residential zones. The agency rationale for the proposal is to provide better development opportunities within the city which more fully utilize sites full allowable bulk. The agency further explains that by loosening building envelope and parking regulations especially for senior and quality housing developments, more housing inventory will be created to help address the city’s need for these kinds of housing. The City Planning Commission is accepting comments on the draft scope of the environmental review for the proposal until April 30 2015 and, according to the agency’s projected timelines, hopes to bring the final proposal forward for public review and discussion in the early Fall.
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