New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Landmarks Preservation Commission

Data on NYC Historic Buildings Put Online

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Discover NYC LandmarksThe New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has launched a new, enhanced version of its interactive map Discover NYC Landmarks that for the first time includes easily accessible and detailed information on each of the nearly 34,000 historic buildings within the City’s 141 historic districts.

This release complements the map’s existing information on the more than 1,400 individual landmarks, and provides an unparalleled resource for understanding and exploring the city’s built heritage. The LPC’s web map is based on the largest and most comprehensive historic building data collection created by any municipal preservation agency in the United States. [Read more…] about Data on NYC Historic Buildings Put Online

3 Designated Landmarks In Danger Of NYC Council Rejection

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ny landmarks“It is the sense of the council that the standing of this city as a worldwide tourist center and world capital of business, culture and government cannot be maintained or enhanced by disregarding the historical and architectural heritage of the city and by countenancing the destruction of such cultural assets.” –  New York City Council, April 6, 1965 [Read more…] about 3 Designated Landmarks In Danger Of NYC Council Rejection

Owner Mars Underground RR Stop, Seeks Legalization

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Hopper-Gibbons House339 West 29th Street, aka the Hopper-Gibbons House in the Lamartine Place Historic District is a former Underground Railroad stop in Chelsea, Manhattan.

The house and the row was designated as an historic district for cultural reasons – the family of no. 339 was violently attacked in the 1863 Draft Riots for harboring runaway slaves. The abolitionists escaped via the rooftop, hopping house to house until ultimately making a safe exit through a neighboring home. [Read more…] about Owner Mars Underground RR Stop, Seeks Legalization

Stonewall Inn Named Historic Landmark

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Stonewall Inn circa 1965On June 23, the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) voted unanimously to designate the Stonewall Inn an Individual Historic Landmark. The site is the location of the Stonewall riots of June 1969, an event that helped spark the current LGBTQ Pride Movement.

The building is already protected as part of the Greenwich Village Historic District and its significance derives entirely from its historical, social and cultural importance, rather than architectural, marking it a unique designation for the LPC. [Read more…] about Stonewall Inn Named Historic Landmark

50 Yrs of NYC Landmarks Exhibit Planned

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Astor Place, NYCThe Museum of the City of New York will present a new exhibit, Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks, a comprehensive exhibition exploring the roots and impact of a landmark preservation movement and its impact on New York City. The exhibit will run Tuesday, April 21 through September 13, 2015.

New York’s landmark preservation movement developed over many years, but was galvanized by large historic losses in the early 1960s, most notably the demolition of the world famous and architecturally significant Pennsylvania Station in 1963. [Read more…] about 50 Yrs of NYC Landmarks Exhibit Planned

NYC Preservation Commission Cutting 96 Sites

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unnamed(29)UPDATE 12/5: The New York Times is reporting that the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission has dropped its plan to remove 96 sites from landmark consideration.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has announced an Administrative Action to “de-calendar” 94 proposed Individual Landmarks and two proposed Historic Districts from its roster (see map and list). These properties have been “Calendared” or “Heard But Not Designated” for at least five years. [Read more…] about NYC Preservation Commission Cutting 96 Sites

NYC Historic Districts Council Opposes Frick Expansion

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Frick Expansion planAfter many thoughtful meetings and two site visits to The Frick over several months, the Historic Districts Council has determined that we cannot support the proposed institutional expansion at the individually landmarked Frick. Our thoughts are outlined in our statement below:

In a city of superlatives, The Frick is unique. One of the last remaining Millionaire’s Row mansions of the Gilded Age, The Frick residence was designed from the beginning to become a museum. Henry Clay Frick stipulated in his will that his home become “a public gallery of art to which the entire public shall forever have access…”and to this end, a separate Board of Directors for his art collection was established after his death in 1920. After the death of Mr. Frick’s wife Adelaide in 1931, architect John Russell Pope was commissioned to architecturally guide the mansion’s transition to a museum (described in its 1973 designation report as “sensitive architectural blendings of alterations and additions with the original mansion”).  From its beginnings, The Frick has been a thoughtful, considered place. [Read more…] about NYC Historic Districts Council Opposes Frick Expansion

Commission Approves NYC Rooftop Additions

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View of the Hudson from inside the Apthorp open air north pergolaA revised proposal for rooftop additions to the Apthorp was approved unanimously on August 12, 2014, by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The Apthorp is a NYC Individual Landmark, designed by architects Clinton & Russell and completed in 1908, and occupies a full city block between Broadway and West End Avenue and West 78th and 79th Streets.

The proposal was the third iteration of a plan first heard at LPC Public Hearing in November, 2013, which drew palpable opposition from elected officials, noted architects, community groups, neighbors and Apthorp residents. [Read more…] about Commission Approves NYC Rooftop Additions

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Named

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unnamed(13)This morning New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced his choice for Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair – architect and urban planner Meenakshi Srinivasan.

Srinivasan, a native of India, has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from New Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture and a master’s degree in city planning, urban design, and architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1990 she began work at the Department of City Planning, and in 2000 was named deputy director of Planning’s Manhattan office where she led the Special Midtown District Theater Subdistrict rezoning, the Sixth Avenue rezoning, and the Hudson Yards Master Plan. [Read more…] about NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Named

On Park Avenue, A Preservation Declaration of ‘No Style’

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1010-Park-Avenue-1920s_NYPL-300x287On Tuesday, April 29th, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to designate the Park Avenue Historic District as the city’s 111th historic district.

I am thrilled about this designation and is especially thankful for the LPC’s swift action on this item. However, the commissioners’ deliberate decision to specify the Park Avenue Christian Center’s rectory and parish house as “no style” is confusing. When you think of a place with “no style”, Park Avenue is not what usually comes to mind. [Read more…] about On Park Avenue, A Preservation Declaration of ‘No Style’