Landmarks Preservaton Commission

Location: This is a horribly anxious time to be in New York real estate, especially if you’re one of the city’s biggest builders. What keeps you up at night?

Mr. Sciame: I like to say that I sleep like a baby: I sleep for two hours and I cry for two hours. Only kidding. … Any major builder in this town in 2008 is having a very good year. And we’re having a very good year.

 

How is that possible? It’s been incredibly unsteady; apartments are going unsold.

It has been, but as the builder, we are building that building, and the apartments that you’re trying to sell have been paid for … which is why my year has been good.  read more »

The brownstone-laden neighborhood of Prospect Heights in Brooklyn may soon see new preservation regulations as the city has taken a step toward creating a historic district in the area north of Prospect Park.

On Tuesday, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is slated to vote to "calendar" a proposed historic district for the neighborhood, the first significant step toward the area receiving the protected historic district status. Running from Flatbush Avenue to Washington Avenue, between Eastern Parkway and Atlantic Avenue, the area is filled with houses and other buildings built in the early 20th century and mid-19th century. After a vote to calendar a district, the proposal receives a public hearing and a vote by the LPC.  read more »

The Consolidated Edison building at 4 Irving Place, the limestone-clad onetime home to ConEd’s headquarters just east of Union Square, is up for landmark designation as the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission added the building to its calendar for review.

The 26-story building, designed by Henry Hardenbergh, who designed the Plaza and the Dakota, and Warren & Wetmore, was built in stages between 1910 and 1929.

In a statement of significance about the building, the LPC hailed the structure’s distinct architecture, saying, “As completed, the Consolidated Edison Building is a monumental presence on 14th Street and on the Manhattan skyline.”

Also now being considered for designation is the Museum Building, Fountain of Life sculpture, and the Tulip Tree Allee at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.

Buildings that are "calendared" by the LPC typcially are designated as landmarks.

Jean Nouvel, the newly minted winner of architecture’s Pritzker Prize, will likely face some criticism of his planned 75-story apartment tower (rendering right) next to the Museum of Modern Art tomorrow afternoon, as the development proposal goes before the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission for a hearing.

Surrounding residents have criticized the tower for its out-of-scale height, and the local community board recommended against the development last month. Though in a twist uncommon to not-in-my-backyard battles, architectural enthusiasts, troubled by the community board vote, have tried to rally support for the tower, at least in cyberspace (we’ll see if they show up to the hearing tomorrow).

The Times did a profile of Mr. Nouvel yesterday and quoted his business partner as saying the French architect was focusing his energy on the MoMA tower.  read more »

One Chase Manhattan Plaza, one of the signature buildings of Lower Manhattan’s skyline, is slated to become a landmark. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has a hearing on the building scheduled for Tuesday. Landmark status, which restricts changes to the building and site, would ultimately require approval from the mayoral-controlled LPC.  read more »

Last night Community Board 4 recommended that the Landmarks Preservaton Commission designate 127 Seventh Avenue as a landmark. The four-story red-brick building, which has a poorly known historical record, was thought to be a stable at one time for Macy's, when the store located on 14th Avenue in the latter part of the 19th century, and later the mission school of the Presbyterian Church.

Currently vacant, there have been rumors circulating that its demolition is imminent, with a new, large residential building slated to go up in its stead (naturally). In recommending that the building be granted landmark status, the board said the 1846 building has "exceptional architectural and historic significance," such as its facade that's divided into three "strongly expressed" piers and two recessed three-story bays topped by segmented arches. Back when it served as a stable for Macy's, stores throughout the Ladies' Mile district had their own stables to deliver goods throughout the city.  read more »

-Matthew Grace