NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Fall Newsletter 2021

Inside This Issue

Greetings from the Chair

New on the Commission’s Calendar

LPC Proposes Two Historic Districts in Queens

Designations

LPC Designates the Lobby of 200 Madison Avenue an Interior Landmark

Historic District Marker Unveiled at East 25th Street Historic District

LPC Launches a Story Map to Celebrate the 50th Running of the NYC Marathon

Congratulations to Commissioner Fred Bland on receiving the 2021 Soane Award

LPC holds Open Office Hours for Property Owners in all Boroughs

2021 Placzek Fellow Supports LPC’s Efforts to Recognize NYC’s African American History

Greetings from the Chair

I am delighted to let you know about some of the great work our agency has been doing these past couple of months – work that fits within our goals of equity, including representing the diversity of the city through our designations, and making our work more accessible through transparency and outreach initiatives. In this issue, you will learn about our most recent research and designation activity, including voting to designate the lobby of 200 Madison Avenue as an interior landmark, and calendaring two historic districts in Cambria Heights, and how LPC's Placzek Fellow supported our efforts to recognize and preserve sites associated with New York City's pre-Civil War African American History. You will also see our latest story map celebrating the 50th running of the NYC Marathon and learn about our efforts to make our regulatory processes more accessible, including our Open Office Hours initiative.

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated staff and Commissioners who have demonstrated their professionalism and commitment to our agency's mission, making this city a great place to live, work and visit. Despite the continued challenges of working through a pandemic, our staff has come together to find creative solutions to performing our important work. We have continued to designate new landmarks and launch special projects highlighting the full stories of our landmarks, continued to review applications, provide hands-on guidance and issue permits for important projects, and continued our enforcement, environmental review and archaeology work, and our administrative staff was critical to supporting our functions and operations across the entire agency.

I am proud of our work this year and as we look to the new year, I am confident that LPC will continue to support New York City as it works towards a full recovery and to preserve and protect the buildings and sites that make our city so great.

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah Carroll

New on the Commission’s Calendar

LPC Proposes Two Historic Districts in Queens

On August 10, the Commission calendared two historic districts in Cambria Heights, Queens: the Cambria Heights – 222nd Street Historic District and the Cambria Heights – 227th Street Historic District.

The proposed Cambria Heights – 222nd Street Historic District is a remarkably cohesive group of 46 Tudor Revival row houses incorporating elements of the “Storybook” style, and the proposed Cambria Heights – 227th Street Historic District is a remarkably cohesive group of 50 Tudor Revival row houses incorporating elements of the “Storybook” style.

Photo: Cambria Heights 227th St Historic District

Designations

LPC Designates the Lobby of 200 Madison Avenue an Interior Landmark

On November 9, 2021, the Commission unanimously voted to designate the 200 Madison Avenue First Floor Lobby an interior landmark. The historic lobby of 200 Madison Avenue is among the best-preserved and least-known interiors produced by the prolific architecture firm Warren & Wetmore.

“The 200 Madison Avenue First Floor lobby is a beautiful space with a richly embellished through-block arcade that truly feels like a hidden gem,” said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll. “With its intricately detailed vaulted ceilings, gleaming gilded reliefs, terrazzo floors, polished marble walls, and ornamental metalwork and mosaics, I am delighted that this wonderfully preserved lobby is now in the company of such interior landmarks as Steinway Hall, the Madison Belmont Building, and the New York Central Building, also designed by Warren & Wetmore. As New Yorkers return to the office, it’s an especially opportune time to recognize this special space.”

Read more about it here.

Historic District Marker Unveiled at East 25th Street Historic District

On December 8, 2021, LPC Chair Sarah Carroll, New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation (NYLPF) Chair Tom Krizmanic, Council Member Farah Louis and residents of the East 25th Street in East Flatbush unveiled a historic district marker that will serve to promote and commemorate the designation of the East 25th Street Historic District in Brooklyn. The East 25th Street Historic District is the first historic district in East Flatbush and reflects the diverse history of its community.

The newly installed markers are 19-by-36-inch terra cotta-colored signs that feature a map on one side and a brief description and history of the district on the other. Their installation is part of the NYLPF’s Historic District Marker Program, which fosters public awareness and civic pride in designated historic districts in the five boroughs through signage. A total of two markers, funded by LPC, were installed on each side of the East 25th Street Historic District. Read more about it here.

LPC Launches a Story Map to Celebrate the 50th Running of the NYC Marathon

On November 3, 2021, LPC launched 50 for the 50th, an interactive story map in honor of the New York City Marathon's 50th running to celebrate the return of what many people call "New York's Best Day" after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 marathon. The story map highlights a selection of 50 landmarks and historic districts along the route in all five boroughs.

LPC's story map follows the marathon route from start to finish, identifying mile markers and the landmarks and historic districts on or near the course. From its extraordinary start on Staten Island to its dramatic finish in Central Park, the marathon winds through diverse and historic neighborhoods and past many designated landmarks. Read more about it here and check out the story map here.

Photo Credit: Julienne Schaer/NYC & Company

Congratulations to Commissioner Fred Bland on receiving the 2021 Soane Award

On October 20, 2021, Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation honored Commissioner Fred Bland with the Soane Award for his extraordinary commitment to civic engagement and a career defined by the highest care for the physical and social character of communities —New York City in particular.

“Always the first place I visit when I arrive in London, Sir John Soane's Museum is a laboratory of creativity, an endlessly interesting series of interconnecting spaces and natural light that make contemporary architects, to this day, take out their sketchbooks for new ideas. I am particularly grateful to the Soane Foundation for recognizing my efforts – even apart from my role as a practicing architect at Beyer Blinder Belle – in many aspects of the public realm in our great city of New York," Fred said during his acceptance speech.

He was recognized for fifty years of design leadership and his accolades in the fields of architecture, planning, and historic preservation. In his role as LPC Commissioner, which he has held since 2008, Fred has weighed in on everything from restoration projects to new buildings in historic districts and designations. Congratulations to Commissioner Bland on this well-deserved recognition!

Photo credit: Madison McGaw/BFA.com

LPC Holds Open Office Hours for Property Owners in all Boroughs

As part of LPC’s equity framework, the agency launched an Open Office Hours initiative this past summer to help make its services more accessible and ensure all property owners are supported through technical assistance and improved guidance. This initiative enabled property owners to virtually meet one-on-one with preservation staff to discuss their potential projects and ask questions about LPC permitting.

LPC held virtual Open Office Hours for property owners in The Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and did a citywide session on September 30, 2021. These events were part of a pilot program and we hope to build on this model in the future.

2021 Placzek Fellow Supports LPC’s Efforts to Recognize NYC’s African American History

Each summer, the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation sponsors the Adolf Placzek Fellowship, an 8-week paid program at LPC for graduate degree candidates in historic preservation, architecture, architectural history, American history, or a related field. This year’s Placzek Fellow Rachel Ericksen, who received an MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University, focused on supporting the LPC’s efforts to recognize and preserve sites associated with New York City’s pre-Civil War African American history.

Working with the Research Department, Rachel developed a comprehensive annotated resource guide for researching pre-Civil War African American history, with a focus on the Abolitionist Movement, the Underground Railroad and free Black communities in New York City. The resource guide brings together already known sources and adds new ones with the goal of streamlining the research process and inspiring confidence when determining the extent of a site’s relationship with pre-civil war African American history. LPC appreciates all the work she put into this guide, which will help the agency as it continues to prioritize designations that represent the city’s diversity and tell the story of all New Yorkers.

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