NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

April/May 2024 Newsletter

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April/May 2024 Newsletter

Inside This Issue

May is Preservation Month

LPC Designates Old Croton Aqueduct Walk as the Bronx's First Scenic Landmark

LPC Designates the Heckscher Building (now the Crown Building)

LPC Approves New Rules

In Memoriam

Commissioner Chen Honored

LPC in the Community

Looking Ahead

In Case You Missed It: LPC in the News

May is Preservation Month!

We joined the National Trust for Historic Preservation – and our fellow preservation organizations around the country – to celebrate Preservation Month, an annual event to commemorate and honor our historic resources.

Historic Preservation….

Fosters neighborhood pride: Preservation brings communities together through pride of place and the stories that connect us to our shared history and culture.

Revitalizes communities and supports economic development by promoting investment into existing buildings and neighborhoods. LPC issues over 12,000 permits each year for work on designated buildings, and hundreds of millions of dollars are invested annually into New York Citys historic buildings, creating jobs for thousands of New Yorkers and helping support our city's economic success.

Contributes to our city's economic success: Our historic districts and landmark buildings and sites attract residents, tourists, and businesses, and are part of what makes our city one of the world's top tourist destinations.

Advances sustainability: The collection of buildings in our historic districts and designated individual landmark sites have an important role to play as we work to make our city more environmentally sustainable and climate resilient. By investing in our existing buildings and the updates that will help make them climate resilient and energy efficient, our historic structures and sites become part of the solution.

LPC Designates Old Croton Aqueduct Walk as the Bronx's First Scenic Landmark

Introducing the city's newest scenic landmark – and the very first scenic landmark in the Bronx! On April 16th, the Commission celebrated the 50th anniversary of scenic landmarks in New York City by voting unanimously to designate Old Croton Aqueduct Walk as the city's 12th scenic landmark.

A 4.9-acre linear park stretching 1.4 miles through the Fordham and University Heights neighborhoods, Aqueduct Walk features a public walkway built atop the embankment of the Old Croton Aqueduct Walk, an engineering marvel and model of urban infrastructure that brought the first direct water supply to New York City in 1842.

Aqueduct Walk quickly became a popular walking trail for the surrounding neighborhoods of Fordham and University Heights – and has continued to be a beloved public space for the community since becoming part of NYC Parks in 1930.

Learn more about the Bronx's first scenic landmark.

LPC Designates the Heckscher Building (now the Crown Building)

On May 14th, the Commission designated the Heckscher Building (now the Crown Building) as New York City's newest individual landmark. The ornate French Renaissance-style building is one of Fifth Avenue's best known and most visible early skyscrapers, and one of the first to conform to the 1916 Zoning Resolution requiring tall buildings to taper as they rose to allow light and air to reach the street in order to improve the health and quality of life of New York City residents.

Learn more about the Heckscher Building (now the Crown Building).

LPC Approves New Rules

In May, the Commission approved a series of new rules designed to promote New York City's continued economic growth, including amendments to support restaurants in historic districts and the vibrancy and vitality of our city's streetscape by streamlining the installation of sidewalk and roadway cafes in the Dining Out NYC program.

Details about the new LPC rules for sidewalk and roadway cafes in historic districts, as well as more information about all LPC rules and the rulemaking process can be found on our website.

In Memoriam

It is with tremendous sadness that we share the news that Margaret McMahon, a long-time LPC staff member, passed away earlier this month. Margaret was a true institution at the Commission, with more than 35 years of service and a steadfast commitment to the work and mission of the agency. She spent many years as part of LPC's Preservation Department, supporting Commissioners, agency staff, and members of the public, and over the past decade served as LPC's Director of Administration. With her calm, friendly demeanor and deep institutional knowledge, she was an invaluable member of the agency, sharing her experiences and helping welcome and train so many of the staff who joined LPC over the years, and relished helping members of the public. Margaret was deeply committed to safeguarding LPC's records and history, and proudly served as the agency's Records Management Officer. She will be deeply missed by LPC's staff and the preservation community.

Commissioner Chen Honored

LPC Commissioner Wellington Chen was named to the inaugural Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Power Players list by PoliticsNY and amNY Metro. Launched in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, the list celebrates the leaders and advocates who are shaping the future of our city. Congrats, Commissioner Chen!

Read Commissioner Chen's interview here.

LPC in the Community

Discussing Financial Benefits Available for Landmark Property Owners

On April 6, LPC's Senior Landmarks Preservationist Caroline Pasion joined Save Harlem Now! for a community forum on the financial benefits available for landmark property owners. It was a great opportunity to meet many members of the community and share info on LPC's Historic Preservation Grant Program. Our thanks to Save Harlem Now!, event sponsor New York State Senator Cordell Cleare, the Friendship Baptist Church in Harlem, and everyone who turned out for this wonderful community forum. To learn more about the Historic Preservation Grant Program: https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/historic-preservation-grant-program.page

Talking to Students About Preservation Careers

On April 17th, LPC's Senior Landmarks Preservationist Caroline Pasion was a guest speaker at Manhattan's Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School's career day, talking about LPC's work and discussing the opportunities available in the field of preservation. The students were engaged, insightful, and asked fantastic questions — our thanks to Mather's leadership team for inviting us to this fantastic event.

Celebrating the Designation of Old Croton Aqueduct Walk Scenic Landmark

On May 2nd, LPC joined the Friends of Aqueduct Walk, Bronx Community Board 5, Partnership for Parks, and many other local community organizations to celebrate the designation of Old Croton Aqueduct Walk as the Bronx's first scenic landmark. Our thanks to this special group of community advocates who have supported this designation every step of the way, and to everyone who stopped by LPC's table!

Looking Ahead

2024 continues to be an incredibly productive year for LPC, with multiple sites currently calendared for consideration as potential NYC landmarks.

Brooklyn: Brooklyn Edison Building

Brooklyn: Willoughby-Hart Proposed Historic District

Manhattan: Temple Court Building (now The Beekman Hotel) Atrium

Manhattan: 1 Wall Street Banking Room Interior (also known as the Red Room)

Staten Island: Frederick Douglas Memorial Park

Once dates have been set for the next public hearings/meetings for these proposed landmarks, that information will be posted on the hearings page of LPC's website.

In Case You Missed It: LPC in the News

NYC's gilded Crown Building is landmarked

6sqft, May 16

Fifth Avenue skyscraper, home of Aman resort, named historic landmark

PIX11, May 14, 2024

LPC Streamlines Sidewalk Cafes For Historic District Restaurants In Dining Out NYC

Harlem World, May 9

Old Croton Aqueduct designated as 1st New York City scenic landmark in Bronx

ABC7NY, May 3

Old Croton Aqueduct Becomes The Bronx's First-Ever Scenic Landmark

TheCity, May 2

Landmarks approves rest hub for NYC delivery workers next to City Hall Park

6sqft, April 17

'The bodies have expired, the dreams haven't;' This Staten Island cemetery could earn NYC landmark status

SI Live, April 16

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